The National
Council of Churches
An Unholy
Alliance
Part II
Lea Sylvester
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of Churches has
remained faithful to the legacy of its
predecessor, the Communist front-group known
as the Federal Council of Churches, which
the NCC absorbed in 1950. At one time an
unabashed apostle of the Communist cause,
the NCC has today recast itself as a leading
representative of the so-called religious
Left. Adhering to what it has described as
“liberation theology”—that is, Marxist
ideology disguised as Christianity—the NCC
lays claim to a membership of 36 Protestant,
Anglican and Orthodox Christian
denominations, and some 50 million members
in over 140,000 congregations.
Since
the collapse of the Soviet Union, the NCC
has soft-pedaled its radical message,
dressing up its demands for global
collectivization and its rejection of
democratic capitalism in the garb of
religious teachings. Yet the organization’s
history suggests that it was—and remains—a
devout backer of a gallery of socialist
governments. In the 1950s and 1960s, under
cover of charity, the NCC provided financial
support to the Communist regimes in
Yugoslavia and Poland, funneling money to
both through its relief agency, the
Church World
Service.
In the 1970s, working with its Geneva-based
parent organization, the
World Council of
Churches,
the NCC supplied financial support for
Soviet-sponsored incursions into Africa,
aiding the terrorist rampages of Communist
guerrillas in Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique,
and Angola.
The NCC’s programmatic opposition to U.S. foreign policy is another
manifestation of its deep-rooted leftist
politics. Taking refuge in the counsel of
the New Testament —“Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God” (Matthew 5:9) — the NCC has
repeatedly condemned U.S. military
interventions.
Recently, some prominent religious figures have voiced concerns
that the NCC is less a spiritual than a
political organization, less concerned with
ministering to the souls of its parishioners
than with shaping a future that is in
concordance with its leftist agenda. Mark
Tooley, a director at the Institute on
Religion and Democracy,
has taken the NCC
to task
for positioning itself as an impartial
religious group. “We do not think the NCC is
impartial. They have been openly sympathetic
to the Cuban government for many years,”
Tooley told the Washington Times in
January 2000. The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus,
a former Lutheran minister and now editor of
the Catholic journal First Things,
has observed that 50 years of rigid
adherence to left wing orthodoxy has taken
its toll on the NCC. “The NCC is a shadow of
what it once was,” Neuhaus has said.
“It has been sidelined. Its 50th anniversary
was more of a requiem than a celebration. It
has lost the confidence of its membership.”
The NCC was a signatory to a November 1, 2001
document characterizing the 9/11 attacks as
a legal matter to be addressed by
criminal-justice procedures rather than
military means. Ascribing the hijackers’
motives to alleged social injustices against
which they were protesting, this document
explained that “security and justice are
mutually reinforcing goals that ultimately
depend upon the promotion of all human
rights for all people,” and called on the
United States “to promote fundamental rights
around the world.”
The NCC has received funding from a handful of
foundations, including: the
Ford Foundation, the
Annie E. Casey
Foundation,
the Beldon Fund, the Lilly Endowment, the
Rasmussen Foundation, the
Rockefeller
Brothers Fund,
and the Tides Foundation. It also gets
funding from political advocacy groups like
the Sierra Club and MoveOn.org. Those who
are even mildly informed on politics today
will recognize these as liberal, leftist
groups and the Tides Foundation is tied
directly to George Soros.
In February 2005,the
NCC condemned Israel – a nation plagued in
recent years by an epidemic of Palestinian
suicide bombings aimed at civilians – for
having “established hundreds upon hundreds
of checkpoints, roadblocks, and gates across
the Occupied Territories, making daily life
and travel extremely difficult for ordinary
Palestinians.” Proclaiming that
“[s]tereotypes of all Palestinians as
terrorists must be broken,” the Council
explained that “[t]he crushing burden of
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory
contributes to deep anger and violent
resistance, which contributes to fear
throughout Israeli society.” The Council
lamented that while “[a]t least half of the
Palestinian people live in poverty, . . .
too many Israelis have little or no
knowledge of the human rights abuses
experienced by Palestinians.”
