The attack today on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords left 6 dead, including a nine year old girl, and 18 wounded.  The congresswoman, who had been reported killed by NPR and other media outlets, survived and is in ICU after being shot in the head.  U.S. District Judge John Roll is reported to be among the dead.  Both Rep. Giffords and Judge Roll have been the target of threats.

An anti-government activist is reported to have been the gunman, according to Slate.

The New York Times reports on threats to Rep. Giffords:

Last March, after the final approval of the Democrats’ health care law, which Ms. Giffords supported, the windows of her office in Tucson were broken or shot out in an act of vandalism. Similar acts were reported by other members of Congress, and several arrests were made, including that of a man who had threatened to kill Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington.

And in August 2009, when there were demonstrations against the health care measure across the nation, a protester who showed up to meet Ms. Giffords at a supermarket event similar to Saturday’s was removed by the police when the pistol he had holstered under his armpit fell and bounced on the floor.

During the fall campaign, Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate, posted a controversial map on her Facebook page depicting spots where Democrats were running for re-election; those Democrats were noted by crosshairs symbols like those seen through the scope of a gun. Ms. Giffords was among those on Ms. Palin’s map.

AZCentral.com is also reporting this afternoon that Judge Roll was the target of threats:

In 2009, he faced death threats over a $32 million civil-rights suit filed against an Arizona rancher by illegal immigrants.

At the time, Roll and U.S. Marshal's officials attributed the threats to hysteria from talk radio.

He and his wife were placed under federal protection for a month, a process he described as "unnerving and invasive."

Sources told The Republic that Roll was among the six killed Saturday at Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' event in Tucson.

Judge Roll was appointed to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

In 2009, as the debate over health reform raged and town hall meetings deteriorated into near brawls, the National Council of Churches issued a statement urging civil discourse:

Individuals cannot express their best hopes and acknowledge their deepest fears within a climate of intimidation and character assassination, and all too often this climate is the product of racism and xenophobia.  Too much is at stake for the good of our society for us to continue down this dangerous path.  The essential nature of our national compact, to enfranchise the views of all, is imperiled in a hostile and suspicious environment. In this moment, then, we call the members of our churches, our political leaders, and all people of good will to somber reflection on the ways we might restore dignity and civility to our national discourse both as a matter of social ethics and to bolster the highest traditions of democratic process.

The prophet Isaiah (1:18) declares God’s message to the people to “Come let us reason together”. This injunction might serve us well in the present moment.  Reason, (yakah), in this passage does not refer to a dispassionate meeting of the minds but, rather calls for convincing, persuading and presenting a case for a point of view. Vigorous, principled debate advances our thinking and clarifies the challenges before us. Respect for neighbor strengthens the fabric of our communities.

Let us then, as a people, draw from our deepest traditions of faith and heritage to gain a renewed sense of community marked by honesty and mutual respect. Let our moments of rigorous debate be tempered with a profound sense of the dignity and worth of each person. Let us debate ideas on their merits and exercise restraint in expression of our own best conceptions. Such a disciplined dialogue holds great promise, honoring our differences and confirming our perception that we are a people joined in our mutual aspiration to live the lives for which we were created. 

Let us as member churches and brothers and sisters of other living faiths model the civility to which our sacred texts command.  Throughout its history, the conciliar ecumenical movement has provided a common venue for persons to express and debate differing viewpoints in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Let us make clear to ourselves and others those marks of civility that represent the best of our faiths and that can serve as foundational to rigorous, honest public discourse for the common good.

There is too much violence in our society today and politicians like Sarah Palin  and media figures like Glenn Beck seek with intention to fan those flames with full knowledge of what the consequences might be.  We do not know enough about the alleged gunman to say what set him off on this mass killing spree but we do know that rhetoric can provoke those who are unstable.  We need to tone down our politics, tone down our language, keep our political opponents off Palin-style "hit lists," and treat each other with respect and kindness even when we have profound disagreements over public policy or theology.  All Americans should pray today for an end to violence and for the families involved in this shooting.  

6:34 PM Update:  Pima County Sheriff Clarence W. Dupnik said this evening:

“The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous. And unfortunately, I think Arizona has become sort of the capital, we have beome the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry...”  “There’s reason to believe that this individual might have a mental issue, and I think that people who are unbalanced might be especially susceptible to vitriol.”

In the meantime, the sheriff's office also announced that a search for a possible second suspect was underway.   

The New Start treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate today with a strong bi-partisan vote despite the efforts of the GOP leadership to kill the arms control deal which allows the U.S. to monitor Russian nuclear stockpiles - keeping them out of the hands of terrorists and off the black market.

Ratification of the treaty is another victory for President Obama who signed the treaty with the Russian president and helped to led the fight for ratification in the senate.

Religious leaders - including the National Council of Churches - strongly supported the treaty and urged members of the senate to but partisanship behind them.  The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general-secretary of the National Council of Churches, was critical of efforts to delay ratification:  "Peace is a major theme of the Advent season and celebration of Christmas.  The National Council of Churches looks forward to being able to celebrate ratification of this treaty to reduce nuclear stockpiles and improve verification.  Any delay would be contrary to our commitment to peace on earth.”

In the end, the vote was 71-26 in favor of the treaty.  Vice-President Biden presided over the vote in his role as Senate president.

Photo credit:  Official White House Photo by Pete Souza 

President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former President George H.W. Bush and the nation's military leaders have all endorsed New START, the arms control treaty being debated in the U.S. Senate.  The treaty allows the U.S. to keep watch over Russia's stockpile of nuclear weapons and thus reduces the chances that one might fall into the hands of a rouge state or terrorist group. 

"On behalf of Christians across this country, we strongly urge you to bring the treaty to a vote, and to support ratification of START," wrote The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, and The Rev. John L. McCullough, executive director of Church World Service, in a letter to members of the Senate.  The pair said it was vital the treaty not "be caught in the gridlock of Capitol Hill. Its ratification is too important for the future and security of the United States and the world."

But U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, is waging a fight against the treaty.  McConnell, you'll recall, has said defeating President Obama's 2012 re-election is his #1 priority in the new Congress.  Republican Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, who in the past has said he might vote for the treaty, is now telling people he might vote against it out of anger that Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed.  Leaders of the minority party in the Senate are clearly putting politics before national - even world - security. 

75% of Americans support the treaty, according to a CNN poll.  Leith Anderson, president of the conservative National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), said earlier this month:  “As I travel around the country, I see ‘Support Our Troops’ signs everywhere. Despite political conflicts on many issues, our nation’s security has always been a unifying issue that draws Americans together across party lines...  I urge all Senators to set aside any partisan consideration and join their colleagues – both Republicans and Democrats – in swift action on the New START treaty.”  

Click here for information on how you can contact your Senate representatives.  Tell them to ratify the treaty. 

As the National Council of Churches reports, two GOP senators are trying to use the upcoming Christmas holiday as an excuse not to consider the NEW Start II treaty this month:

Washington, December 15, 2010 -- With perhaps unintended irony, two U.S. senators have declared that Christmas is not the time to move toward peace by reducing the number of nuclear arms in the arsenals of the United States and Russia.

But the general secretary of the National Council of Churches and several heads of NCC member communions have sent the lawmakers a gentle reminder that the Prince of Peace is the reason for the season.

Senators Jim Demint (R-S.C.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) have both declared their intention to delay ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START II) during the lame duck session of Congress. Observers suspect the senators may be taking the stand for partisan reasons, but each has declared that Christmas is not the time to support arms reduction.

"You can't jam a major arms control treaty right before Christmas," Demint said in an interview with Politico, calling the whole thing "sacrilegious."

