Support for Manhattan Declaration growing
The Layman, November 24, 2009
Since it was presented to the public on Nov. 20, support of the Manhattan Declaration has grown from 152 Christian leaders to 84,576 signatures as of 1 p.m. Nov. 24. And that number is growing by the minute.
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Declaration: Christians will hold to their beliefs, not abandon conscience
Announced in Washington D.C., the Manhattan Declaration is a 4,700-word declaration calling Christians “to adhere to their convictions” and informing civil authorities that the signers “will not – under any circumstances – abandon their Christian consciences.” The declaration and its original signers can be viewed at ManhattanDeclaration.org. The Web site also offers a place to sign the declaration.
Many key supporters are speaking out as to why they signed the document:
Carmen Fowler, president and executive editor, Presbyterian Lay Committee (Lenoir, N.C.): “I signed the Manhattan Declaration because I believe that authentic leadership requires not only a deep internal conviction, but a public witness and life that reflect the same. The hope is that other Christians will feel led to join us in communicating these most basic Biblical foundations in a generation that is misinformed and confused. If you are clear that life matters because God created, redeems and sustains life; if you are clear that the Biblical model for marriage matters because God created it, blesses it and sustains it; and if you are clear that religious liberty matters because God is Lord of everything, not just religious practice, then I encourage you to prayerfully consider signing the Manhattan Declaration.”
Chuck Colson, founder, the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview (Lansdowne, Va.): “The Manhattan Declaration is a wake-up call – a call to conscience – for the church. It is also a crystal-clear message to civil authorities that we will not, under any circumstances, stand idly by as our religious freedom comes under assault. … there are signs of a reduced tolerance for that most basic of American values, religious freedom. As we’ve discussed many times on BreakPoint, Christian organizations are losing tax-exempt status for refusing to buy in to homosexual “marriage.” Some are going out of business rather than cave into immoral demands – such as placing children for adoption with homosexual couples. Conscientious medical personnel are being sued or being fired for obeying their consciences. I say, enough is enough. The Church must take a stand. And with the release of the Manhattan Declaration, that’s exactly what we are doing.”
Dr. Timothy George, dean and professor of divinity, Beeson Divinity School at Samford University (Birmingham, Ala.): “Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical leaders have come together to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good on three of the most pressing issues in our country today … These are not the only matters that require a conscientious response from followers of Jesus Christ, but they are threshold issues that touch on everything else we do including the proclamation of the Gospel, concern for the poor, nurturing of children, ministry to prisoners, care of creation, and peacemaking in a broken world. … We ourselves set forth this appeal as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the way, the truth and the life. We hold differing political views and follow no partisan agendas. We believe it is time for Christian believers to speak together clearly and boldly on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society. The Manhattan Declaration represents an ecumenism of the trenches that has been going on for a number of years among many denominations and confessional traditions.”
Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Ky.): “I believe we are facing an inevitable and culture-determining decision on the three issues centrally identified in this statement. I also believe that we will experience a significant loss of Christian churches, denominations and institutions in this process. There is every good reason to believe that the freedom to conduct Christian ministry according to Christian conviction is being subverted and denied before our eyes. I believe that the sanctity of human life, the integrity of marriage, and religious liberty are very much in danger at this very moment. … I signed The Manhattan Declaration because I believe it is an historic statement of conviction and courage that is both timely and urgent. Over the course of the next few months and years, these issues will be reset in our culture and its laws. These are matters on which the Christian conscience cannot be silent. … Finally, I signed The Manhattan Declaration because I want to put my name on its final pledge – that we will not bend the knee to Caesar. We will not participate in any subversion of life. We will not be forced to accept any other relationship as equal in status or rights to heterosexual marriage. We will not refrain from proclaiming the truth – and we will order our churches and institutions and ministries by Christian conviction.
Jim Daly, president and CEO, Focus on the Family (Colorado Springs, Colo.): “This is the kind of communication that captures the spirit of our faith. Inviting and answering questions, engaging in civil discourse, acknowledging where we’ve fallen short and investing more energy in doing the right things for others to see. It’s the language of cultural change, what the early church engaged in … I also embrace my obligation, and Focus’, to champion these Christian truths in a Christian manner. Being unyielding in what we believe is critical, but it is no excuse for being unkind in how we express it. As the Scripture says in Luke 6, ‘If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great.’ The Manhattan Declaration is an excellent example of achieving that balance of truth and grace. It is a document that stands for something.”