In
making the these statements, the National Council of
Churches offered neither social nor
historical context. For example, it did not
mention that fully 70 % of Arabs in the West
Bank and Gaza approve of the murder of Jews
via suicide bombings; that there is no trace
of an Arab peace movement urging the
cessation of such terror attacks (a stark
contrast to Israel, where the movement
demanding concessions to Arabs in the name
of peace is a formidable political force);
that Palestinians in Israel enjoy more civil
and human rights than their counterparts in
any Arab nation on earth; that Israel came
to occupy the West Bank and Gaza not as a
result of expansionist impulses, but rather
because of its victory in the 1967 war that
was ignited when Israel was attacked by
Egypt, Syria and Jordan; that in 1973, yet
another coalition of Arab armies attacked
Israel and were defeated; and that when
Egypt (the spearhead of that 1973 assault)
became the lone nation to agree to a formal
peace with Israel, it was rewarded by Israel
with the return of the entire captured Sinai
with all its oil riches.
The foregoing facts notwithstanding, the National
Council of Churches betrays no recognition
of the fact that Israel has demonstrated a
remarkable willingness to negotiate peace
with, and relinquish land to, even defeated
aggressors who have previously demonstrated
a burning desire to destroy the Jewish
state. “[I]t is clear,”maintains the Council, that “the overriding
problem is Israel’s continuing occupation of
Palestinian territory.”
The Council’s critical stance on Israel is
mirrored by its history of consistently
opposing U.S. policies as well. These two
nations are singled out for rebuke by the
Council with greater frequency than any
others. We are reminded of God's
admonishment of those who
take a stand against Israel.
Those who curse Israel shall be cursed (Genesis
12:3). No weapon that is formed against
Israel shall prosper (Isaiah
54:17). These Scriptures are of vital
importance on this subject.
Genesis 12:1-3 constitutes the
cornerstone, the monument, of all prophecy.
No one can mistreat the Jew and get away
with it.
Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and from
thy father's house, unto the land that I
will show thee: and I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and be thou a blessing:
and I will bless them that bless thee, and
him that curseth thee will I curse: and in
thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.” (Genesis
12:1-3)
Psalm 83
contains a prophecy that I believe is being
unfolded before our eyes. It has not yet
come to pass, but is in the process of being
fulfilled. The first two verses refer to the
time of the Tribulation. All scholars of
whom I have any knowledge, both of the
rationalistic type and of the conservative
group, say that there is nothing in all the
history of Israel that can be said to be the
fulfillment of this prediction. It simply
has not been fulfilled. Since it has not,
and since God spoke it, we may be certain
that it will be fulfilled exactly as
foretold. Notice verse 1: “O God keep not
thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not
still, O God.” Why? The reason is found in
verse 2: “For, lo, thine enemies make a
tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted
up the head.”
Israel will utter that prayer, and God
will answer it literally. I am inclined to
believe that these first two verses refer to
a partial fulfillment of such a passage as
Psalm 2:1-3, the forthcoming international atheistic, anti-Semitic,
anti-Christian, politico-religious
convention that will try to count God and
His Christ out of His universe.
But the part of the prophecy in
Psalm
83 which is now being fulfilled is found
in verses 3-8: “They take crafty counsel
against thy people. And consult together
against thy hidden ones.” Certain ones are
going to take crafty counsel against the
Jewish people and against God's hidden ones,
those of the Jewish people of Palestine that
have honest hearts and that will accept the
truth when it is presented to them. These
hidden ones are like the people mentioned in
Acts
18:9,10: “And the Lord said unto Paul in
the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but
speak and hold not thy peace: for I am with
thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm
thee: for I have much people in this city.”
Verse 4 of
Psalm 83 reveals the purpose of the enemies: “They have said, Come,
and let us cut them off from being a nation;
That the name of Israel may be no more is
remembrance. In other words, the complete
annihilation of Israel, even to the blotting
out of the name from remembrance, is the
purpose here proposed. Such plots have been
made before, and they have been carried out
in part. Pharaoh attempted to destroy
Israel. So did Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus
Epiphanes, and Titus, Various other tyrants
and nations have made similar attempts. Of
these, Nazi Germany, under the leadership of
the madman Hitler, was most guilty of this
heinous crime. But Israel will never be
annihilated. During the Tribulation, two out
of every three Jews will be destroyed, but a
faithful remnant will remain. Through them
God will fulfill the promise to Abraham,
that in Him all the families of the earth
will be blessed.
So, it appears that most organized
religious organizations in the United States
of America are included in the “group”
that stands against the Nation of Israel.