"What's going on here is just wrong," Demint said. "This is the most sacred holiday for Christians. They did the same thing last year - they kept everybody here until (Christmas Eve) to force something down everybody's throat. I think Americans are sick of this."

Earlier,  Kyl complained that efforts by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) to get the Senate to ratify START II as well as pass other legislation was too much at Christmas time.

"It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out, frankly, without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians and the families of all the Senate, not just the senators themselves but all of the staff," insisted Kyl.

But Kinnamon sent the senators a peaceful admonishment that they have overlooked the true spirit of Christmas.

"If anything this time of year should be an encouragement for our leaders to work harder for peace on earth in response to God who wills peace for all," Kinnamon said. "Peace is major theme of the Advent season and celebration of Christmas.  The National Council of Churches looks forward to being able to celebrate ratification of this treaty to reduce nuclear stockpiles and improve verification.  Any delay would be contrary to our commitment to peace on earth."
        
Last month the general assembly of the NCC and Church World Service, meeting as a Centennial Ecumenical Gathering in New Orleans, unanimously adopted a call to ratify the treaty. Kinnamon and CWS executive director and CEO, the Rev. John L. McCullough, sent copies of the statement to U.S. senators. See www.ncccusa.org/news/101118starttreaty.html

Meeting today with the heads of several NCC member communions, Kinnamon said several other leaders endorsed the call to senators to recognize that the Christmas season is indeed the appropriate time to support measures for peace.

The leaders include the Rev. Dr. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary, Reformed Church in America; Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Orthodox Church in North America; the Rev. Michael Livingston, representing the International Council of Community Churches; the Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller, president of the Moravian Church Northern Province Provincial Elders' Conference; Stan Noffsinger, general secretary of the Church of the Brethren; Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Rev. Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA); Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church; and Dick Hamm, executive director of Christian Churches Together.

Kinnamon and the heads of communion also reminded the Senate that the theme of peace at Christmas time is unmistakable in scripture.

The song of the angels on the night Christ was born makes it clear that the word on high is "Peace on Earth," Bishop Serapion said, citing Luke 2:14.

The Prophet Isaiah declares the coming of a messiah called, "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)

"In this advent season we anticipate the birth of the Prince of Peace and hear the good news to 'fear not,'" said Noffsinger. "The theme of 'fear not' calls us to a world freed from these weapons that are based on the response of fear."  

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member faith groups -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation. 

Tell the Senate to ratify the treaty now.  Click here for additional information on how you can contact your Senators. 

It is good news that Congress passed the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act - legislation backed by many church groups - despite the opposition of figures such as Sarah Palin.  It is disappointing, however, that Oregon's Greg Walden sided with Palin and voted against providing food for hungry kids.  But since Walden is also taking the lead in blocking employment uninsurance assistance for millions of workers this holiday season while backing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans it is no surprise.    

 "Woe to him who builds his house on unrighteousness, and his upper room by injustice, who makes his neighbors work for nothing, and does not give them their wages." (Jeremiah 22:13)

This afternoon I joined a conference call with officials at the White House to talk about the elimination of unemployment insurance  - which expires today because of GOP obstructionism in Congress.  Over 2 million people will lose benefits in December (7 million over the next year).  GOP leaders are insisting on extending $700 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as the unemployed lose their only source of income during the holiday season.

President Obama has opposed the extension of the Bush tax cuts and insisted that unemployment insurance and middle class tax cuts stay in place.  The wealthiest Americans don't need tax cuts as the government's deficit explodes and we pay for two wars.    

Religious leaders across the country have called for an extension of the unemployment benefits.

In a related matter, the National Council of Churches and other Christian bodies released a statement this fall that read in part:

As people of faith, we often talk about the federal budget being a moral document because where we choose to commit our resources demonstrates our values. Our nation’s tax policy functions in much the same way. Paying taxes to enable government to provide for the needs of the common good is an appropriate expression of our stewardship in society. Every year, billions of dollars are generated in tax revenue that are then reinvested in ways that serve the public interest, like providing for our security and building our roads, bridges, and schools.

The tax system also creates financial incentives for individuals to act in ways that are thought to strengthen our social fabric, such as investing and saving for retirement, starting a business, owning a home, getting a college education--even charitable giving. Because of the way tax benefits are structured, however, too often low-wage workers do not earn enough to access those benefits. This results in a system that perpetuates inequality by rewarding behavior that generates financial security for those who already have it, while excluding those who are working hard at low-wage jobs and need help the most. An equitable, moral tax code should reward the efforts of low-income people to work and save at every level.

Leaving unemployed Americans without financial support will clearly increase poverty and homelessness in America.  Every great economic question is in reality a great moral question, once said William Jennings Bryan.  Those that oppose extending benefits today are failing a moral test of leadership that will hurt families in very real ways.  Click here to send a message to Congress supporting the extension on unemployment benefits.

President Obama would help set the tone for a larger debate if - as he promised during the 2008 election - he would set a goal of reducing poverty by 50% within ten years.  The president needs to be pro-active on these issues and not just reactive.  His stimulus plan saved millions more from falling into poverty, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, but now we need the president to offer a road map for substantially decreasing poverty.

I've written the president a letter asking him to do just that and to use a major national venue - such as the 2011 State of the Union Address - to outline his plans moving forward.  I hope readers here will contact the White House and both thank him for his leadership on these issues and encourage him to led a national effort to reduce poverty. 

Press Release from the National Council of Churches

Washington, November 29, 2010 -- Representatives of 19 Christian church bodies today called upon the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Senate approved child nutrition bill.

"As leaders of faith communities, we see first-hand the suffering that food insecurity causes, particularly for families and children," said the letter addressed to House Democratic and Republican leaders and to all members of the House.

"Our children cannot wait any longer for improvements in nutrition programs.  We regard passage of Child Nutrition Reauthorization as essential to combating the poverty that is engulfing growing numbers of children in the United States.  One in five children in the United States now lives in poverty in our nation, the wealthiest nation in the world.  Our faith compels us to speak out and to act on behalf of "the least of these" (Matthew 25: 40)."

The leaders expressed disappointment in the Senate bill, S. 3307, because it had been "weakened by compromise." Even so, they said, "it is the best remaining hope for some relief for hungry children who face dim prospects for lives of abundance if their early years are compromised by childhood hunger."

House members were also implored not make additional cuts in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), once known as Food Stamps.

Healthful child nutrition and food for families and individuals living in poverty are equal responsibilities in a society where resources are abundant and the common good is our aim. They are not competing objectives; rather they are worthy and complementary expressions of a national commitment to care for our neighbors.  We urge you to find ways to restore cuts to the SNAP program as earnestly as our religious convictions move us to press for your action to pass this bill for the benefit of our children."

The full text of the letter can be downloaded at www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/childnutritionletter.pdf.            

           
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member faith groups -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

Press release from the National Council of Churches

Leaders representing a coalition of 52 national faith-based organizations join together to celebrate the nation’s largest interfaith anti-poverty effort  

November 22, 2010 WASHINGTON – As millions of Americans begin to prepare their Thanksgiving meals, faith leaders representing organizations from across the country convened on Capitol Hill this week to remind Congress and the Administration that there are many Americans who don’t know when their next meal may be and that there are reforms Congress and the Administration can implement today that will go a long way towards cutting poverty in half over the next ten years.  

As a conclusion to the Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization, Rabbi Steve Gutow, Rev. Larry Snyder and Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, the heads of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Catholic Charities USA, and National Council of the Churches respectively, met with members of Congress and staff, Administration officials, and coalition partners to discuss national efforts to reduce poverty.  Kevin Concannon, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; David Hansell, the Acting Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Max Finberg, Director of USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships also provided remarks.  

