Unificationists Examine Issues as 2016 Election Nears

From left: UTS alumni Douglas Burton, John Kung and Donna Ferrantello, with fellow summit participants Tom McDevitt, Olga Kenedy, Klaus Schick and Jim Boothby at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Sept. 25, 2015. Photo courtesy of Jim Boothby

Presidential hopefuls and conservative public figures drew a big crowd at the Research Council’s 10th annual Values Voter Summit (VVS), which took place from Sept. 25 to 27 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., but this year the crowd included a small platoon of curious and very attentive Unificationists. They were Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) alumni determined to make a difference by getting involved in the public square.

Jim Boothby of the New Hope Family Church in Maryland called together four UTS alumni and some clergy, including Rev. John Kung from Queens, New York, and Rev. Klaus Schick from Charlotte, N.C., and suggested that they all attend the VVS as a study group.

UTS alumni have long been putting in volunteer hours in civic engagement. As far back as October 1980 Jonathan Wells (UTS ’78), Dan Stringer (UTS ’82), Pamela (Valente) Kuhlmann (UTS ’82) and Lloyd Eby (UTS ’77), as well as dozens of others, put in many days, on their own time, canvassing for the Ronald Reagan campaign in New York. Alumni who held leadership roles in the American Freedom Coalition (AFC) and CAUSA International (Confederation of the Associations for the Unification of the Societies of the Americas) during the mid- and late 1980s to the 1990s put in many weeks educating the public on the important issues in society. In 1987, CAUSA President Dr. Bo Hi Pak anointed several of these activists as “Top Guns,” after the 1986 movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise.

In recent months, UTS alumni have been among those on a conference call with Jim Boothby, brainstorming ways to be more active in civic engagement during the run-up to the 2016 presidential elections.

Rev. Ernest Patton (UTS trustee), Dr. Michael Jenkins (UTS ’77 and ’12), Doug Burton (UTS ’82), John Kung (UTS ’80) and Dr. Donna Ferrantello (UTS ’82) attended the VVS to hear from GOP presidential candidates and activists engaged in the battle for conservative ideas. During meal breaks the alumni held discussions on how to leverage their seminary education in the arena of civic engagement. Other attendees included Tom McDevitt, chairman of The Washington Times, Olga Kenedy, Rev. Jim Boothby, and Teresa Ledesma.

“It’s high time for Unificationists to join the fight for America’s soul,” said Jim Boothby, a former activist for AFC. He explained: “Though American life seems tranquil, a major war of ideas is being waged. Every area of American life is a battlefield—public policy, culture and media. Hostility to Judeo-Christian culture has never been stronger. In many respects our side is losing.”

The consensus of those alumni who attended the VVS was that a citizens’ network could make use of some of the special editorial materials in The Washington Times as a basis for educating the public on the issues. The UTS alumni participants at VVS agreed to form an ad hoc working group that will create a networking system of communication to inspire civic engagement and responsibility. This project will share information and promote dialogue on important issues that have an impact upon society and national leadership. As Dr. Ferrantello noted, “By providing understanding of the issues with special respect to values of faith, family and freedoms, people will be more empowered to restore culture through civic engagement.”

The meal-break discussions confirmed that Unificationist ideals support and strengthen civic engagement in our community life. As Tom McDevitt commented, “The Unificationist Family Pledge has mention of becoming ‘patriots for the nation’ and ‘living for the sake of others.’”

Doug Burton wrote the following umbrella statement as a proposal for discussion:

“Unificationist religious values derived from the theology of the three blessings (Gen. 1:27) may lead to prosperous engagement in the election process. Unificationists honor the ideal of filial piety, which implies honoring the values of the American founders. Unificationists value the ideal of perfection of individuality and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness as a goal of human development. Republicans value freedom and see the free enterprise system as the modality for gaining personal freedom and economic independence. Democrats value a managed economy that nurtures individual development and protects the vulnerable. These values are defensible.”

Mr. Boothby says that the upcoming election is too important for concerned religious people to ignore. He sums up the urgency of the campaign season this way: “Our children’s and grandchildren’s fate hangs in the balance. We should realize that America’s providential success is by no means secure. There are signs of very serious difficulties. Our pro-God, pro-marriage, pro-religious freedom, and pro-first principles ‘ship’ has taken on serious water. We must win this war of ideas.”

Any persons interested in joining this initial working group for transforming America’s culture can get more information by contacting Jim Boothby at Jimboothby50@gmail.com or the UTS alumni mentioned in this article.

Contributed by Douglas Burton