Therefore, these curses (or promises,
depending upon how one views them) are
directly applicable to them, as well. Well,
that is IF one believes the Bible is “real.”
It seems many professing Christians today
don't regard it as “literal” or
authoritative. My, how things are changing!
Jesus never taught
“socialism” and the governmental system set
up by God is the only perfect system in the
world for government. Until the Second
Advent of Jesus Christ, there will not be a
“just” government, there will not be justice
nor will poverty be properly addressed. The
churches should stick to performing those
tasks assigned them by Jesus Christ Himself
instead of pushing anti-Christian theology.
As far as environmentalism goes, if these
activists don't like what's happening with
the earth now, just wait until they see what
God does with it. We worship the Creator,
not the creation. It is reprehensible that
these churches are actively promoting
socialism and/or communism, indeed a
one-world religion! This is great apostasy!
This brings us to the
question, is socialism/communism
“compatible” with Christianity? No,
absolutely not! Let us become “fruit
inspectors” in order to understand this
concept. What is socialism? Socialism is
defined by the following:
·A
political theory advocating state ownership
of industry and capital
·Any
of various political philosophies that
support social and economic equality,
collective decision-making, and public
control of productive capital and natural
resources, as advocated by socialists.
·The
socialist political philosophies as a group,
including Marxism, libertarian socialism,
democratic socialism, and social democracy.
(Leninism)
·•
This is a strategy whereby the State has
control of all key resource-producing
industries and manages most aspects of the
market, in contrast to laissez faire
capitalism.
·Any
of various economic and political theories
advocating collective or governmental
ownership and administration of the means of
production and distribution of goods
·A
system of society or group living in which
there is no private property
·A
system or condition of society in which the
means of production are owned and controlled
by the state
·A
stage of society in Marxist theory
transitional between capitalism and
communism and characterized by the imperfect
implementation of collectivist principles.
Today we have witnessed a re-invigoration of
radical socialist ideology in government,
including radical activists in the various
congresses, the judiciary, labor unions,
teachers’ unions, universities, and numerous
posts in the government itself, including
the Presidency. The arguments of
socialism—welfare, socialized universal
health care, regulation and taxation of
business, attacks on “the rich,” etc. is
resounding throughout America and Europe
like never before.
Most Christians are unaware that the
arguments of socialism and the welfare State
are nothing less than the ancient pagan view
of the State forged by the fires of Moloch
worship, ending in human sacrifice and
slavery to the ruler’s desires. Worse yet,
many Christian leaders call for socialism
under the guise of Christian virtues like
helping the poor and needy. Some leaders
have worked hard to find biblical support
for the State robbing from some and giving
to others. Christians must learn to discern
the devious rhetoric, and expose the wolves
in sheep’s clothing that deceive Christians
into Statism using Christian language and
Bible passages.
Christians are both to confront the wolves
and to respond to socialism with biblical
answers. The answers to socialism are: “The
King is not God,” and, “Thou Shalt Not
Steal.” If Christians do not actively refute
these principles of government, law, and
economics, then we will move closer to
the socialists’ vision of society. We will
have more of Marx than Moses, more of
Trotsky than Christ. This is just one
reason why the National Council of Churches
is such a threat as well as is the World
Council of Churches.
A biblical critique of socialism extends the
lessons learned in the Garden of Eden. Satan
asks, “Hath God said?” (Gen
3:1)). Eve pondered Satan’s question,
pondered the merits of his point of view
versus God’s command. In doing so, she had
already lost the debate. She placed herself
in judgment over God’s word, and thus over
God. By just questioning God’s word on the
matter, the Devil planted the seeds of the
humanistic ruin of mankind. By joining him
in this regard, Eve secured that ruin.
The only avenue to repairing this ruin is
through obedience to Jesus Christ. This path
requires us to return to God’s word, and
rebuild our lives, our families, churches,
states and social order based upon God’s
revealed way of life. The choice between God
and socialism is the same as the choice
between God and Satan. One leads to
paradise, the other to delusion and hell. It
is God versus Socialism, be sure of that. It
is interesting to note that two of the most
evil men in the past century which are
considered as of the extreme right of the
political spectrum, were in fact socialists:
Adolf Hitler was a member of the German
Workers' Party but the name was later
changed by Hitler to include the term
National Socialist. Thus the full name was
the National Socialist German Workers' Party
(Nationalsozialistische Deutsche
Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) called for short,
Nazi. Its notorious flag symbol, the
swastika was deliberately turned 45 degrees
to the horizontal and always oriented in the
S-direction (the overlapping S standing for
Socialism). The NSDAP called themselves
‘Socialist’ and not ‘Nazi’, and that
infamously brutal force, the SS, using the
same initials for socialism.”
