A local Facebook administrator intent on trolling me, called me out to make a public statement on the terror attack in Israel. Here is my response:
I was in lower Manhattan, fortunately north of the blast zone, on 9/11, so I have some idea what the people of Israel are experiencing. Hamas, like ISIS, is a terrorist organization, in this case funded by a state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. Right now, the attention should be focused on the people of Israel, and those handling the humanitarian, diplomatic, and military response, not political posturing thousands of miles away in the Southern Tier. Though I spent Sunday afternoon with Jews, Muslims, and Christian on our annual Abrahamic Path Walk.
Personally, I believe Hamas must be destroyed, and that Iran and the network of allies supporting it, including Russia, must be isolated. I also believe that a just peace will involve a sovereign territory for the Palestinians, as well as the preservation of the State of Israel.
One of the Christian martyrs who inspires me, the Rev. Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, took part in an attempt on Hitler’s life, and was executed. And like so many others who have visited Auschwitz, I was deeply impacted by the visual witness to the Holocaust… especially the mountain of children’s shoes. So as a pastor and teacher relatively well-informed in both history, world religion, and current affairs, I condemn all forms of terrorism, sectarian violence, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Frequently these days, the victims of those crimes are actually Muslims, in Myanmar, India, and China, among other places.
But I speak only for myself. The Park Church is Congregational, which means the Church Council or Congregational Meeting makes formal decisions for the church, just as the Coordinating Committee of the Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition, which I serve as chair, makes decisions together.