Letter to President Bush regarding Darfur

By various - Oct 20, 2006 - comment

“‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Dear Mr. President,

We write to you on behalf of the Evangelicals for Darfur, a diverse group of evangelical leaders from across the political spectrum that have come together to lift a collective voice against the slaughter of our fellow human beings that is taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan. Perhaps you have seen our print ads that ran in major national and regional newspapers on Wednesday, or heard our radio spot on Christian radio stations across the country.

Today we write to respectfully request a meeting with you as soon as possible regarding the crisis in Darfur. We recall the words you jotted in the margins of your notes one day early on in your presidency in reference to our collective failure to stop the genocide in Rwanda. “Not on my watch,” you wrote. Yet now, the horror is unfolding again before us, despite us in Darfur.

Each day that goes by, more people are killed in Darfur. Each day more women raped, more villages burned, and more children mutilated. The world has called it “genocide” then allows it to go on. Millions have been displaced, and 10,000 people are dying every month. According to U.N. under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs Jan Egland, that death rate could quickly reach 100,000 per month if security collapses and the fragile humanitarian aid network continues to fall under attack.

Together we represent a constituency of over 50 million American evangelical Christians. Evangelicals across America and around the world are sounding the alarm on Darfur. In record numbers, they are standing up and declaring that we must do whatever it takes to bring this genocide to an immediate end.

We applaud your efforts thus far in speaking out against the genocide. Yet we believe that more must be done, that we must not rest until an international peacekeeping force is on the ground in Darfur. We recognize that the ongoing resistance of the Sudanese government makes your decisions about next steps more difficult to make and execute.

We are asking for an opportunity to discuss the moral implications and the steps that must now be taken in this tragic situation with you. We believe that, like the Good Samaritan, our shared faith compels us to respond to the plight of our suffering neighbors in Darfur. We know that there are no easy answers here, yet we are confident that in conversation together we could realize what moral conscience requires of us in this worsening crisis.

Finally, please know that you and your decisions regarding the genocide in Darfur remain in the forefront of our daily prayers. We ask for your response to our request above by no later than Wednesday 25 October. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting with you in the near future.

Yours in Christ,

Rev. Jim Wallis, CEO, Sojourners/Call to Renewal,
Dr. Richard Land, President, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission
and the Evangelicals for Darfur (names below)

The Evangelicals for Darfur

  • Rev. Rob Bell, Founding Pastor, Mars Hill Bible Church, author of Velvet Elvis
  • Bishop Charles Blake, Pastor, West Angeles Church of God in Christ, Founder, Save Africa’s Children
  • Dr. Tony Campolo, Baptist evangelist and international speaker
  • Rev. Rich Cizik, Vice-president for Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals
  • Rev. Luis Cortés, Jr., President, Esperanza USA
  • Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson, General Secretary, Reformed Church in America.
  • Rev. Ted Haggard, President, National Association of Evangelicals
  • Rev. Dr. Roberta Hestenes, Former President, Eastern University
  • Dr. Joel Hunter, President, Christian Coalition of America
  • Rev. Bill Hybels, Pastor, Willow Creek Church, leader of Willow Creek Association
  • Bishop Harry Jackson, President, High Impact Leadership Coalition
  • Dr. Richard Land, President, Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission
  • Rev. Brian McLaren, author, leader in emerging church
  • David Neff, Editor & Vice President, Christianity Today
  • Dr. Glenn R. Palmberg, President, Evangelical Covenant Church
  • Dr. Bob Roberts, Jr., Founding Pastor, NorthWood Church
  • Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
  • Rev. Dr. William J. Shaw, President, National Baptist Convention, USA
  • Dr. Ron Sider, Founder and President, Evangelicals for Social Action
  • Rev. Geoff Tunnicliffe, International Director, World Evangelical Alliance
  • Rev. Jim Wallis, President, Sojourners/Call to Renewal, author of God’s Politics
  • Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, MD, Co-Founder, My Sister’s Keeper
  • Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, President, Skinner Leadership Institute
  • Lauren Winner, author, and Visiting Lecturer, Duke Divinity School

Further Learning

Learn more about: Citizenship, Christian Citizenship, Human Rights, Persecution, Social Issues, War

Post a Comment




Notify me of follow-up comments?

Before You Submit Your Comment (below), Read This:

Thank you for your interest in the ministry of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (SBC).

Comments are moderated to preserve the family-oriented nature of this website and in an attempt to avoid comment spam. We welcome opposing viewpoints, and we will not turn comments away as long as your views are presented with respect to everyone.

Your comments will not appear immediately and are subject to editing or deletion. We will make every attempt to check new comments in a timely manner, though there will likely be delays on the weekends and around holidays.

Please follow the these guidelines to insure your comments will be posted:

  1. Use a real name, at least a real first name. We find folks are less-rude online when not hiding behind a screen-name.
  2. Name-calling and vulgar-language will not be tolerated. Zero-tolerance is our policy. We will not spend time editing profanity. If it contains foul language, your post will be deleted. Oh, and we decide what is and what is not vulgar.
  3. Comments must be on topic. General comments (compliments, complaints, and otherwise) are best delivered here or expressed on your own personal Web site.
  4. And please, do not type in ALL CAPS. It looks like you're screaming at people.

Additionally, within Baptist polity, please recognize that many issues and decisions are addressed at a local church level. SBC denominational (national) offices have no control and desire no control over the activities of a local church. This entity is not responsible for overseeing and insuring the ethical behavior of Southern Baptist pastors or church members. If your concern involves a legal civil or criminal matter, we suggest you contact the proper local officials.

Issues involving pastoral staff or other church members, local Baptist associations or state Baptist conventions are local issues. Therefore the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission cannot and should not address such issues. While we regret we are unable to assist you, we encourage you to seek a biblical resolution of the issue at the local church level. If your question or submission pertains to a matter covered in this text, it is likely we will not acknowledge your submission.

Other than that, we welcome you and hope to see thoughtful discussions at ERLC.com