Why the Manhattan Declaration?

While Ryan is away on vacation this July, we are having guest bloggers here at JustOneMore.info. This week’s guest is the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School since its inception in 1988 — Dr. Timothy George. He has been instrumental in shaping its character and mission. He teaches church history and doctrine at Beeson and also serves as executive editor for Christianity Today, and on the editorial advisory boards of The Harvard Theological Review, Christian History and Books & Culture. Dr. George has written more than 20 books and regularly contributes to scholarly journals. An ordained minister, he has been pastor of churches in Tennessee, Alabama and Massachusetts. He and his wife, Denise, have two adult children.

A number of people have asked me to comment on the Manhattan Declaration which I drafted along with my brother in Christ, Professor Robert George of Princeton University and our dear friend, Mr. Charles W. Colson of Prison Fellowship. At the launching of the Manhattan Declaration on November 20, 2009, I wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post which you can read here. Here are a few additional comments:

WHAT IT IS: The Manhattan Declaration is a statement of Christian conscience, a confession of religious conviction supported by followers of Jesus Christ from the Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical families of faith. The Declaration addresses three of the most pressing issues in our culture today: the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage, and religious liberty for all persons. These are not the only issues Christians are called to care about but they are threshold issues related to everything else we believe and do. Because these three matters are increasingly under assault in our society today, we feel compelled to speak out in their defense. In doing so, we desire to stand in solidarity with all persons of goodwill for the sake of justice and the common good and on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our community.

WHAT IT IS NOT: The Manhattan Declaration is not a statement of partisan loyalty or political posturing. It cuts across political as well as denominational lines and has garnered support from Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike. The Manhattan Declaration represents an ecumenism of conviction, not an ecumenism of accommodation. While we acknowledge many ecclesial and theological differences among ourselves, we believe that our unity in Christ is sufficiently strong for us to stand together and speak out together on behalf of the least, the last, and the lost.

WHAT TO DO NOW: I encourage you to read the Manhattan Declaration, and if it resonates with your own convictions, endorse it. Our hope would be that we would have up to a million signatories who will want to stand with us. Already, in just a few short days, we are nearly one-third of the way toward that goal. The response to the Manhattan Declaration has far exceeded anything that Chuck Colson, Robert George, and I expected. We see this as a moving of the Spirit in our times. This is an important time for all Christians to come together, stand together and make clear what our convictions are. May the Lord continue to use this statement for the upbuilding of his Kingdom to the praise of his glory.

HOW TO SIGN: Go to www.manhattandeclaration.org for information on how to endorse the Manhattan Declaration.