President Obama announced that the United States and Russia have agreed to a new treaty limiting each country "to significantly fewer strategic arms within seven years from the date the Treaty enters into force."
Plans are to sign the treaty in April in Prague. The treaty will then go to the United States Senate for ratification.
Presbyterians have long understood that, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to work to reduce the threat posed by nuclear weapons. In 1955, the General Assembly called for steps toward the reduction and elimination of weapons of mass destruction. In 2003, the General Assembly called for the United States and Russia to reduce the number of warheads held by each country to 1,000 as a step toward that goal.
We recognize that eliminating nuclear weapons will not achieve the wholeness, well being, and justice of God’s peace. But we also know that eliminating nuclear weapons is a crucial, necessary step in bringing God’s peace into being.