Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is a member of the National Council of Churches (NCC), a coalition of faith communities that works together on issues that affect people facing hardship. Through this affiliation, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting stays connected with other churches and shared efforts that reach beyond our region.
The NCC began in the 1950s and represents a wide network in the United States, often described as serving about 45 million people across more than 100,000 congregations. This shared fellowship gives Philadelphia Yearly Meeting another way to engage alongside other faith communities on matters of national concern.
Recently, the National Council of Churches released this press release titled “NCC Opposes Unauthorized Military Aggression in Iran: Violence Cannot Bring Peace.”
NCC Opposes Unauthorized Military Aggression in Iran: Violence Cannot Bring Peace
He shall judge between the nations and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:4, NRSVue
Washington, D.C.—On Saturday, February 28, the U.S. joined Israel in taking pre-emptive military action against Iran, hitting multiple sites believed to be holding missiles and killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with numerous other senior government officials. There are also credible accounts of a girls’ elementary school having been hit in the strikes, with 165 deaths reported from that location alone. Iran has retaliated, and in just a few days, nearly 800 people have been killed, including an estimated 176 children and six U.S. soldiers.
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) grieves the loss of life from these aggressive acts and gratuitous violence by the U.S. and Israel against the Iranian people, which has only served to further destabilize the region, cripple infrastructure, and harm the most vulnerable. While Iran has been governed by a despotic leader and the conditions facing the Iranian people have been repressive, killing that leader and launching preemptive strikes against the country—thereby provoking retaliatory military action—is not a viable strategy for achieving peace. In fact, just the opposite is true. We have witnessed how similar actions in the Middle East—whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, or in Iran previously–have brought only hardship, suffering, and chaos in the region while fueling anti-American sentiments and hatred.
Rather than recklessly declaring war without Congressional approval—especially amid ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program—the United States should recommit to sustained, good-faith efforts for peace throughout the Middle East.
Congress has not formally declared war since World War II, instead relying on authorizations for the use of military force. We call on Congress, as representatives of the American people, to uphold its constitutional authority to declare war and to assert its responsibilities under the War Powers Resolution to limit unauthorized military action.
The violence must end. The endless wars cloaked in righteous language for justification must stop. Our faith calls us to mourn those killed, pray for those harmed, and seek justice for all who are impacted, especially the most vulnerable. We therefore call on the Trump Administration to negotiate an immediate ceasefire, return to diplomatic talks with Iran about its nuclear program, and work with international partners to provide humanitarian aid where it is needed.