Benito Mussolini was a socialist. He was the
leader of the Socialist Party of Italy. Like
many modern politicians Mussolini was a
socialist and a journalist. During WWI,
Mussolini was a well-known socialist leader
and writer. Mussolini profusely borrowed
much of his symbolism from American
Socialists. He founded the “Fasci di
Combattimento” (Revolutionary Fascists)
party, eventually becoming the National
Fascist Party, ergo the term “Fascism”.
Interesting to note that Mussolini
considered himself all his life as a
Socialist.
The basic difference between socialism and
Christianity is that socialism is optimistic
about human nature. It holds that
unless corrupted by exploitative capitalism,
people are inherently good. In their
uncorrupted state they will cooperate and
willingly function collectively to achieve
the common good. Instead Christianity cannot
concur with the fundamental assertion that
fallen human nature is basically good nor
with the belief that it is virtually
perfectible by social engineering.
Christians do not locate the source of evil
in economic exploitation but in human
rejection of God . They insist that fallen
human nature causes economic exploitation,
not that economic exploitation causes evil
in human nature. Nor do Christians accept as
correct the notion that the proper and
central study of human nature should focus
on economics.
Many Christians believe that socialists
fundamentally misread human nature. In its
fallen state the nature of humans is not
necessarily oriented towards others nor it
is concerned about the common good of the
community.
(Gen 6:5) Christians also reject any implication that the working
class is morally better than other groups.
Many Christians also assert that the
socialist prescription for societal
improvement stifles individual initiative
and is therefore doomed to fail.
Christianity is God centered, while
socialism is man centered and the two cannot
be reconciled. Indeed a Christian Socialist
is a misnomer It cannot exist coherently.
The greatest difference between typical
socialist assertions and Christian teaching
is the widespread socialist rejection of the
concept of soul, of the supernatural realm
and of the need for human salvation rooted
in God. Socialists assume and declare that
all reality is material.
This concept of denial of God and the soul
is an impasse for a believer and for this
reason a Christian cannot be a true
Socialist under any circumstance.
The socialist has also the concept of
Democracy (govern by the people alone)
coupled with egalitarianism which are not
godly principles, for God is out of the
picture. Instead, the Christian reality is
that in the Kingdom all are totally
submitted to God and do His Holy will which
all perform most willingly and everyone,
great and small, are as God has created
them. (Rev 19:5)
Christianity and socialism explain evil
differently, postulate different solutions
to human depravity and, in the main, have
different priorities and ideals. In short
they are diametrically opposed and
irreconcilable. Socialism has the tendency
to support people that do not want to work,
and that is not a Kingdom principle either,
as certified by Scripture:“For even when we
were with you, we commanded this to you:If
anyone does not desire to work, neither let
him eat.” (II
Thess 3:10)
Socialism cannot be compatible with
Christianity. It is, in fact, at odds with
Christianity’s teaching. Socialism is
determined to provide equality and welfare
by government intervention. The idea is that
the government must take care of every
aspect of life, from fair wages to health
care to care for the poor . Christianity, as
Jesus taught, teaches that it is up to the
people, as individuals, to care for one
another (1Tim
5:8). This is why they are incompatible.
Socialism preaches government responsibility
by compulsion and Christianity preaches
individual responsibility from love.
In the early days of Christianity, communal
living was evident. Scripture teaches that
all lived in harmony and had all things in
common, where those who had used their
excess to care for those in need, as they
had need. That does not mean that all were
equal, or that those who had means had to
split those means equally with those who did
not have means (as Socialism preaches), but
rather they provided for the necessities of
those who could not do so for themselves.
But this in no way meant that they simply
gave to the poor without requirement that
they attempted to care for themselves,
rather that they were expected to attempt to
work and provide what they could for
themselves, (II
Thess 3:10).
Socialism is the antithesis of Christianity.