Fighting Poverty with Faith is a nationwide effort co-chaired by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Catholic Charities USA and the National Council of Churches. Now in its third year, Fighting Poverty with Faith includes 52 national faith-based organizations and mobilizes thousands of individuals across the country to take action to address poverty, making it the largest interfaith anti-poverty effort in the country.  The Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization focuses attention on the causes of poverty, highlights strategies to reduce poverty, and aggressively seeks new economic opportunities for the nation’s most vulnerable.  

Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA states, “At a time when the number of people in poverty is rising, when one in every five children lives below the poverty line, it is imperative for people of faith to speak up with even louder voice on behalf of the poor.  This effort is too large for any single church or religion, which is why the member communions of the National Council of Churches are so pleased to join with the Jewish Council on Public Affairs and Catholic Charities in Fighting Poverty with Faith.  As Andrew Young once said, ‘The existence of poverty in the 21st Century is the moral equivalent of slavery in the 19th Century.’  In this sense, Fighting Poverty with Faith is a test case of our religious convictions and commitment.”   

Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, continues “As we sit down at our Thanksgiving Day tables with friends and family and give thanks for the bountiful food we will share, we must remember that there are millions of Americans who aren’t as fortunate and don’t know when their next meal will be.  The Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization highlights our responsibility to our neighbors in need and encourages our nation’s leaders to address poverty issues head-on, providing lasting relief for those who need it the most.” 

Rev. Larry Snyder, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, adds “We must come together not only as organizations but as a nation and work harder to seriously reduce poverty in America.  To achieve that, we must develop fresh approaches providing long-term solutions so that individuals and families can move beyond safety net support and sustain a life of independence and dignity.  We have no choice but to meet this challenge head on.”  

This year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization was launched on October 5 with a national teleconference discussing the role of faith-based organizations in fighting poverty.  The teleconference featured Joshua DuBois, Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and Martha Coven from the White House Domestic Policy Council.   

Among the numerous forums and events held across the country through October and November were a free community health fair staffed by Jewish and Muslim healthcare professionals in Detroit, a homeless resource fair in New York City, and a prayer vigil and community service day in Omaha.   

In Detroit, Muslim and Jewish healthcare professionals offered free health screenings to those who lack insurance but do not qualify for government-provided or other no- or low-cost health care programs. 

At the homeless resource fair in New York City, students from Yeshiva University, the New York University Hillel and the Columbia University Hillel volunteered to provide clothing, blankets and food to homeless individuals and families. The student volunteers listened to and recorded the participants’ stories about their lives and experiences being homeless, and these stories are being compiled into a journal the student volunteers will present to New York City and State elected officials as part of continuing efforts to inspire and enact reforms that help address New York City’s homeless population.  

In Omaha, members of the First Christian Church joined together with other Christian and interfaith partners to pray and learn about homelessness in their midst.  Community participants also volunteered with local agencies providing critical services to the homeless and underserved.  

The 2010 Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization is endorsed by:  African Methodist Episcopal Church; Alliance of Baptists; Alliance to End Hunger; American Baptist Home Mission Societies; Apostolic Catholic Church; AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps; BBYO, Inc.; Bread for the World; Catholic Charities USA; Center of Concern; Christian Church, Disciples of Christ; Church of the Brethren Global Partnerships; Diocese of the Armenian Church of America; Disciples Justice Action Network; The Episcopal Church; Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Evangelicals for Social Action; Hazon; Hindu American Foundation; Hindu American Seva Charities; International Association of Jewish Vocational Services; International Council of Community Churches; Islamic Circle of North America; Islamic Relief USA; Islamic Society of North America; Jewish Council for Public Affairs; Jewish Funds for Justice; Jewish Labor Committee; Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Jewish Women International; Lutheran Services in America; MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger; Metropolitan Community Churches; Moravian Church Northern Province; Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC); National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd; National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA; National Council of Jewish Women; NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Office of Public Witness; Progressive National Baptist Convention; Repair the World; Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Institute Justice Team; The Jewish Federations of North America; The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good; The Rabbinical Assembly; The Swedenborgian Church; Union for Reform Judaism; United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries; The United Methodist Church-General Board of Church and Society; Women of Reform Judaism; World Student Christian Federation – North America.

More information on this year’s Fighting Poverty with Faith mobilization, including a full list of events that took place across the country, can be found at www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com.

The Senate must ratify the new START this year.  Delay endangers our national security and the security of the world.  The White House noted today:

This morning the President went to a meeting hosted by the Vice President to discuss the New START treaty and why it is in our clear national security interest that the Senate approve it this year.  The President said that "the key point here is this is not about politics, it’s about national security" -- and indeed the names on the attendee list spoke to the gravity of the issue and overwhelming support from America's foremost national security experts: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry; Senator Richard Lugar; former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker, and Henry Kissinger; former Secretaries of Defense William Cohen and William Perry; former National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright; and Senator Sam Nunn.

President Obama told those gathered:

There is no higher national security priority for the lame duck session of Congress.  The stakes for American national security are clear, and they are high.  The New START treaty responsibly reduces the number of nuclear weapons and launchers that the United States and Russia deploy, while fully maintaining America’s nuclear deterrent.

If we ratify this treaty, we’re going to have a verification regime in place to track Russia’s strategic nuclear weapons, including U.S. inspectors on the ground.  If we don’t, then we don’t have a verification regime -– no inspectors, no insights into Russia’s strategic arsenal, no framework for cooperation between the world’s two nuclear superpowers.  As Ronald Reagan said, we have to trust, but we also have to verify.  In order for us to verify, we’ve got to have a treaty.

The New START treaty is also a cornerstone of our relations with Russia.  And this goes beyond nuclear security.  Russia has been fundamental to our efforts to put strong sanctions in place to put pressure on Iran to deal with its nuclear program.  It’s been critical in supporting our troops in Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network.  It’s been critical in working with us to secure all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world, and to enhance European security. 

We cannot afford to gamble on our ability to verify Russia’s strategic nuclear arms.  And we can’t jeopardize the progress that we’ve made in securing vulnerable nuclear materials, or in maintaining a strong sanctions regime against Iran.  These are all national interests of the highest order.

Bi-partisan leaders in Congress support the treaty.  The treaty also has supported from military leaders and past and present officials from the Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.  Public opinion is strongly behind the treaty.  

Faith leaders also support the treaty.  The leaders of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service issued an appeal today for the passage of the treaty:

New York, November 18, 2010 -- The staff leaders of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service have sent messages to U.S. senators urging the ratification this year of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II) signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The message by the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC general secretary, and the Rev. John L. McCullough, CWS executive director and CEO, comes at a time when ratification of the treaty is uncertain during the lame duck period before the 111th Congress adjourns.

Last week the general assembly of the NCC and CWS, meeting as a Centennial Ecumenical Gathering in New Orleans, unanimously adopted a call to ratify the treaty. Kinnamon and McCullough sent copies of the statement to U.S. senators.

The statement urging passage of the treaty was sent to Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), majority leader of the Senate, and to Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), minority whip, and all U.S. senators. Kyl has cast doubt on the timing of a vote on the treaty, saying senators needed more time to study its implications.

"This treaty is a vital step in moving the United States into greater partnership with the world as it turns away from nuclear weapons," said the letter from Kinnamon and McCullough, quoting the General Assembly resolution. “The United States as a whole has the chance to contribute to this global movement by shrinking the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.”

"This treaty is a vital step in moving the United States into greater partnership with the world as it turns away from nuclear weapons," said the letter from Kinnamon and McCullough, quoting the General Assembly resolution. “The United States as a whole has the chance to contribute to this global movement by shrinking the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.” 

This treaty "cannot be caught in the gridlock of Capitol Hill. Its ratification is too important for the future and security of the United States and the world. On behalf of Christians across this country, we strongly urge you to bring the treaty to a vote, and to support ratification of START," the letter said.

