There is growing interest in the discrimination case soon to be launched to rescue the reputation of Britain's Methodist Church for fairness and openness.
The case will be based on the premise that the preparation, motivation and outcome for a resolution on Israel and Palestine at the denomination's conference in Portsmouth this year was discriminatory.
A carefully selected working party compiled a report which was said to have distressed Britain's Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks. One Jewish witness at the conference complained "I felt like the accused in a Nazi show trial."
Chair of the Methodist working party, Graham Carter, dismissed accusations of discrimination by telling the conference “I want to state quite clearly and categorically that there is no hint of anti-Semitism in what we have said or in what we intend. If other people want to do things like that, that is their problem. It is not our problem as a Methodist church.”
Many British Methodists seem unaware of the international concern at the Church's decision. The West Briton newspaper in Cornwall, which has a large Methodist community, reported that few Methodist leaders were prepared to support the denomination's stance.
However the story made the front page of The Jerusalem Post with strong backing to the bringing of the case from readers on their online edition. It also featured prominently in Britain's weekly Jewish Chronicle newspaper, though Methodism's own British weekly, the Methodist Recorder, has ignored the story.
Concern has also been raised by members of the US United Methodist Church who have set up a discussion board on their facebook portal. Prominent Israeli blogger Daphne Anson has also carried the story.
Meanwhile I continue to get emails of support from around the world. Thanks for your prayers and numerous offers of assistance.
Written 10/10/10. Scheduled 10.00 am 11/10/10
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
I understand you putting a brave face on things, but aren't you a bit disappointed with the response you've had? I don't see muxh interest from British or American newspapers, few blogs have picked this up, that Facebook page you linked had only 7 comments when I looked, and your blog has picked up very comments either. Does the lack of interest and support give you any pause for thought?
As a strong believer in all the Bible says about the Jews and the land of Israel, I am certain that you are acting on behalf of the subject that is closest to the heart of the LORD and His Son Jesus, the Messiah.
The report about your stand against your fellow Methodists in their boycotting of Israeli goods in last week's Sunday Telegraph shows that you must be a fellow Bible believer, with fear of the one true and living LORD.
Praise the LORD for this witness to the integrity of His Word through your proposing to call your own Methodist brethren to account.
It cannot have been an easy decision, but I pray this action will be effective in enabling some to see sense before the LORD has to reveal it to them Himself in His grief and judgement. I shall be following the outcome with great interest.
Thank you Michael and Anonymous.
Michael please be assured that this is a long process. Sometimes these things take take to build momentun
"A small cloud no bigger than a man's hand" Now where have I heard that before.
See Melanie Philips in today's Spectator:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/6366375/decency-fights-back.thtml
I sent out the story about your case to my more than 8000 readers, and people have been writing me privately that they are awed by your moral compass. I posted it on my blog, www.zstreet.org ... the word really is getting out. Z STREET member Isaac Judah did the sleuthing and found this site so that I could thank you personally. THANK YOU!!!
Thanks Lori. I'm building a list of supporters - which is now looking very impressive - so i will keep you in touch with developments. The wheels of justice may be a little slow but we will eventually get the case heard. Your prayers would be especially appreciated.
'"As Christians, we take from the parable of the Good Samaritan and the life of Jesus that we cannot turn our back on injustice just because it is not geographically near to us."'
Which begs the question: why single out the one Jewish state in the world, when it exists in a sea (or desert) of Arab and Islamic apartheid states and societies?
Not one word in the Methodist conference report acknowledged that perhaps there was even a modicum of justice to the Jewish national movement that bore Israel. It adopted wholesale the Palestinian Arab Muslim and Christian nationalist narrative that they are a national victim-Christ colonised/crucified by alien Zionist Jewish interlopers.
Post a Comment