It expects that all will take what they have
and distribute it to those who have less,
regardless of their need or attempt to care
for themselves encouraging laziness and
promoting those who do not want to work.
Moreover this forced redistribution goes
against the very teachings of Christ who
preached sharing in love and harmony.
Our Western society has lost its Christian
soul and so we are like a ship without its
rudder and thus we are lured by the
socialists who advertise that the greatest
form of good in the world is ubiquitous
control by democratic government. Thus they
negate God and therefore violate the very
foundation of Christian teaching.
Reiterating again, Socialism and
Christianity are irreconcilable. One is
based on the atheistic philosophy found in
the Communist Manifesto; the other is based
on the deity of Jesus Christ and His Word.
Those who do not believe that Socialism is
included in the Communist Manifest only have
to pay attention to that famous communist
Frederick Engels who declared that the
Communist Manifesto"is
undoubtedly the most widespread, the most
international production of all Socialist
literature, the common platform acknowledged
by millions of working men from Siberia to
California."This manifesto was
co-authored by Marx and Engels.
It is impossible for a true Christian to be
a socialist or for a true socialist to be a
Christian. Nevertheless, socialists have
cleverly twisted the scriptures in order to
make their materialistic philosophy appear
Christian. As Marx explained
(misinterpreting) in the Communist
Manifesto:"Nothing
is easier than to give Christian asceticism
a Socialist tinge. Has not Christianity
declaimed against private property, against
marriage, against the State? Has it not
preached, in the place of these, charity and
poverty, celibacy and mortification of the
flesh, monastic life and Mother Church."."Of course Marx here was referring to the Catholic Church that has
made a symbiosis between Pagan and Christian
religions, for example in marriage (1Tim
4:1-3) and therefore not true Biblical
Christianity.
Socialism means economic control of the
people by government. In a socialist
country, the state is all-powerful. Such an
all-powerful state views itself and not God
(who is negated) as the ultimate authority.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the
Communist Manifesto calls for abolishing
family, marriage, countries, and religion as
well as private property. Under the
socialist system the state determines what
is right and wrong without any competing
loyalties to God, family, or country. This
we have seen happening in our countries in
the last 50 years, and continuing.
The social rule of the Kingdom is: “... You
have freely received, freely give”
(Matt
10:8). Not by coercion. The fact of life
is that absolutely nothing belongs to us but
all the good things are granted by God as He
wills and to whom He wants to and we are to
be good stewards of what He gives to us
whilst on this earth, without boasting of
our puny achievements: “For who makes you to
differ from another? and what have you that
you did not receive? now if you did receive
it, why do you glory, as if you had not
received it?”
(I
Col 4:7)
Member church organizations listed AT THE
NCC WEBSITE are: African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Moravian Church
in American Northern Prvince and Southern
Province, Alliance of Baptists, National
Baptist Convention of America, American
Baptist Churches in the USA, Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America, National
Missionary Baptist Convention of America,
Orthodox Church in America, Patriarchal
Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in
the USA, Mar Thoma Church, Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ), Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church,Church of the
Brethren,Community of Christ,The Episcopal
Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, Friends United Meeting, Greek
Orthodox Archdiocese of America, Hungarian
Reformed Church in America, International
Council of Community Churches, African
Methodist Episcopal Church, Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church, The United Methodist
Church Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United
Church of Christ, Ukrainian Orthodox Church
of America, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of
the Religious Society of Friends, Polish
National Catholic Church of America,
Progressive National Baptist Convention,
Inc.,
Reformed Church in America, Serbian
Orthodox Church in USA and Canada, The
Swedenborgian Church, Syriac Orthodox Church
Antioch.
Comments to: sylvester.lea@gmail.com
Sources:
NCCUSA.org
-Warren's P.E.A.C.E. Plan and UN Goals –
Part 2 and Part 3
-Edgar C Bundy, Collectivism
in the Churches: A documented account of the
political activities of the Federal,
National, and World Councils of Churches (Wheaton,
Illinois: Church League of America, 1957),
-The Congressional Record on
Investigation of Communist Activities in the
New York City Area (Parts 6-8). Hearing
Before The Committee on Un-American
Activities, House of Representatives, 83rd
Congress, First Session, July 7 and 8, and
July 13 and 14, 1953.Documented by Edgar
Bundy in Collectivism
in the Churches, Chapter 2:
"Collaborators with Communism."
The Communist Manifesto