The Rev. Jan Olav Flaaten, executive director of the Arizona Ecumenical Council, joined in the letter to Mr. Kyl.

The General Assembly resolution declared the member communions and other groups are raising their collective voice to say to the U.S. Senate: "Approve the START II treaty without delay!"

"We add that, while START II is important, it is not enough," the delegates said. "We live in a time when the tide is turning worldwide in the direction of complete nuclear disarmament. More than half the world's nations now live in regions classified by the United Nations as Nuclear Weapon Free Zones, and many cities in the United States have declared themselves nuclear free zones as well. The United States as a whole has the chance to contribute to this global movement by shrinking the largest nuclear arsenal in the world  -- toward the goal of their total elimination."

The full text of the resolution can be downloaded at http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/SALTII.pdf.

The letter to U.S. senators can be downloaded at http://www.ncccusa.org/pdfs/STARTletterreid.pdf     

Please contact your members of the Senate immediately.  Tell them to continue the bi-partisan tradition of arms control.  Don't let political extremists derail this treaty and endanger the people of the United States and the world.  Click here for additional information on how can contact your Senators.

Catch me at 7:20 at on 1190 KEX tomorrow (Monday) morning talking with Paul Linnman about why Portland clergy have offered both words of support and concern over proposed gun control ordinances to come before the Portland City Council this Thursday.  The Oregonian and The Portland Mercury have both published stories over the weekend about reaction from area clergy concerned about growing gun violence in our city.  The NRA has been urging their members to oppose these common sense proposals that would, among other things, establish a "child safety law that would hold adults responsible if their gun gets into a child's hands" and "a theft reporting law that would penalize gun owners who don't report the theft or loss of a firearm."  The National Council of Churches In Christ, which has backed gun control, noted earlier that year that it is "idolatry to trust in guns to make us secure, since that usually leads to mutual escalation while distracting us from the One whose love alone gives us security."    

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, has strong words for former President Bush:

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me." That is the teaching of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. Likewise, the Golden Rule states, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

These are the underpinnings not only for Christianity, but for many of the world's great religions. And these are the tenets of the faith claimed by former President George W. Bush.

That's why Bush's prideful defense of torture in his new memoir, Decision Points, is utterly incomprehensible to me. It's also unrecognizable to the fundamental values of this country, and of Bush's own professed Christian faith...

As the United States reported to the United Nations in 1998 as part of our obligation under the U.N. Convention Against Torture:

"Torture is prohibited by law throughout the United States. It is categorically denounced as a matter of policy and as a tool of state authority. Every act constituting torture under the Convention constitutes a criminal offence under the law of the United States. No official of the government, federal, state or local, civilian or military, is authorized to commit or to instruct anyone else to commit torture. Nor may any official condone or tolerate torture in any form.  No exceptional circumstances may be invoked as a justification of torture."

We are now confronted with the fact that a president of the United States has openly acknowledged ordering torture. It is a sad and shameful moment. And, it is one we cannot let pass without consequence. Under our own laws, we must hold ourselves accountable; former President Bush has left us no choice.

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), a coalition of more than 290 religious organizations representing most of the major faith groups, has called for an independent counsel to investigate possible criminal wrongdoing. In addition, the coalition has asked for a Commission of Inquiry to take testimony about U.S.-sponsored torture, review all the records, and report to the public what it learns. It would also recommend safeguards to ensure that torture by the United States never happens again.

We must demand of ourselves what we demand of others in the international community, and what all major faiths require of us: respect for the dignity and value of every human being, a manifestation of that which is most holy.

Full post.

Rumor has it (and rumors are often wrong) that President Obama, in light of the mid-term elections, will accept an extension of Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans.  Such a move would be a basic betrayal of the platform the president campaigned on.  Religious leaders and economists have called on Congress to let the tax cuts expire. 

This fall a number of religious groups - including Bread for the World and the National Council of Churches - released a statement that read in part:

As people of faith, we often talk about the federal budget being a moral document because where we choose to commit our resources demonstrates our values. Our nation’s tax policy functions in much the same way. Paying taxes to enable government to provide for the needs of the common good is an appropriate expression of our stewardship in society. Every year, billions of dollars are generated in tax revenue that are then reinvested in ways that serve the public interest, like providing for our security and building our roads, bridges, and schools.

The tax system also creates financial incentives for individuals to act in ways that are thought to strengthen our social fabric, such as investing and saving for retirement, starting a business, owning a home, getting a college education--even charitable giving. Because of the way tax benefits are structured, however, too often low-wage workers do not earn enough to access those benefits. This results in a system that perpetuates inequality by rewarding behavior that generates financial security for those who already have it, while excluding those who are working hard at low-wage jobs and need help the most. An equitable, moral tax code should reward the efforts of low-income people to work and save at every level.

Extending the taxes cuts would be bad economics and, as William Jennings Bryan once said, every great economic question is in reality a great moral question.

Updated with Action Alert: President Obama: FIGHT Bush tax cuts for millionaires!

The Governing Board of the National Council of Churches has adopted a resolution calling for an end to the war in Afghanistan:  

The resolution, "A Call to End the War in Afghanistan," calls upon President Obama to negotiate a withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan "to be completed as soon as possible without further endangerment to the lives and welfare of U.S. and NATO troops, Afghan troops and Afghan civilians."

The board urged the president "to monitor the human rights situation in Afghanistan in the context of the United Nations declaration to use all available diplomatic means to protect the population from crimes against humanity, and to employ military means of protection only as a last resort."

The board stated deep commitment "that we must reaffirm our witness to Christ's commandment to love our enemies," and called upon member communions "to articulate to one another and to government authorities the concept of a 'Just Peace' as a proactive strategy for avoiding premature or unnecessary decisions to employ military means of solving conflicts."

The resolution was adopted by a unanimous voice vote.

Click here for additional information.

The Centennial Gathering of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service is occurring this week in New Orleans.

Photo Credit:  NCC/Kathleen Cameron 

The ecumenical movement in the United States notes a milestone:  

The Centennial Gathering of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service opens today with a crowded schedule that begins with greetings from Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson and concludes tonight with a sermon by Archbishop Gregory Michael Aymond of New Orleans.The agenda includes greetings from 15 national and international religious bodies and an interfaith luncheon featuring a Jewish and a Muslim religious leader. An afternoon address by the Rev. Dr. John M. Buchanan, editor of the Christian Century, will take a different form than planned because Dr. Buchanan is unable to attend the meeting. But his prepared address will be summarized by the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and discussed by three of the nation's prominent church leaders. The Hon. Lisa Jackson, a former New Orleans resident who now directs the Environmental Protection Agency, will bring greetings from President Obama, who was unable to attend the gathering because of his travel to Asia. Mr. Obama met with heads of communion in the White House November 1.

Full story.

Press Release from the National Council of Churches

This afternoon, on the eve of the mid-term election and in celebration of 100 years of U.S. Christian cooperation across denominational lines, prominent American Christian leaders met with President Obama to speak for the millions of Americans struggling to find jobs, make their next rent or mortgage payment, and put food on the table.

Leaders with both the National Council of Churches and the global humanitarian agency Church World Service thanked President Obama for passage of historic health reform legislation and robust engagement with the faith community, while also pressing him to take a strong stance on behalf of families facing poverty and hunger.  

"As the economic downturn has battered the middle class, it has been even more devastating to those already living on the economic margins of society," said Rev. Peg Chemberlin, the president of the National Council of Churches, which represents 45 million people and 100,000 congregations in the U.S.  "Our denominations and organizations are on the front lines-providing meals, support, and assistance to those hit hard by the economic downturn-but we know that more needs to be done." 

