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Religious Leaders Call for Repentance, Resignations in Foley Scandal

Religious Leaders Call for Repentance, Resignations in Foley Scandal

Last updated on: May 9, 2013 at 6:19 am by Faithful Democrats

Religious Leaders Call for Repentance, Resignations in Foley Scandal 2013-05-09T06:19:41-06:00 Faithful Democrats

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By Jesse Lava, FaithfulDemocrats.com

Hastert in the thicket

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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October 2, 2006 MLK and the Sin of Silence

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