Peace Sunday Packet
Since their inception these Peace Sunday resources of the American Baptist Churches USA have been timed to coincide with American Baptist Peace Sunday, the first Sunday in May. That schedule has been altered this year with two things in mind: to allow for participation in a different emphasis on that Sunday; and to focus on the meaning of the first use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, at the end of World War II. The United States dropped a bomb on Hiroshima on August 6 and on Nagasaki on August 9. As the literature of the Friends Committee on National Legislation has articulated the challenge: "Where Are We Now? Still in the Shadows of Nuclear Weapons."
This is truly the "valley of the shadow of death" and the shadow is lengthening. This is not just a matter of concern regarding "dirty bombs" or relatively small instruments of nuclear terror containing errant nuclear material. (What if the recent bombs in London had contained such material?) It is also a matter of the world's and, specifically the United States' commitment, to eliminating nuclear weapons and rejecting their subsequent, further development. For a brief "moment" the end of the Cold War, it appeared that geo-politics, moral insight and fundamental fear might be moving national decisions in that welcome direction.
The "hair trigger" alert detracts from the welcome reduction of the number of actually deployed warheads - those that have been withdrawn have not been destroyed. In a recent article, entitled "Apocalypse Soon," former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara points out that the current U.S. administration has no intention of asking Congress to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and has ordered national laboratories to begin research on new nuclear weapon designs, while also preparing the underground test sites in Nevada for future nuclear tests if necessary. Along with this is the current debate within Congress over the funding of research into a new bomb, sometimes referred to as the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator.
In addition to the following meditation piece based upon Romans 12:18: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone," you may once again access several Web links that provide resources for reflection, worship and advocacy on this challenge to faith as Christians. Once again we are delighted to partner with www.seedspublishers.org for general worship resources on the Romans passage and theme. At www.nrdi.org you can access the initiative and petition "For People of Faith: an Urgent Call to End the Nuclear Danger." A similar recent effort that partners Christians and Muslims can be found at www.cctpp.org/muslim-christian/nuclearweaponsdanger/index.htm.
Peace Sunday Resources
|
