Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Curious that a university which describes itself as non-sectarian should be
expected to answer to bishops of its former allegiance.
Gabriel Austin
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From: Rare book and manuscripts [mailto:EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU] On
Behalf Of Richard Menec
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 8:11 PM
To: EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Subject: [EXLIBRIS-L] Fw: Bishops, Methodist clergy oppose Bush library
FYI
http://bushlibraryblog.wordpress.com/methodist-debate/methodist-petition-org
anizers-press-release/
Methodist Petition Organizers' Press Release
January 31, 2007
Bishops speak out against Bush Library, Think Tank at SMU and Vow to Push
Forward
Today the organizers of a United Methodist Church petition urging Southern
Methodist University (SMU) not to house the George W. Bush Presidential
Library, Museum, and Institute released early results of their petition
drive and vowed to continue with the drive.
"We now have as signatories fourteen Bishops in the United Methodist Church,
the past President of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, two
Superintendents in the British Methodist Church, over 600 United Methodist
clergy, and more than nine thousand members of churches from across the
United States and Canada," said the Reverend Andrew Weaver, the SMU alum who
organized the petition.
The petition, www.protectSMU.org, has been online for less than two weeks.
Its organizers argue that Bush's legacy is incompatible with the values of
Methodism and thus that his Library, Museum, and Institute should not be
housed on SMU's campus. Bishop C. Joseph Sprague condemned the
administration, stating that. "Bush violated United Methodist teachings when
he initiated a pre-emptive, first- strike war, contrary to Just War
criteria, when he pursued policies that reward the rich, while punishing the
poor and he further sneered at church teaching by condoning the torture of
prisoners. Add to these callous and arrogant acts the fact that he presided
over more capital punishment executions (state-sanctioned murder is
condemned by our church) than any governor in this nation's history, and it
becomes abundantly clear why a G.W. Bush Library should not be housed on
United Methodist Church property. The United Methodist Church's Social
Principles call all United Methodists to social holiness. This petition
reflects our church's tradition that all United Methodists are to be held
accountable for our personal and institutional behavior."
Southern Methodist University is one of 123 educational institutions that
are related to The United Methodist Church. Petition organizers believe that
association with this president through his proposed $500 million library,
museum, and institute will reflect poorly upon Methodism worldwide. They
invite all people of faith who honor the good name of Methodism and our
Christian heritage to sign our petition at www.protectSMU.org.
"The placement of the George W. Bush Library and the establishment of an
Institute to promote the policies of this president at Southern Methodist
University would be a tragedy." said Bishop William Boyd Grove. "The
policies of the Bush administration are in direct conflict with the Social
Principles of the United Methodist Church on issues of war and peace, civil
liberties and human rights, care for the environment and health care. SMU is
a university of the church, and is home to one of our outstanding
theological seminaries. Its Methodist identity and its moral authority would
be seriously compromised were it to be identified with the policies of
George W. Bush in this way".
"We've had an outpouring of support so far," said Rev. Weaver, "from those
who don't wish to have their beloved church associated with a man who has
authorized torture and a lie-based war of aggression against the people of
Iraq. The comments on the petition are a modern epistle to the church and
the 45 million Methodists worldwide, pleading for justice."
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