Preaching Against the Wars
The Proper 29 Project, created by Mennonite pastor Mark Villegas and named for Reign of Christ Sunday (November 21, also known as Proper 29), asks pastors to “address the violence in Iraq and Afghanistan” in their sermons. Writes Anna Groff at The Mennonite:
Villegas is pastor of Chapel Hill (N.C.) Mennonite Fellowship and a columnist for The Mennonite. He informed all the pastors he knows about the project–many of which are Mennonite. As of Nov. 4, several Mennonite pastors told him they would participate.
Some of the non-Mennonite pastors told him they would receive negative response if they preached about this issue.
“It’s hard here in North Carolina,” said Villegas on Nov. 4. “Our economy is tied to the military-industrial complex. Preaching about the suffering cause by U.S. forces in Iraq hits too close to home in a state that has such a high military population.”