Message from the Justice & Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ
The founding principles of the United States, declared in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, include not only protecting our people from domestic strife and defending the nation in times of war but also establishing justice and promoting the general welfare. While we like to define ourselves by these ideals of fairness and generosity, we have spent much of our history trying to make the reality resemble the words.
In a “Resolution for the Common Good,” General Synod 25 reminds us: “Our Christian faith speaks directly to public morality and the ways a nation should bring justice and compassion into its civic life. In the story of the last judgment, Jesus tells us that nations will be judged by how they care for their most vulnerable citizens, those Jesus describes as, ‘the least of these who are members of my family.’ This story in Matthew (Matthew 25: 34-35) is not about personal salvation; rather it is presented as a story of the judgment of nations.”
Today in our economy we are called once again to address the disparity between our ideals and today’s reality of rapidly widening inequality—our poorest neighbors living invisibly and un-cared-for among us.
Our economy and the federal budget are inextricably tied to the well being of our society. In an effort to support learning, reflection and prayer about these complex issues we have assembled a four week exploration of the budget and its many facets.
Related Link: House GOP Cuts are Theologically Immoral