As political campaign rhetoric has descended into fear-mongering and divisiveness in the past few months, these leaders also spoke in a unified voice to inject civility and hope back into the public dialogue.   The delegation emphasized the need to work together towards the common good and the power of churches to lead and break down walls of division across the world. 

"Regardless of the outcome of tomorrow's election, our faithful witness is needed now more than ever," said Rev. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches.  "We cannot stand by while people of goodwill are baselessly attacked for their faith, their political beliefs, or their identity.  We have no reason to fear or demonize those who are different from ourselves.  Today, tomorrow, and into this next Congress, our country needs to come together and reclaim our values of justice and equality." 

Church World Service, which annually sponsors CROP Hunger Walks in 2,000 communities across the nation to raise funds to assist local and global hunger programs, urged the President to help implement domestic and international policies to make sure all families and children have access to nutritious, affordable food. 

"We are facing a severe global economic crisis, and the repercussions extend beyond the borders of our country," said John McCullough, president and CEO of Church World Service.  "As families in the U.S. find their household budgets more and more strained, families in the developing world are hurting too.  Today, we asked for the President's leadership in crafting policies that ensure men, women, and children have access to nutritious food and that we invest in diversified agriculture and ongoing community-based nutrition education." enough  food  and adequate nutrition for all, particularly children, as well as policies that support sustainable, diversified food production. 

Leaders of major Christian denominations joined NCC and CWS leaders to thank the President for his leadership and to urge him to prioritize a number of issues, including strengthening our fraying safety net, extending unemployment benefits as the economy continues to falter, and lifting people out of poverty with a focus on job creation for those in poverty, job training, and education.  

"As voters go to the polls tomorrow, they go with a sense of deep anxiety about their fragile economic situations.  It is absolutely crucial for our political leaders to govern with a profound understanding of the hardships Americans are facing," said Rev. Michael Livingston, director of the newly-launched NCC Poverty Initiative. "More and more families are losing their homes and struggling to make ends meet.  As a faith community, we have a moral obligation to speak out for the 'least of these' and urge Congress and President Obama to make combating poverty and hunger a top priority." 

The delegation also raised pressing issues around Middle East peace and the U.S.'s fraught relationship with Cuba, urging the President to lift the travel ban from the U.S. to Cuba so that American-based organizations like Church World Service can support churches and communities in Cuba. Other issues raised included energy and climate, and care for those hit first and worst by climate change, as well as immigration reform.
 
The delegation also included Bishop Johncy Itty of Church World Service, Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop John R. Bryant of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Rev. Sharon Watkins of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Stanley J. Noffsinger of the Church of the Brethren, Archbishop Khajag S. Barsamian of the Armenian Church of America, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, Rev. Gradye Parsons of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller of the Moravian Church, Thomas Swain of the Religious Society of Friends, Rev. Wesley S. Granberg-Michaelson of the Reformed Church in America, Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader of the United Methodist Church, Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America, Rev. Geoffrey Black of the United Church of Christ, and Dr. Walter L. Parrish III of the  Progressive National Baptist Convention.  The delegation presented the President with a Saint John's Bible, a framed sampler of statements commemorating 100 years of ecumenism, and a picture plaque commemorating the Church World Service's "Feed the Future" initiative. 

Action Alert from National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program

Interfaith Statement for Chemical Policy Reform

Toxic chemicals enter and harm our bodies, plants and animals, and natural systems through air and water pollution, and chemicals in household products including cleaners, personal care products, plastic food and drink containers, textiles, and children’s toys.  Yet these chemicals are poorly understood and inadequately regulated.  The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that only 200 of the more than 80,000 registered industrial chemicals have been tested . Existing chemical policies fail to protect the web of Creation, including the human community.

While all people are at risk, some are more vulnerable. Communities of color and low-income communities suffer disproportionately from pollution caused by current and past industrial activity, waste disposal , heavily-traveled transportation routes, and consumer products containing toxic chemicals.  Researchers also warn that toxic chemicals negatively impact children, expectant mothers, and workers. Chemical workers suffer from chemical exposures because of the lack of public data on chemicals they use, unsafe workplaces, and lax enforcement of regulations.

As religious leaders and people of faith and conscience from diverse traditions, we affirm that reforming current chemical policies is vital to protecting people and life on God’s Earth.

Our Shared Call: Four Religious Values

The world’s faith traditions share values which serve as a foundation for ethical decision-making regarding toxic chemicals.  Four core values shared by the world’s great traditions are as follows:

• All life is to be respected.
• People of faith must ensure that air, water, and land – which belong to the Divine - sustain life on Earth.
• Society owes justice and care to its most vulnerable people and communities, and to future generations
• Our faith traditions call us to protect and promote the health of the human body.

This statement contains references to religious teachings that reflect these shared values. Sadly, existing chemical policies fail to respect these values.

The Principles: Strong Toxic Policies to Sustain All Life

Government policy on chemicals can and should protect people and all life on Earth. Chemical legislation should:

Protect People and All Life on Earth

• Remove the most dangerous chemicals, such as chemicals that persist, bioaccumulate, or are acutely toxic (PBTs), from use except when no safe alternative is available.
• Hold companies accountable for demonstrating that chemicals are safe.

Protect Vulnerable Populations

• Reduce the disproportionate burden of chemical exposure placed on workers, low-income people, people of color, indigenous communities, pregnant women, and children, and other vulnerable groups.
• Expand government biomonitoring, particularly in at-risk communities, to measure people’s toxic exposure.
• Invest in research to understand and protect children’s health from chemical harm.
• Provide chemical health and safety information to workers and the public.

Promote a Sustainable, Healthy Economy

• Fund “green” chemistry and engineering research to create safer chemicals and industrial processes.
• Promote a “green” economy that will allow all life to flourish and bring green jobs to low-income communities and communities of color.

Click here to add your name.

This press release just landed in my e-mail inbox:

San Diego—As Americans approach the eve of election week, U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke is reminding Catholics in an exclusive 25-minute video interview that they are bound in conscience to vote for political candidates who oppose aborting babies, embryonic stem cell experiments, euthanasia and so-called homosexual "marriage."

"Millions of Catholics have no idea it's a sin to vote for candidates who favor these grave evils, which attack the very foundations of society," said Thomas McKenna, President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family. "This matter-of-fact, pointed interview granted to me by Archbishop Raymond Burke in Rome last week makes it very clear what the responsibility of every American Catholic will be next Tuesday."

In recent years Archbishop Burke, who is prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church's "supreme court," has taught repeatedly that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights may not receive Holy Communion and that Catholics who know of the politicians' voting record on these issues cannot vote for them and retain "a clear conscience." 

McKenna interviewed Archbishop Burke in Rome on Oct. 20 literally hours after it was announced he would be elevated to Cardinal. The 25-minute interview is being released to help inform Catholic voters before the U.S. elections on Nov. 2nd. Some of the points the Archbishop makes are:

"As a bishop it's my obligation in fact, to urge the faithful to carry out their civic duty in accord with their Catholic faith."

"You can never vote for someone who favors absolutely the right to choice of a woman to destroy a human life in her womb or the right to a procured abortion."

"So, the Catholic Church in teaching that sexual acts between persons of the same sex are intrinsically evil, are against nature itself, is simply announcing the truth, helping people to discriminate right from wrong in terms of their own activities."

First, I proudly disagree with Burke.  But that's always been the case.  So do many Catholics.  

Is it ever appropriate for a church official like Burke to tell voters which candidates to vote for?  He clearly is speaking in his official capacity and not as an individual.  Burke is obviously promoting one political party over another.  What are the politics of Jesus?  

