Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience
Encyclopedia
The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience is a manifesto
issued by Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical
Christian
leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life
, traditional marriage, and religious liberty". It was drafted on October 20, 2009 and released November 20, 2009, having been signed by more than 150 American religious leaders. On the issue of marriage, the declaration objects not only to same-sex marriage
but also to the general erosion of the "marriage culture" with the spectre of divorce
, greater acceptance of infidelity
and the uncoupling of marriage from childbearing.
The Declaration's website encourages supporters to sign the declaration, and counts more than 492,000 signatories .
, Princeton University
law professor Robert P. George
and Beeson Divinity School
dean Timothy George
.
Timothy Dolan
, Philadelphia Archbishop
Justin Francis Rigali, Washington Archbishop
Donald Wuerl
, Oakland Bishop
Salvatore Cordileone, and American Cardinal
John Patrick Foley
of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
, along with Family Research Council
president Tony Perkins
, Focus on the Family
founder James Dobson
, Acton Institute president Rev. Robert A. Sirico
, president of Asbury Theological Seminary
Timothy C. Tennent, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Al Mohler, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary
Chuck Swindoll
, president of Houston Baptist University
Robert B. Sloan
Jr., president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Ligon Duncan
, National Association of Evangelicals
president Leith Anderson
, primate of the Anglican Church in North America Robert Wm. Duncan
, and Orthodox Church in America
primate Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen)
, with Bishops Mark (Maymon) of Toledo
and Basil (Essey) of Wichita of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
.
if Christians feel that their rights to civil liberties
of free exercise of religion and freedom of speech
are being violated. It states :
One of the drafters, Princeton Law professor Robert George, stated, "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that. However, we see case after case of challenges to religious liberty," including laws which he claims would force health care workers to assist in abortions or pharmacists to carry abortifacient
drugs or birth control. George continued, "When the limits of conscience are reached and you cannot comply, it's better to suffer a wrong than to do it."
Catholic Archbishop of Washington, Donald W. Wuerl's office was restrained about the issue of civil disobedience, indicating that the prelate was not calling on the faithful to "do anything specific".
wrote, "While two wars are being waged, with unemployment in double digits, the financial system of the world in suspense, these religious leaders declare that abortion, stem-cell use and same sex marriage override any other Gospel value. (You won't find Jesus saying anything about abortion or stem cells in the Gospel, but the Savior said a great deal about the homeless, the sick, and the hungry.) It's cheating to speak pious platitudes about Christianity and ignore Jesus' words."
Some discussed the document as a political strategy, regarding it as the religious right's effort to re-establish its relevance in the public square, but others noted that younger generations of evangelicals and Catholics were less likely to oppose same-sex marriage and more likely to prioritize economic issues over social, and that the document was thus unlikely to win them over. Stevens-Arroyo criticized fellow Catholics who signed the declaration for aligning themselves with evangelicals in what he described as opposition to the separation of church and state.
The declaration's invocation of Martin Luther King and of the principles of civil disobedience has also been questioned. An editorial in the Los Angeles Times
criticized the paranoid tone of the document, noting that the anecdotes it cited as examples of Christians' religious freedom being restricted were misleading or from outside the United States, and that strong legal and judicial protections already exist for people who do not wish to perform abortions or same-sex marriages. It also questioned if the document's advocacy of lawbreaking in the service of a religious cause might motivate anti-abortion terrorists.
Some evangelicals, such as Alistair Begg
, and James R. White
have taken exception to the declaration on the grounds of its ecumenism
. R.C. Sproul did not sign the Declaration because he disagrees with the document's identification of Catholics and Orthodox as "Christians."
promoted bigotry and homophobia, Apple Computers removed the app from iPhones and iPads and then later from iTunes. Apple told CNN that the app had been removed because it "violate[d] our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people." The app was originally rated by Apple as a +4, meaning that it contained no material deemed objectionable.
Organizers of the Manhattan Declaration have contacted Apple and have resubmitted a modified version of the app. The new version lacks a "quiz" which, in the old version, asked questions about political issues and assigned a score based on a set of normative answers. In addition as of December 10, 2010, more than 45,000 have signed a petition to have it reinstated. Charles Colson voiced apprehension that the company's move could have negative implications for more Christian apps: "There is nothing in the Manhattan Declaration that is not rooted in Scripture. So if that becomes the offense then all the other apps would be subject to the same charge."
Manifesto
A manifesto is a public declaration of principles and intentions, often political in nature. Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds. Manifestos may also be life stance-related.-Etymology:...
issued by Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
leaders to affirm support of "the sanctity of life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
, traditional marriage, and religious liberty". It was drafted on October 20, 2009 and released November 20, 2009, having been signed by more than 150 American religious leaders. On the issue of marriage, the declaration objects not only to same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
but also to the general erosion of the "marriage culture" with the spectre of divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, greater acceptance of infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
and the uncoupling of marriage from childbearing.
