Mr Bill
01-18-2007, 08:07 PM
Methodist ministers oppose Bush library at SMU
DALLAS — Saying some Bush administration policies conflict with church teachings, Methodist ministers from across the nation launched an online petition drive today urging Southern Methodist University to abandon plans to build his presidential library.
The petition says church members believe that linking George W. Bush's presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name "is utterly inappropriate." Among the petition's 18 organizers are 10 Methodist bishops, SMU graduates and a retired professor.
"Methodists have a long history of social conscience, so questions about the conduct of this president are very concerning," said one of the organizers, the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver of Brooklyn, N.Y., who graduated from SMU's Perkins School of Theology.
Brad Cheves, SMU's vice president for external affairs and development, said the school welcomes debate over issues but that petition organizers are expressing only one view in the diverse church membership.
"We believe the vast majority of the Methodist membership, university and community support the library and that it will benefit the faculty, students and community for generations to come," Cheves said today.
SMU became the apparent winner in the library competition last month when the site selection committee said it was entering into further talks with the 11,000-student private university, which is first lady Laura Bush's alma mater. The Bushes are Methodists.
SMU, founded in 1911, is directed by a 40-member board of trustees — which includes three Methodist bishops — who are approved every four years by the Methodist church. At least half of the board members must be Methodists. SMU also receives some funding from the church.
The board has fully supported SMU's bid for the library at every step, Cheves said.
More than 1,800 people had signed the petition at www.protectsmu.org as of this afternoon, but some said they supported the library. Some pranksters signed their names as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Peter Pan and Osama bin Laden.
Petition organizers said they expected thousands of signatures but were not sure when they planned to present the petition to SMU officials and the United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdiction, which oversees SMU.
"This is a broader discussion that needs to take place within the Methodist church, and it's not about political differences. This has to do with ethics," said the Rev. Fred Kandeler of New Braunfels, a retired minister and an SMU theology school graduate.
Although the church has no vote on whether the library is built at SMU, it may have to approve whether the university sells or leases land for the project, said the Rev. David Severe, director of missions and administration for the South Central Jurisdiction in Oklahoma City, Okla. That matter may be discussed at a meeting next month, he said.
Some SMU faculty members also have complained that the library complex's think tank dedicated to the philosophy of the Bush administration would hurt the school's reputation.
At a faculty meeting Wednesday, SMU President R. Gerald Turner said those fears were unfounded because the think tank would be run by an independent foundation. He said the library would increase the school's visibility nationwide and provide research opportunities for faculty and students.
A final decision is expected within months. If negotiations with SMU fail, the library will go to one of two other finalists: Baylor University in Waco, near the Bushes' Crawford ranch, or the University of Dallas.
DALLAS — Saying some Bush administration policies conflict with church teachings, Methodist ministers from across the nation launched an online petition drive today urging Southern Methodist University to abandon plans to build his presidential library.
The petition says church members believe that linking George W. Bush's presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name "is utterly inappropriate." Among the petition's 18 organizers are 10 Methodist bishops, SMU graduates and a retired professor.
"Methodists have a long history of social conscience, so questions about the conduct of this president are very concerning," said one of the organizers, the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver of Brooklyn, N.Y., who graduated from SMU's Perkins School of Theology.
Brad Cheves, SMU's vice president for external affairs and development, said the school welcomes debate over issues but that petition organizers are expressing only one view in the diverse church membership.
"We believe the vast majority of the Methodist membership, university and community support the library and that it will benefit the faculty, students and community for generations to come," Cheves said today.
SMU became the apparent winner in the library competition last month when the site selection committee said it was entering into further talks with the 11,000-student private university, which is first lady Laura Bush's alma mater. The Bushes are Methodists.
SMU, founded in 1911, is directed by a 40-member board of trustees — which includes three Methodist bishops — who are approved every four years by the Methodist church. At least half of the board members must be Methodists. SMU also receives some funding from the church.
The board has fully supported SMU's bid for the library at every step, Cheves said.
More than 1,800 people had signed the petition at www.protectsmu.org as of this afternoon, but some said they supported the library. Some pranksters signed their names as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Peter Pan and Osama bin Laden.
Petition organizers said they expected thousands of signatures but were not sure when they planned to present the petition to SMU officials and the United Methodist Church's South Central Jurisdiction, which oversees SMU.
"This is a broader discussion that needs to take place within the Methodist church, and it's not about political differences. This has to do with ethics," said the Rev. Fred Kandeler of New Braunfels, a retired minister and an SMU theology school graduate.
Although the church has no vote on whether the library is built at SMU, it may have to approve whether the university sells or leases land for the project, said the Rev. David Severe, director of missions and administration for the South Central Jurisdiction in Oklahoma City, Okla. That matter may be discussed at a meeting next month, he said.
Some SMU faculty members also have complained that the library complex's think tank dedicated to the philosophy of the Bush administration would hurt the school's reputation.
At a faculty meeting Wednesday, SMU President R. Gerald Turner said those fears were unfounded because the think tank would be run by an independent foundation. He said the library would increase the school's visibility nationwide and provide research opportunities for faculty and students.
A final decision is expected within months. If negotiations with SMU fail, the library will go to one of two other finalists: Baylor University in Waco, near the Bushes' Crawford ranch, or the University of Dallas.