Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the church‘s Board of Church and Society issued the following statement:
Meaningful and civil discourse has been an overarching priority for the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society as we assist local churches and represent United Methodist positions to elected officials. As Congress has debated and deliberated health-insurance reform legislation, I have been deeply disturbed by the lack of basic decency and common courtesy among people who have dis-agreements about public policy.
This past weekend‘s appalling display by protesters in Washington, D.C., demonstrates the overtly racist message of too many of the so-called 'Tea Party' members. Such behavior must be denounced by all people.
"Let us not delude ourselves into believing this is an isolated incident," Cleaver said after the incident. "A calculated campaign fomenting hate led up to this incident. In the strongest terms possible I denounce efforts to incite people to acts of racism." Cleaver said Abraham Lincoln‘s second inaugural address expressed our fervent prayer:
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up our nation’s wounds, to care for [those] who shall have borne the battle and for [the] widow and [the] orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
I call upon United Methodists to model civil discourse as we seek to ensure that all Americans benefit from just laws. There is no room for such uncivil behavior no matter what the discussion, be it healthcare or comprehensive immigration reform or changing inequities in criminal justice laws. Paul's letter to the Church at Corinth contains important words for us during this Lenten time:
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We entreat you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God
(2 Corinthians 5:18-21).