Adopted by the NCC Executive Board
May 18, 2004
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has observed with great concern and foreboding the continuing crisis in Sudan. With reports coming in about thousands upon thousands of people being killed in an apparent attempt at ethnic cleansing, and one million forcibly displaced from their homes in the Darfur region of western Sudan, we fear we are watching the beginning of yet another preventable genocide.
Knowing the history of genocide in the 20th century, beginning with the Armenian Genocide through the Jewish Holocaust and ending with the Rwandan Genocide, we are appalled that this legacy of death and destruction should be carried into the 21st century. Therefore, the NCCCUSA and its member churches are committed to intensifying their efforts to stop the killing in Sudan.,/
We make this commitment cognizant of our calling as Christians, and of the Church's mission, to actively participate in God's sanctifying work in the world (Heb 3:14). Indeed, as churches walking together on the ecumenical journey, despite the theological differences among us, we are united in our belief that the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to be agents of healing and hope. Especially in the face of widespread death and destruction, as in the case of Sudan, as followers of the Christian Gospel we must pray that God will soften the hearts of those who make war, and demonstrate our faith in a loving God by upholding the dignity of each and every human being; bringing comfort to those who suffer; seeking justice for the oppressed; fostering reconciliation among peoples; and proclaiming peace to the world.
In 2002, the executive board of the NCCCUSA approved a resolution on the 20-year civil war in Sudan, calling upon the United States Government "to support the development and implementation of a multilateral Sudan policy through the U.N. system and regional initiatives that can facilitate an end to the conflict and the creation of a just peace for the Sudanese people.” This resolution also called upon the NCCCUSA's member communions to engage in education, advocacy and other activities that would contribute to these same ends.
In light of this history, the NCCCUSA:
Reaffirms the 2002 resolution on Sudan and the principles upon which it was based;
Condemns the involvement of all parties perpetrating genocide in the Sudan and calls upon the government of Sudan to bring an end to this practice immediately, including stopping attacks by its military and proxy militia against civilians in Darfur;
Calls upon the international community and non-governmental organizations to investigate and monitor reports of crimes against humanity being committed in Sudan;
Calls upon US government to continue to press the Sudanese government to bring to a halt this unfolding horror and to support appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian, conflict resolution and peace enforcement efforts by the United Nations to these ends; and,
Resolves to undertake actions consistent with its policies to help end this crisis.
Also, the Executive Board:
Commends actions already taken by member communions, and recommends that they prayerfully consider further actions that they might individually take and that they might take together as the NCCCUSA, that are conducive to the establishment of peace in Sudan; and after such reflection, bring proposed actions before the executive board for consideration at the September meeting.
Recommended Reading: Samantha Power, "A Problem From Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide (New York: Basic Books, 2002).
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