I've endorsed candidates before but have always used language similar to this statement that I offered when endorsing Barack Obama in 2008:

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I trust deeply in the Constitutional principle of separation of church and state and my endorsement is therefore a personal one and does not reflect on the church I serve or my denomination. But as a citizen I believe that all Americans must engage in the political process as individuals for democracy to thrive. So I choose to add my voice today with millions of other Americans concerned about the direction of this nation.

Catholic Action for Faith and Family sent out this morning's press release.

The National Council of Churches USA developed a document a few election cycles back called Christian Principles in an Election Year.  The difference between this statement and Burke's remarks - and it is a profound difference - is that: "The principles are not intended to be partisan, but rather to lift up common principles that have been affirmed ecumenically and that can provide guidance..."  You'll note that the council never tells anyone who they should or should not vote for:  

Our Christian faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Public discourse is enhanced as we engage civic leaders on the values and ethics affirmed by our faith. At the same time, religious liberty and the integrity of our democracy will be protected as candidates refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain. We offer these ten principles to those seeking to accept the responsibility that comes with holding public office.

1. War is contrary to the will of God. While the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers. We look for political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.

2. God calls us to live in communities shaped by peace and cooperation. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city and rural populations to hopelessness. We look for political leaders who will re-build our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing.

3. God created us for each other, and thus our security depends on the well-being of our global neighbors. We look for political leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation and global justice is an urgent concern.

4. God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We look for political leaders who yearn for economic justice and who will seek to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.

5. Each human being is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth. We look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone.

6. The earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good. We look for political leaders who recognize the earth's goodness, champion environmental justice, and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation.

7. Christians have a biblical mandate to welcome strangers. We look for political leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies and speak out against xenophobia.

8. Those who follow Christ are called to heal the sick. We look for political leaders who will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.

9. Because of the transforming power of God’s grace, all humans are called to be in right relationship with each other. We look for political leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to the criminal justice system and the individuals within it.

10. Providing enriched learning environments for all of God’s children is a moral imperative. We look for political leaders who will advocate for equal educational opportunity and abundant funding for children’s services.

Finally, our religious tradition admonishes us not to bear false witness against our neighbor and to love our enemies. We ask that the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.

Burke's on-going partisan political activity in his official capacity harms both his church and democracy. 

Using secret money - a now legal tactic - the GOP is out spending Democratic candidates by 9 - 1 in the midterm elections.

Campaign spending is a scandal.  Politicians are bought and sold and this year the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and their allies are trying to buy the midterm elections with unprecedented spending.  Common Cause reports:

Tens of thousands of Americans are engaged this October in the good work of citizenship: running for office, contributing their money, time and talents on behalf of candidates and causes.

These Americans are justifiably proud of their activities. They join in civic life with pride, signing their names to letters-to-the-editor, identifying themselves when they go door-to-door to distribute campaign literature, openly contributing money to candidates and political action groups. They understand that transparency is fundamental to fair play in politics.

But this year, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, a few "citizens" have decided to hedge their bets and exploit our political rules; they're trying to tell the rest of us how to vote without revealing who they are or what they have at stake in our elections. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is merely the most visible player in this game. The Chamber and some other trade groups and corporations are pouring millions of dollars into our political system in secret, using the tax laws to hide their own involvement, as well as their donors. 

Even worse, questions are being raised about whether the Chamber, which has pledged to invest up to $75 million in this campaign cycle, is providing a conduit for foreign businesses to influence the elections. The Chamber denies it, but so far has declined to open its books for inspection. 

Our democracy is not based on secrecy. If disclosure is what we deserve from the people who run for office and the people who contribute to candidates, surely it's what we deserve from EVERYONE who invests in our political system, especially those investing millions of dollars. 

Even if every penny of the Chamber's political spending comes from domestic sources, the money – and all the rest of what's being spent under the cloak of secrecy – is tainted. 

And the sad fact is this all could have been avoided. The DISCLOSE Act, twice blocked from even coming up for a vote in the Senate by a minority of senators through the filibuster, would have imposed reasonable disclosure requirements on the Chamber and other groups now exploiting campaign finance laws.

And the Fair Elections Now Act, ready for passage in the House when it comes to a vote, would let candidates run competitive races without having to rely on big donors, foreign or domestic. 

When Congress returns to Washington after the election, it must get busy and pass both DISCLOSE and the Fair Elections Now Act. Americans shouldn't have to endure another election year in which we can't know who is spending mystery money, foreign or domestic, by the millions to affect who gets chosen in our own elections.

 The elections being waged this year are not democratic.  What is occurring in America is a fraud that cries out for reform.

National religious leaders - including the National Council of Churches - have said in the past that:

"Campaign finance reform is not simply a political or public relations dilemma but a moral matter. The temptation to use money to buy unjust favors is an ancient one. The prophet Amos thundered against those merchants who "sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of shoes.and push the afflicted out of the way." (Amos 2:6-7 NRSV).

That is more true today than ever.  All Americans, regardless of party, should be offended by the corruption of our politics.    

Related News: Voters Say They Want To Know Who Funds Ads

Today "Fighting Poverty with Faith" - a coalition of over 40 national faith groups convened by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) and the National Council of Churches (NCC) - held a conference call with officials from the White House to discuss efforts to fight poverty in America.

Fighting Poverty With Faith is holding events across the country this month "to educate and to advocate around poverty in America."  Poverty declined in the United States during much of the 1990s but after new economic policies were enacted in 2001 poverty began to grow and then skyrocket as the economy collapsed in 2008.  Only President Obama's economic stimulus plan kept the country from falling into another great depression.  And even though poverty continued to grow in 2009 - to 44 million Americans - another 6+ million Americans would have fallen into poverty without the stimulus plan and the plan is credited with reducing "the severity of poverty for 33 million additional Americans who are poor by lifting their incomes, typically by more than $700," according to the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 

Still, work needs to be done.  The president campaigned on a pledge to reduce poverty by half over ten years.  The Half in Ten Campaign - endorsed by the Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ and the Center for American Progress, among others - has outlined plans that would help accomplish that goal.  We need the White House, which is already doing a lot to help alleviate poverty, to launch a coordinated effort to achieve the goal of reducing the number of Americans living in poverty by half.  This afternoon I wrote the president a letter asking him to do just that and to use a major national venue - such as the 2011 State of the Union Address - to outline his plans moving forward.

We are fortunate to have in the White House a president who once worked as a community organizer - a job that had him working in neighborhoods and churches to fight poverty at the local level.  Perhaps no president in modern times has such intimate knowledge or obvious commitment to this issue.  It is also clear that the White House staff shares the president's deep concern about poverty.

I hope that you will contact the White House and urge them to do even more to fight poverty and to thank them for their leadership on this moral issue thus far.  Finally, please visit the Fighting Poverty With Faith to learn more about how your faith community can become involved.     

Related Post:  Poverty Must Be An Election Issue

"Our political leaders’ calculated neglect of the poor while courting the votes of the comfortable offends the creator of the universe." - The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary, National Council of Churches USA

The National Council of Churches in Christ USA is calling on churches across the United States to join the fight to end poverty in America:

This October 2010, the NCC is leading a mobilization against poverty with the Fighting Poverty with Faith coalition.

The goal of the Poverty Initiative is to empower and mobilize the faith community to lend its powerful moral and public voice to the ongoing and urgent debate around poverty.

Churches have been powerful voices for generations on a range of defining social justice issues, most importantly the need to address poverty. Central to any Christian message is the call to care for the "least of these"--to love and care for our neighbors. With more people both in the United States and globally living on the economic margins, people of faith are drawing more deeply upon that rich tradition of social justice engagement to speak out on the need to address the range of poverty issues, and create community practices and national policies that lift people from a life of poverty. 

Visit http://www.nccendpoverty.org/ to learn more.

"The NCC's 36 member faith groups -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation."