The Declaration's website encourages supporters to sign the declaration, and counts more than 492,000 signatories .
Drafting committee
The drafting committee includes evangelical leader Charles ColsonCharles Colson
Charles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
law professor Robert P. George
Robert P. George
Robert P. George is McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University, where he lectures on constitutional interpretation, civil liberties and philosophy of law. He also serves as the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions...
and Beeson Divinity School
Beeson Divinity School
The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University is an interdenominational evangelical divinity school. The current dean is Timothy George.Though located on the campus of a Baptist university, Beeson remains interdenominational...
dean Timothy George
Timothy George
Timothy George is the dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and has been the dean since the school's inception in 1988. George teaches church history and doctrine and serves as executive editor for Christianity Today...
.
Signatories
Notable signatories include New York ArchbishopRoman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
Timothy Dolan
Timothy Dolan
Timothy Michael Dolan is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He is the tenth and current Archbishop of New York, having previously served as Archbishop of Milwaukee and Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis ....
, Philadelphia Archbishop
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was...
Justin Francis Rigali, Washington Archbishop
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
Donald Wuerl
Donald Wuerl
Donald William Wuerl is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Archbishop of Washington, serving since 2006. He previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle and Bishop of Pittsburgh...
, Oakland Bishop
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area...
Salvatore Cordileone, and American Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
John Patrick Foley
John Patrick Foley
John Patrick Foley is an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. From 2007 until 2011, he was Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, having previously served as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 to 2007. He was...
of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
Order of the Holy Sepulchre
The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem is a Roman Catholic order of knighthood under the protection of the pope. It traces its roots to Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, principal leader of the First Crusade...
, along with Family Research Council
Family Research Council
The Family Research Council is a conservative or right-wing Christian group and lobbying organization formed in the United States in 1981 by James Dobson. It was fully incorporated in 1983...
president Tony Perkins
Tony Perkins (politician)
Anthony Richard "Tony" Perkins is president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian think tank and public policy foundation based in Washington, D.C...
, Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
founder James Dobson
James Dobson
James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder in 1977 of Focus on the Family , which he led until 2003. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesman for conservative social positions in American public life...
, Acton Institute president Rev. Robert A. Sirico
Robert Sirico
Robert A. Sirico is an American Roman Catholic priest and the founder of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. He is a well-known political and cultural commentator.-Biography:...
, president of Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary
Asbury Theological Seminary is a multi-denominational, graduate institution that offers a variety of master degree and postgraduate degree programs through the schools of Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation, Theology and Formation, Practical Theology, World Missions and Evangelism, and...
Timothy C. Tennent, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
Al Mohler, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary
Dallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
Chuck Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll
Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...
, president of Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University
Houston Baptist University is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in Greater Sharpstown in Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway.- History :...
Robert B. Sloan
Robert B. Sloan
Robert Bryan Sloan, Jr. is an American academic and theologian, currently serving as president of Houston Baptist University.-Education and background:...
Jr., president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals Ligon Duncan
Ligon Duncan
J. Ligon Duncan III is an American Southern Presbyterian scholar and pastor.-Early life and education:Duncan is native to Greenville, South Carolina. His father, J. Ligon Duncan, Jr. was an eighth-generation Southern Presbyterian ruling elder. He had a small commercial printing company, still in...
, National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
president Leith Anderson
Leith Anderson
Leith Anderson is the President of the National Association of Evangelicals. He has served as senior pastor of Wooddale Church, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, since 1977.-Biography:...
, primate of the Anglican Church in North America Robert Wm. Duncan
Robert Duncan (bishop)
Robert William Duncan, Jr. is an American bishop. He has been Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America since June 2009. In 1997, he was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh...
, and Orthodox Church in America
Orthodox Church in America
The Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
primate Metropolitan Jonah (Paffhausen)
Jonah (Paffhausen)
Jonah , Archbishop of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, is the primate of the Orthodox Church in America . He was elected on November 12, 2008, and installed to his see on December 28, 2008, in Washington, D.C...
, with Bishops Mark (Maymon) of Toledo
Mark (Maymon) of Toledo
His Grace the Right Reverend Bishop Mark of Baltimore is an auxiliary bishop of the Orthodox Church in America. He presently serves in the Diocese of the South....
and Basil (Essey) of Wichita of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America is the sole jurisdiction of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in the United States and Canada with exclusive jurisdiction over the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in those countries, though these faithful were originally cared for by the...
.
Excerpt
The Declaration summarizes itself as follows:
Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.
Call to civil disobedience
The declaration vows civil disobedienceCivil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
if Christians feel that their rights to civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
of free exercise of religion and freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
are being violated. It states :
We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.
