In Tuesday’s RNS report G. Jeffrey MacDonald writes that the proposed Bush library is dividing U.S. Methodists: A controversial proposal to locate a George W. Bush presidential library, museum and policy institute at Southern Methodist University is becoming much more than a squabble within the university. For strong voices on both sides, it has touched off a fresh battle to define what lies at the heart of United Methodism-and perhaps the heart of Christianity. For supporters, the plan for SMU would bear witness to Methodism’s ability to tolerate a diverse range of political expressions. Critics, meanwhile, say a Bush Policy Institute would mark an unacceptable betrayal of what they regard as indispensable Methodist principles, such as non-aggression toward neighbors and disavowal of torture. Meanwhile, more than 9,000 Methodists, including bishops and members of Bush’s home church in Dallas, have signed a petition to keep the Bush facility off SMU’s campus.
Adelle M. Banks reports on a new Christian ecumenical group that is looking forward to its first official meeting: In an age of schisms and denominational division, members of five segments of Christianity are celebrating their ability to meet and work together on issues like poverty and evangelism. Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT) will gather 36 leaders of denominations and faith groups for the official Feb. 7 celebration of their formation into a new network that its officials consider unprecedented. The worship service, which will feature a procession of clergy and a candlelight ceremony, will be a highlight of a Feb. 6-9 meeting in Pasadena, Calif. It marks a juncture for interdenominational relations that began with meetings in 2001 and includes Catholics, evangelicals and Pentecostals, Orthodox, mainline Protestants and racial/ethnic churches.