Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Baccyak4H (talk | contribs) at 04:41, 14 August 2010 (rm tests). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience is a manifesto issued by evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty".[1] It was drafted on October 20, 2009 and released November 20, 2009, having been signed by more than 150 American religious leaders.[2]

Drafting committee

The drafting committee includes evangelical leader Charles Colson, Princeton University law professor Robert P. George and Beeson Divinity School dean Timothy George.

Signatories

Notable signatories include New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Philadelphia Archbishop Justin Francis Rigali, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Oakland Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, and American Cardinal John Patrick Foley of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, along with Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, president of Asbury Theological Seminary Timothy C. Tennent, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Al Mohler[3], chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary Chuck Swindoll, president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Ligon Duncan[4], National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson, primate of the Anglican Church in North America Robert Wm. Duncan, and Orthodox Church in America primate Jonah (Paffhausen), with Bishops Mark (Maymon) of Toledo and Basil (Essey) of Wichita of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.[5][6]

The Declaration's website encourages supporters to sign the declaration, and counts more than 465,000 signatories as of August 11, 2010.[7]

Criticism

Leaders of socially liberal denominations, in particular those who support same-sex marriage, have spoken against the Manhattan Declaration, calling it exclusionary and contrary to the teachings of Jesus.[8]

Some evangelicals, such as John F. MacArthur,[9] Alistair Begg,[10] and James R. White[11] have taken exception to the declaration on the grounds of its ecumenism and its focus on political issues rather than on the gospel. R.C. Sproul did not sign the Declaration because in his view it "confuses common grace and special grace by combining them."[12]

Excerpt

The Declaration summarizes itself as follows:

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Manhattan Declaration home page
  2. ^ "Christian leaders issue 'call of conscience'". Associated Press. November 20, 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2009.[dead link]
  3. ^ Mohler, Al (09/23/09). "Why I Signed the Manhattan Declaration". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Duncan, Ligon (December 2009). "The Manhattan Declaration: A Statement from Ligon Duncan".
  5. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (November 20, 2009). "Christian Leaders Unite on Political Issues". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  6. ^ Boorstein, Michelle (November 21, 2009). "Christian leaders take issue with laws". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 November 2009. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "The Manhattan Declaration". Retrieved 2010-08-11.
  8. ^ Kingman, Cecilia (08/11/10). "This minister is standing on the side of love". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ MacArthur, John (11/24/2009). "The Manhattan Declaration". Pulpit Magazine. Shepherds' Fellowship. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Begg, Alistair (11/23/2009). "The Manhattan Declaration". Truth For Life. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ White, James R. (11/23/2009). "The Troubling Aspects of the Manhattan Declaration". Alpha & Omega Ministries. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ The Manhattan Declaration: Why didn’t you sign it, R.C.?
  13. ^ "The Manhattan Declaration". Retrieved 2010-02-18.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Manhattan_Declaration:_A_Call_of_Christian_Conscience&oldid=378826497"