Through the centuries, Christianity has taught that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required. There is no more eloquent defense of the rights and duties of religious conscience than the one offered by Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
, in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Writing from an explicitly Christian perspective, and citing Christian writers such as Augustine and Aquinas, King taught that just laws elevate and ennoble human beings because they are rooted in the moral law whose ultimate source is God Himself.
One of the drafters, Princeton Law professor Robert George, stated, "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that. However, we see case after case of challenges to religious liberty," including laws which he claims would force health care workers to assist in abortions or pharmacists to carry abortifacient
Abortifacient
An abortifacient is a substance that induces abortion. Abortifacients for animals that have mated undesirably are known as mismating shots....
drugs or birth control. George continued, "When the limits of conscience are reached and you cannot comply, it's better to suffer a wrong than to do it."
Catholic Archbishop of Washington, Donald W. Wuerl's office was restrained about the issue of civil disobedience, indicating that the prelate was not calling on the faithful to "do anything specific".
Criticism
Some religious leaders and apologists have criticized and protested the Manhattan Declaration, calling its principles in general, and its opposition to gay rights in particular, contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Catholic scholar Anthony Stevens-ArroyoAnthony Stevens-Arroyo
Anthony Stevens-Arroyo is an American scholar, academic and Roman Catholic apologist, who publishes the . He has been professor of Puerto Rican and Latino studies at Brooklyn College for many years....
wrote, "While two wars are being waged, with unemployment in double digits, the financial system of the world in suspense, these religious leaders declare that abortion, stem-cell use and same sex marriage override any other Gospel value. (You won't find Jesus saying anything about abortion or stem cells in the Gospel, but the Savior said a great deal about the homeless, the sick, and the hungry.) It's cheating to speak pious platitudes about Christianity and ignore Jesus' words."
Some discussed the document as a political strategy, regarding it as the religious right's effort to re-establish its relevance in the public square, but others noted that younger generations of evangelicals and Catholics were less likely to oppose same-sex marriage and more likely to prioritize economic issues over social, and that the document was thus unlikely to win them over. Stevens-Arroyo criticized fellow Catholics who signed the declaration for aligning themselves with evangelicals in what he described as opposition to the separation of church and state.
The declaration's invocation of Martin Luther King and of the principles of civil disobedience has also been questioned. An editorial in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
criticized the paranoid tone of the document, noting that the anecdotes it cited as examples of Christians' religious freedom being restricted were misleading or from outside the United States, and that strong legal and judicial protections already exist for people who do not wish to perform abortions or same-sex marriages. It also questioned if the document's advocacy of lawbreaking in the service of a religious cause might motivate anti-abortion terrorists.
Some evangelicals, such as Alistair Begg
Alistair Begg
Alistair Begg is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church , a position he has had since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth for Life Christian radio preaching and teaching ministry that broadcasts his sermons daily to stations across the United States...
, and James R. White
James White (theologian)
James Robert White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, an evangelical Reformed Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of more than twenty books and has engaged in numerous moderated debates...
have taken exception to the declaration on the grounds of its ecumenism
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
. R.C. Sproul did not sign the Declaration because he disagrees with the document's identification of Catholics and Orthodox as "Christians."
Cancellation of app by Apple
In November 2010, after activists submitted a 7,000 signature petition arguing that the Manhattan Declaration appApplication software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
promoted bigotry and homophobia, Apple Computers removed the app from iPhones and iPads and then later from iTunes. Apple told CNN that the app had been removed because it "violate[d] our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people." The app was originally rated by Apple as a +4, meaning that it contained no material deemed objectionable.
Organizers of the Manhattan Declaration have contacted Apple and have resubmitted a modified version of the app. The new version lacks a "quiz" which, in the old version, asked questions about political issues and assigned a score based on a set of normative answers. In addition as of December 10, 2010, more than 45,000 have signed a petition to have it reinstated. Charles Colson voiced apprehension that the company's move could have negative implications for more Christian apps: "There is nothing in the Manhattan Declaration that is not rooted in Scripture. So if that becomes the offense then all the other apps would be subject to the same charge."
See also
- Christianity and abortionChristianity and abortionThe intersection of Christianity and abortion has a long and complex history though there is no mention of abortion in the Christian Bible. While some writers say that early Christians held different beliefs at different times about abortion, others say that, in spite of the silence of the New...
- Christianity and homosexuality
- Christian views on euthanasia
- The Phoenix DeclarationThe Phoenix DeclarationThe Phoenix Declaration is a document prepared by the clergy group No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice in late 2002 striving to stand in solidarity as those who are committed to work and pray for full acceptance and inclusion of GLBT people in our churches and in our world. It was released in...
- Westminster 2010Westminster 2010Westminster 2010: Declaration of Christian Conscience is a Christian manifesto launched on Easter Sunday 2010 in the United Kingdom. It is modeled on the Manhattan Declaration in the United States and addresses the same three concerns: heterosexual marriage, the sanctity of human life, and freedom...