John Dorhauer Recommended to Lead United Church of Christ
Frederick Clarkson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Fri Feb 13, 2015 at 11:24:35 PM EST
I am very pleased to report that John Dorhauer, who joined us early on at Talk to Action has been recommended by a national search committee to be the next General Minister and President of the million member United Church of Christ (UCC).  Dorhauer's candidacy must be confirmed first by the UCC Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote at its upcoming meeting March 19, then by 60 percent of the the delegates of the 30th General Synod, meeting in Cleveland June 26-30.

John contributed 71 front page posts over two years about efforts by rightwing groups to sew discord and division in his denomination. He also reported on how he and his colleagues sought to address the ongoing problem. His blogging became the basis of an essay in The Public Eye and for the influential book Steeplejacking: How the Christian Right is Hijacking Mainstream Religion, which was published in 2007.  

I contributed an introduction to Steeplejacking, which is reprinted below.  

In 2005, a few colleagues and I decided to create an international, interactive blog to counter the religious right -- one of the most successful and powerful political and social movements in American history. One of my top priorities in picking featured writers was to find someone who could write knowledgeably and authoritatively about the attacks on the mainline churches by the Institute on Religion and Democracy, its satellite groups and those informed and influenced by their activities. The IRD's operation on behalf of the financiers of neoconservatism and the religious right is an historic and catalytic force reshaping religion in America and in the world. There needed to be a place where people could come to find resources and compare notes -- and I wanted the blog we were creating to be that place.

My search led me to John Dorhauer. We talked, and in the course of our conversation, I said that I thought that war had been declared on the mainline churches, a war of attrition, being played out in thousands of churches across the country, but that the churches aren't acting like they are even aware of it. "If there is a war, and one side doesn't know it..." John finished my sentence: "You lose."

John seized the opportunity and started blogging at our new site, Talk to Action. Each week, for the past year and a half, he has tried to describe some aspect of what is going on, to to distill what he--and his colleague Sheldon Culver--have learned through their research and experiences as regional staff of the United Church of Christ. Along the way, John has named names, dates and places, and described the efforts to divide congregations and denominations that he and Sheldon--as well as church leaders across the country--have witnessed and documented.

Eventually, John's posts caught the notice of the publisher of this book. I'm delighted that the hard work, and the dedication that he and Sheldon have shown for the churches they love is being recognized in this way. But more than that, I am delighted that you now hold in your hands the opportunity to benefit from their knowledge and experience.

Steeplejacking is a primer on how to engage in the battles that are already underway, as well as the ones that are yet to come. Indeed, this book may be most valuable to those who want to head off problems before they begin. You can find herein, information on how to recognize signs that an attack may be underway, and learn what kinds of steps to take to fight it off. John and Sheldon have drawn on an extensive body of scholarship and investigative journalism to help make sense of their own research and experiences -- to offer a book of immediate practical use to members and leaders of mainline churches.

I think it is important to stress that differences and disagreements are normal in any democratic polity. The reason we have democratic institutions is not only to avoid tyranny, but to draw on the wisdom gleaned, and the consensus gained, from the fair airing of differing points of view. This is the hallmark of the governance of mainline protestant churches in America. But what we are seeing, and what this book seeks to address, is that there are people aligned with outside political and financial interests who have learned to abuse the openness of democratic polities; undermining and dividing the very institutions that democratic polities seek to mediate and govern. There are two main consequences of all of this. First, individual churches are being divided, and many are leaving their denominations altogether. (And as we have seen in the Episcopal and Methodist Churches, national scale schisms are also being attempted.) Second, the church in general is becoming less able to support the peace and social justice mission that they have so ably led for well over a century.

Wherever you may stand on the theological or political spectrum, may you find the courage to listen, and to learn from the experiences of John Dorhauer and Sheldon Culver. I say courage because what they report in this book may be hard for many to hear. It can be difficult to believe that such a cynical campaign is underway. It can be even harder if you happen to know any of the people involved. But as we all know, sometimes people have bad intentions. To consider the possibility is not to make an accusation; it is merely being open to the world as it is. Where courage comes in, is when we consider being open to things that could change the way we think, and change our relationships with our communities. Faced with just such a situation, we are fortunate to have wise and knowledgeable guides like John and Sheldon to show us the things we might rather not see, to help us cope with what we have learned, and help us become wiser and stronger for having been through it. I commend this book to you in that spirit




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Hope we shall have him as a neighbor in Cleveland before long. Can't think of anyone better qualified to lead the UCC in such turbulent times.

by Psyche on Sat Feb 14, 2015 at 12:26:12 AM EST

Congratulations to Rev. Dorhauer. I miss his commentaries.

by khughes1963 on Sat Feb 14, 2015 at 11:32:29 AM EST
directed to the writings about Steeplejacking from Mr. Clarkson and others here, so I'm aware of how insidious it is. It is always good when a serious thinker and honest broker like Rev. Dorhauer leads an entity such as the UCC.

by trog69 on Sun Feb 15, 2015 at 07:10:43 AM EST
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