Related Post:  Poverty Must Be An Election Issue

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, issued the following statement in reaction to the Census Bureau release of new figures that show poverty growing in the United States:

Despite two years of historic measures to rescue the U.S. economy from the Great Recession, government figures released today show that millions of adults and children still live in poverty. Thousands of verses in the scriptures of many faiths, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam, express God’s concern for the poor and God’s wrath at the injustices that cause poverty to exist. When Jesus was asked for God’s greatest commandment, he said, Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Even before the economic collapse of 2008, too many lived in poverty. Direct measures need to be taken to ensure that even after economic prosperity is restored that vulnerable populations aren’t left behind in the recovery.

There is little indication that our political leaders—regardless of political party--are taking the need to address poverty with fervor. Most recently, the campaign rhetoric between Republicans and Democrats has focused on tax cuts for the Middle Class and not on helping lift those in poverty out of their plight. Our political leaders’ calculated neglect of the poor while courting the votes of the comfortable offends the creator of the universe. Any measures taken should not only stimulate the economy but benefit everyone, especially those living on the economic margins.

Speaking on behalf of the 36 member communions of the National Council of Churches, who join together in a shared concern for our brothers and sisters in poverty, our hope is that leaders of both parties will recognize that their greatest responsibility is to uphold those who do not have the means or power to support themselves. Let the debate of this campaign season push aside partisan politics and instead identify initiatives for doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with the God who loves the poor.

Full story.

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As people of faith who respect and value the deep religious pluralism of the United States, we condemn in the strongest possible terms plans by a Florida church, the Dove World Outreach Center in the U.S.A., to hold what they are billing as ""Burn a Koran Day" on September 11th, the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City. 

We concur with the National Council of Churches USA which has stated:

"Misguided or confused about the love of neighbor by which Christ calls us to live, leaders and members of this church and others are engaged in harassment of Muslims, and in the planning of an "International Burn the Qur'an Day," to be held on September 11th. Such open acts of hatred are not a witness to Christian faith, but a grave trespass against the ninth commandment, a bearing of false witness against our neighbor. They contradict the ministry of Christ and the witness of the church in the world."

We also support the statement issued by the Union for Reform Judaism :

We can scarcely find words to express our revulsion at the Dove World Outreach Center's "Burn a Koran Day," scheduled for September 11. Only those whose minds have been tainted by evil and acrimony would undertake to organize a sacrilegious event such as this and to do so in the name of God and religious piety. 

We reject attempts at dividing our nation along religious lines, and, together with the overwhelming majority of America's religious leaders, commit ourselves to standing up to those who wish to ostracize and intimidate our Muslim neighbors. Our fight is not with America's Muslims, but with all those whose extremist views lead them to hateful and dangerous actions. We will not compromise our principles of tolerance and understanding, and we will not defer to those who preach hatred while cloaking themselves in religious garb.

Finally, we applaud the call made by the The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) for people to distribute and read the Qur'an so that we might learn about one another and in doing so build up our national community. 

The Dove World Outreach Center's planned action stands opposed to all we believe to be true about the Almighty.  We pray that they will reconsider.

Tonight the president of the United States will address the American people and announce - as he promised during the 2008 campaign - that he has ended combat operations in Iraq. Over 90,000 U.S. troops have returned home. Another 50,000 troops remain to support the new Iraqi government. These remaining troops are scheduled to return next year. 

The Iraq War was one that never should have been fought. It was sold to the American people with elaborate lies from President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and their Administration. Over 4,000 young American men and women and countless Iraqi civilians died in a conflict that could have been and should have been avoided. President Bush's false claims that Iraq was involved with 9/11 and had weapons of mass destruction brought about one of America's darkest foreign adventures. 

The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) and nearly every other Christian body in the United States - with the notable exception of the Southern Baptists - argued against ever invading Iraq. At the time, NCC endorsed a statement made by the U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops that read in part:

"... war against Iraq could have unpredictable consequences not only for Iraq, but for peace and stability elsewhere in the Middle East. The use of force might provoke the very kind of attacks that it is intended to prevent, could impose terrible new burdens on an already long-suffering civilian population, and could lead to wider conflict and instability in the region. War against Iraq could also detract from the responsibility to help build a just and stable order in Afghanistan and could undermine broader efforts to stop terrorism.”

Our worst fears came true. We can be thankful that Barack Obama used his voice during that period to oppose the war and as president has now ended combat operations - and begun a process to bring all troops home. The future for Iraq, however, remains uncertain. Years of oppressive rule by Saddam Hussein have been followed by war that killed countless civilians and political unrest. The United States will have to retain a humanitarian responsibility to the people of Iraq for generations. 

Perhaps we can learn from this lesson that pre-emptive war should never be an option for this nation. As Christians, we must continue to speak out against war whenever possible but with the tragic recognition that sometimes there may be no other course in the most extreme circumstances. War in Iraq, however, was never a moral imperative. President Obama should be applauded for the steps he has taken. 

As we leave Iraq, it is also important that we re-examine our role in Afghanistan. The moral issues there are deeply complicated and a national conversation over our involvement is critical at this moment of history.

We have waited way too long for the war in Iraq to end.  It has been a long struggle.  I spoke about the war in Iraq and the Christian responsibility for addressing this conflict at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ in 2008:

Opponents of the president - who question not just his birthplace but also his faith - seem to be more overt today in their racism than during the 2008 campaign.

As I noted earlier this week, The American Spectator's loyal readers left a serious of racist remarks and other comments tinged with religious bigotry on on yet another article questioning the president's faith.  I've already published a few examples of those comments but here are some additional remarks concerning the president from The American Spectator's website left in the same ugly spirit:

• One thing I can say with 100% assurance; Obama is NOT a Christian. His actions speak loud; he is the anthesis of everything Christ taught. Obama is a disciple of Satan who is the "father of lies". Obama is wrapped up in black liberation theology, Marxism, Islam, deception, anti-Americanism, an advocate of murdering children through abortion, thuggery, criminality, immorality, corruption, and an extremely pathological liar.

• You do realize that if he is in fact Muslim it would be perfectly acceptable for him to lie about his faith and intentions by the doctrine of al-Taqiyya? Such has been used by Muslims since the seventh century to confuse, confound and divide their enemies.

• Everybody knows that all black people are perfect. Therefore, anyone who criticizes a black person about anything can only be a racist. What could be clearer?

• And when it comes to Our Lord and Savior Barack Hussein Obama - whose very existence is perfection itself - it is simply astonishing that some people don't see a god; they see an incompetent, ignorant, bigoted, angry, petulant, puerile, tyrannical piece of shit.

• Obama's genetics aside, his behavior invites a lot of questions and thus curiosity and scrutiny. His apologia to the Muslim ( and rest of the world ) his remarks about the GZ Mosque, his hostile policies towards Israel, and his background of connections with radical and even terrorist types make one feel suspicious. I don't know if Obama himself knows who he is. But on any given day he could grow beard like Karx Marx or perhaps wear full Imam regalia with Koran on his right and Das Kapital on the Left hand. The this is not a coincidental.

Like I said, there is just a lot of hate on the right.

Here's another example:  this time from an anti-gay blog that can now be fairly labeled as racist as well.

From the Gay Christian Movement Watch:

On Wednesday, an unusual gaggle of  “leaders across the ideological spectrum”  released an open letter type statement rebuking anyone who questions the so-called “faith” of the Saviour of the United States (SOTUS). The Democratic party aligned media agency hired by the “70 prominent religious leaders” contends that anyone who questions whether Barack Obama is a real Christian is misrepresenting his faith.  The letter wanted to make the point that [the president's] faith isn’t a political matter. I beg to differ.

What’s even more outrageous is the demand to prohibit the free speech rights of any American who may question Obama’s religious teleprompter faith.

