www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News The "Manhattan Declaration": The Manifesto That's Shaking America

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2009—Friday a group of prominent Christian clergy, ministry leaders and scholars released the Manhattan Declaration, which addresses the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. The 4,700-word declaration issues a clarion call to Christians to adhere to their convictions and informs civil authorities that the signers will not - under any circumstance - abandon their Christian consciences. Drafted by Dr. Robert George, Dr. Timothy George and Chuck Colson and signed by more than 125 Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders, the Manhattan Declaration is available at DeMossNews.com/ManhattanDeclaration.

You can also read & sign the declaration at http://manhattandeclaration.org/

Interesting!

Thank God clergy are finally taking a stand publicly.
I was so happy to see Arch Bsp Donald Wuerl there.
Stephanos I

I signed this several days before it went public, but evidently not in time to be included in the first 150.

Kudos to Fr. Johannes Jacobse (AOI, and Orthodoxytoday.org) and Fr. Patrick Reardon, among others, who signed.

I'm proud of the signatories.

Don't just be proud, Terry... Join them!

The presence of Evangelicals makes me a tad nervous, so I will sit back and watch this one out. I am skeptical that the Orthodox primates signing this are taking it at face value, whilst the Evangelicals have a political agenda associated with it.

Alexandr

It is inherently American Politics, Alexandr; and it's fairly straightforward. I read it, I added my name to it. American politicians NEED a wake up call that their secularism is not acceptable to the actual people of the country.

Thank God the American Churches have raised their public voice on religious and moral issues. Look at these two phrases from the "Manhattan Declaration"... signed also by the Orthodox.

"We will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves."

"We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."


And in Europe, a similar act of defiance by the Churches. In both Italy and Greece the Church has had a belly full of the secular power's self-certitude that it is the infallible arbiter of morals and symbols in the nation. The Catholics and the Orthodox refuse to comply with the EU demand and they will not remove crucifixes and icons from schools and public buildings.

This commentary from an Italian church journal is worth a read:

The "Manhattan Declaration": The Manifesto That's Shaking America
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341135?eng=y

But I'm not a clergyman or scholar.

I don't trust much of what's talked about regrading the intentions of the "Christian right". Many of their critics aim to discredit their involvement in politics with such talk. If you mean to say that their intention is to form a theocracy, that claim would be foreign to the Evangelicals.

Terry

Thank God the American Churches have finally found their public voice on religious and moral issues. Look at these two phrases from the Manhattan Declaration... signed also by the Orthodox.

"We will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves."

"We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."


This commentary from Sandro Magister in Rome is worth a read:

The "Manhattan Declaration": The Manifesto That's Shaking America
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1341135?eng=y



And in Europe, a similar act of defiance by the Churches. In both Italy and Greece the Church has had a belly full of the secular power's self-certitude that it is the infallible arbiter of morals and symbols in the nation. The Catholics and the Orthodox refuse to comply with the EU demand and they will not remove crucifixes and icons from schools and public buildings.

Sorry, I seem to have doubled up on this. Mods, please remove it if you like.

Ah, I see it's open to the public too. I submitted my signature.

Dear brother in Christ Alexandr,

Whoever is not against us is for us.(Mar 9:40)
While some vocal evangelical groups are "political" many are as concerned as we are regarding lawmakers impinging on our "right of conscience" and freedom of speech. And while we have recourse to Divine intersession through prayer, our defense is also through the political process. "God helps those who help themselves."

Chuck Colson expresses much Catholic and Orthodox thinking and references in his commentaries and I admire him very much for his candor. In my area I have worked with Evangelicals in our Life Chains and I can tell you that there is enormous respect for all who speak out in defense of Christ, regardless of religious affiliation.

Indeed this appears to be "a line in the sand," or, to be more spiritual.... a call for martyrdom, if necessary.

Render unto Caesar, but rebuke Caesar when he tries to make himself a god, for we worship only the One True God.

Christ is among us!
Fr Deacon Paul