Extra: International Brethren respond to Iraq speech

Leaders of international Brethren bodies were invited to consider giving their own responses to President Bush’s speech on the Iraq war, as Stan Noffsinger considered his response to the Jan. 10 speech. Noffsinger serves as general secretary to the Church of the Brethren General Board--his response appeared as a “Newsline Extra” on Jan. 12 (go to www.brethren.org/genbd/newsline/2007/jan1207.htm. A Spanish translation will be made available soon.)

Following are responses received from the president of Igreja da Irmandade (the Church of the Brethren in Brazil), and from a leading pastor in Iglesia de los Hermanos (the Church of the Brethren) in the Dominican Republic:

“The Igreja da Irmandade, which has its roots in Anabaptism and the Church of the Brethren, one of the three historic peace churches, publicly expresses its deep concern about the recent decision of the President of the United States, George W. Bush, to send more troops to Iraq. We truly believe and understand, considering Jesus’ teaching, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ that those who decide for war lack wisdom in their decision, and have no wisdom to make other decisions rather than to stop the war. Thus, for us, to send more troops is maintaining a foolish decision that started the war and is a sinful and cursed decision. Also, we believe that wisdom comes from the communitarian interpretation of history and decision making process. The decision to start the war was against the general understanding of the nations and the Security Council of the United Nations. Again, the recent decision to send more troops goes against the understanding of the nations and of the people in the United States. Democracy as a negotiating political system is not only to be preached and lived inside of the nation, but it must be true in the concert of the nations, as well. Additionally, we would like to say that the decision to start the war was based on reasoning that is untrue, as is very well-known now. We believe that a ‘bad tree cannot produce a good fruit,’ and the decision to start the war was based on false reasoning, so it cannot produce good fruits. As it has been our practice since the beginning of our church, we are praying for peace, and we prayed and will pray for the President of USA and others that are directly or indirectly involved in promoting peace and the core of these prayers is asking God to give them wisdom on their decisions. (Campinas, 27 de janeiro de 2007.)”

--Marcos R. Inhauser serves as president of Igreja da Irmandade, headquartered in Campinas, Brazil, and is national director of mission in Brazil for the General Board. (This response will be made available soon in Spanish translation.)

“We were created for peace and war destroys our nature, the essence of that for which human beings were created. War creates hatred for generations and its damage is incalculable and irreparable. War fundamentally damages the feelings and emotions of the individual. Any type of war or aggression is intolerable for our Heavenly Father. In fact God says in his word, ‘In peace I have come among you.’ I understand that war is an evil that is planted firmly in the heart of humans and this is damaging because we can transfer this evil to future generations. Jesus said, ‘My peace I give to you. My peace I give, not as the world gives do I give to you.’ Given that we understand this, the human being is mistaken in his own concept of peace being used in the world; he does not understand clearly what peace means.”

"Estuvimos creados por la paz y la guerra desnaturaliza, la esencia para la cual fue creado el ser humano porque la guerra crea odio por generaciones y su daño es incalculable e irreparable. La guerra golpea fundamentalmente los sentimientos y las emociones del individuo. Cualquier tipo de guerra o agresión es intolerable por nuestro Padre Celestial. Porque dice en su palabra, "a paz he venido entre nosotros." Porque entiendo que la guerra es un mal que está arraigado en el corazón de los hombres e eso es dañino porque podemos transferir eso malo a generaciones futuros. Jesús dijo, "La paz os dejo, mi paz os doy; yo no os la doy como el mundo la da." Dando a entender que el hombre está equivocado en su propio concepto de paz empleado en el mundo, no sabe claramente lo que significa paz."

--Félix Arias Mateo is pastor of the Maranatha new church plant in San Juan de la Maguana, the Dominican Republic. He also serves as president of the Board of Directors of the Community Development Committee that supervises the church’s microloan program in the DR.

Source: 1/31/2007 Newsline