Kurt Kremlick, a retired Presbyterian minister, sent a comment in response to the latest issue of Witherspoon's Network News, which includes a talk by Rick Ufford-Chase on "empire and church," along with another article by Ross and Gloria Kinsler on "Pax Americana: an inter-American perspective."

A word of thanks for the latest issue of the Network News. It raises a question about an issue that I have become increasingly concerned about - the New American Century or Pax Americana.

The second awakening came when last spring I heard The Rev Gary Dorrien, Parfet Distinguished Professor at Kalamazoo College, Chaplain and Episcopal priest, speak at an anti-war rally here in Kalamazoo. Gary has written a number of books on liberal theology and articles in The Christian Century. Indeed one of his articles in the CC spring ( March 8, 2003) "Axis of One : The 'unipolarist' agenda," was based on that speech. His thesis is that the right wing - the neo-conservatists - want to take over the world.

He contends that the neo-conservatives policy makers and intellectuals "argue that the moment has come to create an American-dominated world order. They call it 'the unipolarists' imperative.' Instead of reducing military spending, they contend, the United States needed to expand its military reach to every region of the world, using America's overwhelming military and economic power to create a new Pax Americana." I have since heard Gary speak a number of times, and his book on the direction that he sees American society taking is due out in April or May 2004. He knows what he is talking about and my brief summary can't begin to do justice to his well researched and documented concern about the direction the present administration is taking the country. Incidentally, in that same issue of Christian Century there were two other articles that are worth reading: "Righteous Empire: Imperialism - American style," by Robert N. Bellah and "Power Play: the new 'National Security Strategy'," by Theodore R. Weber.

A third wake up call came when a friend sent me an article by a Seattle Methodist minister, Rev. Rich Lang: "The Political Question Confronting the Church - War and the Rise of Christian Fascism." [Kurt Kremlink offers to send e-mail a copy of this article to anyone who asks. Contact him at kremlick@juno.com]

[This article is posted at http://www.bethany-spokane.presbychurch.org/article.html  You'll have to jump around a bit to follow it all, but it's there.]

His thesis is that "We are moving into a Imperial way of life that I call Christian Fascism. Christian because nothing happens without 'the blessings of the sacred.' And Fascist because the 'checks and balances' of democracy have atrophied ... becoming subservient to Corporation-driven, militarily apocalyptic policies." I am not sure if that speech is readily available but it is worth reading and pondering.

There have been other calls to wake up! Articles that appear on such web sites <commondreams.org> - on the same theme. For example Sheldon S. Wolin's article "A kind of fascism is replacing our democracy" written in July for the Long Island Newsday.

Like the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 33:1-20, Ezek. 3:6-21), the Witherspoon Network News and its Website have often raised concerns about which we as Christians and Presbyterians need to be aware. May that again be so because some of us took the time to review the concerns expressed by these four authors, especially in light of what is going on politically in the Bush administration and the coming national elections. May these and other significant issues (like the Patriot Acts) be raised and debated openly and vigorously before it is too late and we find ourselves in a situation not unlike what happened in Germany in the 20's and 30's. Or what happened in the 50's with McCarthyism!

Like the prophet of old we can not remain silent! We must not remain silent!!

Rev. Kurt. J. Kremlick, Jr., HR.
Kalamazoo, MI