Faithful Democrats
By Jesse Lava, FaithfulDemocrats.com
FaithfulDemocrats.com just organized a crew of clergy and academic Christian leaders to write a letter to Speaker Hastert about the Foley mess. The letter offers moral clarity during a time when the officials in question seem to be offering obfuscation and misdirection.
We CC’d the usual suspects on the religious right — Dobson, Perkins, Falwell, et al — because they’ve been (unsurprisingly) silent during this whole episode. One strongly suspects they’d be all fire and brimstone if Democratic leaders had been the ones to hide sexual misconduct for political gain.
We got a great group to sign on, and more are on the way. The letter is below.
October 2, 2006
The Honorable Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of Representatives
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-1314
Dear Mr. Speaker:
We were deeply saddened to learn of the appalling behavior of Congressman Mark Foley. His sending sexually explicit instant messages and emails to numerous congressional pages — underage high school students — shocked America. We offer our prayers for the affected families, Mr. Foley himself, and all victims of child sexual abuse.
Unfortunately, the latest reports suggest the problem is far bigger than the disturbing actions of one congressman. Evidence is mounting that House leaders and others knew of Foley’s behavior for months, some for more than a year, yet let him continue his tenure in Congress — including his chairmanship of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.
The bitter irony is that the leaders of a political party that emphasizes family values may have deliberately betrayed those values for political gain. This is a moral failure — and a symptom of a Congress that has lost its moral compass.
After all, protecting children is a biblical responsibility. “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,” Jesus said, “it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)
No matter how much some politicians talk about moral values, protecting sexual predators at the expense of children is nothing short of sinful.
We therefore call for the repentance and resignation of all members of Congress who knew about Mr. Foley’s misdeeds yet failed to stop them. Investigations into this scandal must be immediate, independent, bipartisan, and mindful not only of Mr. Foley’s crimes, but also of the possible efforts to hide them.
In this time of moral crisis, we pray that the entire faith community — regardless of political party — will unite in demanding accountability from anyone who has helped cover up these despicable acts. The victims deserve no less.
Sincerely,
Rev. Romal Tune
Co-Chair, FaithfulDemocrats.com
Founder & President, Clergy Strategic Alliances
Washington, D.C.
Dr. Randall Balmer
Professor of American Religion, Columbia University
New York, New York
Dr. Shaun Casey
Professor of Christian Ethics, Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, D.C.
Rev. William Chrystal
Pastor, First Congregational Church
Former Military Chaplain
Reno, Nevada
Rev. Tony Campolo
Founder & President, Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education
Professor Emeritus, Eastern University
Saint Davids, Pennsylvania
Dr. Wayne Croft
Professor of Preaching, Easter Theological Seminary
Pastor, Church of the Redeemer
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dr. Paul de Vries
President, New York Divinity School
Board Member, National Association of Evangelicals
New York, New York
Dr. Robert Franklin
Professor of Social Ethics, Emory University
President, Regional Council of Churches
Atlanta, Georgia
Rev. Dr. Obery Hendricks, Jr.
Professor of Biblical Interpretation, New York Theological Seminary
New York, New York
Dr. Major Jemison
President, Progressive National Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, St. John Missionary Baptist Church
Oklahoma City, OK
Rev. Peter Laarman
Executive Director, Progressive Christians Uniting
Los Angeles, California
Rev. Robert Maddox
Executive Director, Briggs Center for Faith and Action
Bethesda, Maryland
Rev. Stan Moody
Pastor, North Manchester Meeting House Church
Manchester, Maine
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.
Pastor, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church
Cleveland, Ohio
Rev. Otis Moss, III
Trustee, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ
Chicago, IL
Rev. Robin Meyers
Senior Minister, Mayflower Congregational Church
Oklahoma City, OK
Rev. Dr. Robert Parham
Executive Director, Baptist Center for Ethics
Nashville, Tennessee
Rev. Dr. Staccato Powell
Pastor, Grace AME Zion Church
Raleigh, North Carolina
Rev. Daniel Schultz
United Church of Christ Minister
Co-Founder, Street Prophets weblog
Lancaster, PA
Rev. Tim Simpson
Executive Director, Christian Alliance for Progress
Jacksonville, Florida
Rev. Stephen Thurston
President, National Baptist Convention of America
Chicago, Illinois
Dr. Frank Trotter
Senior Minister, Metropolitan United Memorial Methodist Church
Washington, D.C.
Ms. Patty Wetterling
Child advocate
St. Joseph, Minnesota
Dr. Patrick Whelan
Executive Director, Catholic Democrats
Pediatric Specialist, MassGeneral Hospital for Children
Boston, Massachusetts
Rev. Nathan Day Wilson
Clintonville Christian Church
Paris, Kentucky
Dr. Lauren Winner
Visiting Lecturer, Duke Divinity School
Christian author
Durham, North Carolina
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright
Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ
Trustee, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference
Chicago, Illinois
CC: House Majority Leader John Boehner
NRCC Chair Tom Reynolds
Representative Rodney Alexander
James Dobson, Focus on the Family
Tony Perkins, Family Research Council
Donald Wildman, American Family Association
Jerry Falwell, Falwell Ministries
Pat Robertson, Christian Broadcasting Network
Photo taken from Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bistrosavage/66726697/
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