and Los Angeles, but consistently declined in order to continue to build the All Saints Pasadena parish. As a founder of the Interfaith Center to Reverse the Arms Race, he was a leader in efforts to unite Christians, Muslims, Jews and other faiths to promote peace in the Middle East and worldwide. Controversies Supporting United Farm Workers Union Regas' first controversy as rector arose a few months after he arrived. A representative from the United Farm Workers Union, saying that the union would like to set up an information table on the church lawn and pass out information about the struggles of Cesar Chavez, who had organized the union. The representative told Regas that his predecessor had been very supportive of the union. Regas thought the request was reasonable and agreed. He then learned that a member of the congregation was one of the largest corporate farmers in the nation, and was incensed by Regas' action. Regas said he tried for six months to heal the rift, but failed. The farmer angrily left the church. Opposition to Vietnam War Regas was a critic of certain American foreign and domestic policies, reaching national attention in a 1971 sermon, "Mr. President, the Jury Is In", against the Vietnamese War, responding to a press conference by United States President Richard Nixon in which he appealed to the American public to stand behind him about the Vietnam War. IRS investigation of All Saints On the Sunday before the 2004 Presidential election, Regas preached a sermon opposing the Iraq War. The premise of the sermon was a debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry moderated by Jesus Christ. In the sermon Regas supposed that, "Jesus [would say], 'Mr. President, your doctrine of preemptive war is a failed doctrine. Forcibly changing the regime of an enemy that posed no imminent threat has led to disaster.'" Complaints about the sermon led to an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into whether the sermon voided the church's tax-exempt status as a prohibited political endorsement. The church responded by claiming that the IRS is selectively enforcing the rule by not pursuing actions against conservative churches. In response to the investigation, Rector Ed Bacon gave a sermon called, "Neighbor Love is Never Neutral." Notes References 1930 births 2021 deaths People from Knoxville, Tennessee American Episcopal clergy American religious leaders Nonviolence advocates American activists People from Pasadena, California American