Tony Perkins, president, Family Research Council (Washington D.C.): “At the heart of the Manhattan Declaration is a very significant message from Christian leaders that they will not wait to respond to efforts that would limit or curtail religious liberty in America, rather they will be proactive in exercising and defending this first freedom. Additionally, the commitment remains to promote a culture of life to counter the ‘culture of death’ that has been advanced by the courts over the last 35 years. Christian leaders are also resolute in upholding Biblical and historical man-woman marriage despite the efforts of rogue judges and pandering politicians to redefine it. Standing in the shadow of the cross, Christian leaders have drawn a cultural and political line in the sand from which they have pledged they will not be moved.”
Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr., senior pastor, Hope Christian Church (Beltsville, Md.): “… [W]e must remain true to our core convictions, based upon the Scriptures. The group also came together to let the secular community know that increasingly Christians from Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox traditions will work together and speak with one voice. … Christianity is not merely a set of doctrines or beliefs; it lives out the ideals set forth in the Bible. This compels us as Christians to commit now, more than ever, to reaffirm the Biblical truths that support the common good in our land. We must stand against any pressure that is brought to bear against our Christian ideals in these areas: the definition of marriage, the sanctity of life, and religious liberty.
Dr. Richard Land, president, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (Washington, D.C.): “It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the process that produced the document. It is a sterling and forthright declaration of first principles. To paraphrase Martin Luther: Here we stand; we can do no other.”
Most Rev. John Nienstedt, Archbishop, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: “We are in a crisis today … It’s not just a question that church leaders are concerned about. It’s a question that I think anyone who takes a look at the future of our country has to be concerned about. … What they’re trying to do with this [Manhattan Declaration] is light a fire. Hopefully that fire will catch on and touch the troops in the rank and file.”
David Welch, Houston Area Pastor Council Executive Director, U.S. Pastors Council (Houston): “With the other signers of the Declaration, I urge every concerned citizen in general and pastor in particular to take 15 minutes to read and absorb the principles outlined in this statement. They are not new, they are not revolutionary, and they don’t represent anything other than a return to the essential standards of truth given by our Creator through His written Word, the life, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, and given to us by the blood of the martyrs. What has been missing are men of God who have the love for Him to die to self, ambition, position, comfort, status and functional idol worship for the sake of taking up the baton handed to us by our forebears at the price of their lives, fortunes and sacred honor. … The Manhattan Declaration concludes a powerful compilation of timeless truth by asserting our commitment to be among those today who, at whatever cost is required, will indeed lay down all we have, all we are and all we ever hope to be for the greater cause of the sanctity of all innocent life, the sanctity and vitality of marriage and the nonnegotiable of the freedom to exercise our faith.”
Dr. Ray Pritchard, president of Keep Believing Ministries: “… the statement sounds a strong call for believers across the broad spectrum of Christian belief to join together in affirming our intention to safeguard the unborn, to fight for the traditional understanding of marriage, and our willingness to speak out against any coercive law forcing us to deny our deeply-held beliefs. … I signed it because it represents a united front of Christians from many different backgrounds. I think it’s a positive thing when Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical Christians can unite around issues of common concern. And I signed it because the declaration is well-written, thoughtful, carefully stated and yet bold in what it says. … That will put some steel into your soul. God bless those who had the courage to write the Manhattan Declaration. May the Lord use it to give us new resolve to do God’s will in these days of growing moral confusion.”
James A. Smith Sr., executive editor, Florida Baptist Witness: “I have signed the declaration — and I hope you will join me in affirming this worthy statement. The Manhattan Declaration is an extremely important statement that is worthy of the attention and support of all Christians, especially pastors and lay leaders of local churches. I have warned repeatedly … about the religious liberty implications of certain public policies, especially those related to abortion and homosexual rights. These are matters eventually that no true Christian will be able to avoid. Therefore, we ought to resolve now how we will live and witness.