The United Methodist Church announced this week that it had achieved “positive results” in its negotiations with large construction manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. to review use of its equipment and examine its ties to Israeli military forces.
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(Photo: UMNS / Kathy L. Gilber, File)Jim Winkler, top executive of the church's social action agency, speaks during a meeting of the Board of Church and Society in this undated file photo.
The Protestant church body, which has a history of dedication to moral and social activism, notified the company that it would petition and divest its stock holdings in the corporation because of what it described as its profiteering in “illegal Israeli settlements.”
“Caterpillar equipment, fitted with armored plating, is used by Israeli Defense Forces to destroy Palestinian homes, orchards and olive groves in the Occupied Territories, and to clear Palestinian land for illegal Israeli settlements, segregated roads and the separation barrier,” UMC noted in a statement.
The denomination has about $5 million of its estimated $17 billion pension portfolio invested in Caterpillar stock, according to a press release on the UMC website.
Caterpillar’s response to The United Methodist Church, however, was deemed “positive” by the denomination, which subsequently announced that it would withdraw its petition of divestment.
In a statement, Caterpillar “affirmed the importance of continuing dialogue between Caterpillar and The United Methodist Church,” and announced that it would review its record concerning the use of its equipment.
"Caterpillar's products are designed to improve quality of life. ... We do not condone the illegal or immoral use of any Caterpillar equipment. ... We expect our customers to use our products in environmentally responsible ways and consistent with human rights and the requirements of international humanitarian law,” the company expressed in a statement.
"We are committed to further conversations and possible philanthropic activities in Palestinian areas,” the company added.
The Rev. Tim Bias, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Peoria, Ill., where Caterpillar is based, spoke cheerfully of the new development, adding that his denomination plays an active role in helping to champion social justice.
"One of the values we hold as United Methodists is holy conferencing,” he said, according to UMC.
“If we are to bring transformation to the world, we will do it by building and gaining trust with persons of differing perspectives,” he added.
The Rev. W. Douglas Mills, executive of the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, also commented on the important deal their denomination had helped broker.
"I am very pleased to see the statement from Caterpillar and to see the positive fruits of dialogue," he said.
"By engaging [Caterpillar chief executive] Jim Owen and Caterpillar in this way, [Jim] Winkler (top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society) has helped us underscore the value our denomination places on our interreligious relationships coupled with our commitment to social justice,” he added.
The United Methodist Church, with almost 8 million members in the United States, is the nation’s second largest mainline Protestant church body after the Southern Baptist Convention.
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Perhaps Caterpillar can contribute to helping the Palestinians that dont wish to live under Israel move and build in Jordan, the Palestinian state.
what do the methodists think ought to be done with those -neopalestinians- that live in Europe or America and dont wish to conform or be subject to European or American laws? Should we give them land and allow them to secede? or should we politely ask them to go back to Saudi Arabia, or elsewhere, so that they can practice sharia law?
What will help the Palestinians? The Truth. The Truth includes the fact that they are on Jewish land, and ought to move out. Jordan is a Palestinian state. The UN and the Methodists and anyone else can contribute in helping them move back to Jordan, or anywhere in the Arab world.
Remember this is a denomination that is similiar to the Episcopal Church and United Church of Christ, all of which are left wing, liberal theology churches. These churches would be better suited in the left wing of the democratic party with Obama. They are all neglecting the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Defense Forces to destroy Palestinian homes? What about the United Methodists Forces that destroy the homes of the unborn?
I question why are they doing this? Should we help or hinder Israel? The Palestines, are they not Muslims and want to kill the Jews, Christians and anyone else who don’t believe as they do? We should gain the trust of people with different prospective but if they only have in their hearts to kill use then how can we hope to gain their trust? Not every Muslim is like this but there are enough for Israel to be cautious.
Should we love all the people of this world including our enemies, yes we should. But if our enemies are waging war against our Lords chosen people who should we then ally with? I choose to ally with those who fear the Lord my Savior and God.
We could encourage Israel to do good but we also must realize that they need to protect themselves too. Remember, some of these site house terrorist and this is why they do some of the thing that they do. I do believe that this is the wrong course of action.
UMC's passive understanding of the Gospel could be viewed as hypocritical. If the real concern is to help the Palestinians, why not divest the funds and apply actively in helping them instead of asserting their shareholders' right by holding a company accountable for actions done by their overseas customers?
Or if the fund can't be touched then they could fund raise to help the Palestinians and work with Israelis with this sensitive issue?
This is a great accomplishment, but I wonder if that is really the mission of the church. Couldn't a completely secular organization have accomplished the same? I think churches should just stick to what they do best: Teaching Christ's gospel.