“…we urge public officials, faith leaders, and the media to offer no further support or airtime to those who misrepresent and call into question the President’s Christian faith.”

Among the signatories: Bishop TD Jakes, Brian McLauren, Kirbyjon Caldwell and Rev. Chuck Currie...

People have a legitimate right to question any president’s public declarations of  the religious nature. Why is Obama exempt? Over and over he’s preached to the nation, lectured us on what the bible says ( from his progay-black liberation theology point of view), and couched his unpopular policies behind cherry picked scriptures.  He has, without question, done much more for the religion of death and violence (Islam) while sabotaging and deriding his own so called faith. And so, we are not supposed to question whether its right or wrong? We’re just supposed to shuffle our feet, give a big watermelon grin and pray for his continued success?

A "big watermelon grin..."  That's not even veiled racism. It's an obvious attempt to invoke a racist caricature of African-Americans.  Check out this doctored photo of the president available on the internet:

 

(Update:  It has been pointed out to me in an e-mail tonight that the author of the Gay Christian Movement is a man named DL Foster, an African-American who says that he experienced "deliverance from homosexual sin almost 20 years ago."  It is particularity tragic that a black man would seek to reinforce a caricature of African-Americans.  Furthermore, The American Psychological Association has noted you cannot turn gays into straights.  As Rev. Foster attacks gays and African-Americans, one can't help but be reminded of the recent news that Ken Mehlman, the chairman of George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign that played on anti-gay bigotry, came out this week as gay.  There were, of course, some African-Americans who opposed the civil rights movement.  We can only speculate on the motives of such people but I see no reason to do that here.  That fact remains that Rev. Foster pedals hateful rhetoric whatever his personal motivation might be.)          

Rhetoric like we're hearing today from those on the far right is meant to undermine the legitimacy of Barack Obama's presidency but also to divide Americans based on race and religion.  We've seen a lot of this and the Tea Party movement has been at the forefront of fostering such division.

Last summer, as the debate over health reform raged and town hall meetings deteriorated into near brawls, the National Council of Churches issued a statement urging civil discourse.  The statement speaks to today's national mood as well:

Individuals cannot express their best hopes and acknowledge their deepest fears within a climate of intimidation and character assassination, and all too often this climate is the product of racism and xenophobia.  Too much is at stake for the good of our society for us to continue down this dangerous path.  The essential nature of our national compact, to enfranchise the views of all, is imperiled in a hostile and suspicious environment. In this moment, then, we call the members of our churches, our political leaders, and all people of good will to somber reflection on the ways we might restore dignity and civility to our national discourse both as a matter of social ethics and to bolster the highest traditions of democratic process.

The prophet Isaiah (1:18) declares God’s message to the people to “Come let us reason together”. This injunction might serve us well in the present moment.  Reason, (yakah), in this passage does not refer to a dispassionate meeting of the minds but, rather calls for convincing, persuading and presenting a case for a point of view. Vigorous, principled debate advances our thinking and clarifies the challenges before us. Respect for neighbor strengthens the fabric of our communities.

Let us then, as a people, draw from our deepest traditions of faith and heritage to gain a renewed sense of community marked by honesty and mutual respect. Let our moments of rigorous debate be tempered with a profound sense of the dignity and worth of each person. Let us debate ideas on their merits and exercise restraint in expression of our own best conceptions. Such a disciplined dialogue holds great promise, honoring our differences and confirming our perception that we are a people joined in our mutual aspiration to live the lives for which we were created. 

Let us as member churches and brothers and sisters of other living faiths model the civility to which our sacred texts command.  Throughout its history, the conciliar ecumenical movement has provided a common venue for persons to express and debate differing viewpoints in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Let us make clear to ourselves and others those marks of civility that represent the best of our faiths and that can serve as foundational to rigorous, honest public discourse for the common good.

Obviously, we must speak out against racism and against those who would seek to use race or religion to divide the American people.  Such means to achieve political ends cannot be tolerated.

The test that we face in the face of such hatred and racism is how we respond.  Christians must always we concerned not just with justice but also for the need for reconciliation because justice is just a far off dream if we remain divided.   

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, 100,000 New Orleanians have yet to return

On the fifth anniversary of Katrina, survivors and advocates praise work of humanitarian agencies

Reprinted from Church World Service

NEW YORK and NEW ORLEANS -- Five years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, survivors and those working on their behalf say work is far from finished in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. But they are emphatic that what progress has been made is in great part due to the support, funding and labor of the U.S. faith community and of humanitarian agencies like Church World Service. 

"If it weren't for the volunteers and agencies who assisted me, I don't know where I would be," said Gloria Mouton, 62, a retired government employee, whose home in New Orleans East was among those repaired by volunteers from across the U.S. during the 2009 CWS Neighborhood New Orleans ecumenical project.

While saying that the city "is nowhere where it should be five years later," with many areas still dotted by empty or overgrown lots, Mouton praised the efforts that allowed her to return to her home after two years of living in Georgia with family as she waited to return to New Orleans. "This is home, where I want to be," she said, adding that the work of volunteers "came out real nice."
 
In restoring Mouton’s and other homes, CWS worked in partnership with the local New Orleans long-term recovery organization the Crescent Alliance Recovery Effort, and with volunteer teams coordinated by 10 of CWS U.S. member denominations providing the labor.  "I never realized there were that many people such big hearts," she said.

Another survivor, Christopher Weaver, 48, a self-employed cook, agreed, and praised the efforts that allowed him to return to his home in New Orleans East.

"There are people who showed me a new way of life," he said of the work of volunteers and CWS-supported agencies that repaired his residence. "It was powerful to see these things happening."

"The faith community was remarkable. Absolutely remarkable in every way they could be," said Ellenor Simmons, who helps oversee long-term recovery projects for the United Way of the Greater New Orleans Area.
 
From individual churches who opened their doors to shelter survivors to faith-based humanitarian agencies and regional long-term recovery organizations, the faith response saved lives, say those who have worked tirelessly in the five years since Katrina and Rita hit the region.

"Absolutely," said Jessica Vermilyea, the Louisiana-based state director for Lutheran Disaster Response and Lutheran Social Services Disaster Response. "It saved families. If it hadn't have been for that response, I don't know what would have happened."
 
Church World Service’s multi-tiered response has continued over the long haul. Initial emergency relief included shipments of CWS Blankets, Hygiene and School Kits; organizing for long-term recovery work; and focusing on spiritual and emotional care.
 
Thousands of people received CWS kits in the days following the disaster. Later, thanks to a collaborative effort between CWS and Habitat for Humanity International, nearly 700 families were able to return to their repaired or rebuilt homes – an accomplishment that won Church World Service and HFHI the Award for Excellence in Long-Term Recovery Partnership from the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
 
Since the 2005 disaster, Church World service has administered three major international grants, helped schools and youth programs in Louisiana and Mississippi recover, and helped establish and train dozens of long-term recovery groups in readiness for the next disaster. 
 
Not all the hurricane recovery work is done. There are still people in the region living in temporary housing. While there is still a sense of remarkable rebuilding overall, life is not what it was. "There is a 'new normal,'" Simmons said.
 
Still, enough are back in homes for Simmons' United Way colleague, Benita Corley, to praise the combined efforts of local, regional and national organizations.
 
"We could not have done it without y'all," she said. "Church World Service was a real blessing for us. The clients didn't know who gave us the money to do our work, but we do."
 
Bonnie Vollmering, CWS associate director for domestic response, returned the compliment. 
 
"Five years later, long-term recovery groups continue to assist people with unmet needs," she said. "If it was not for the collaboration of those local, regional and national long-term recovery organizations, many individuals would not be living in safe, sanitary and secure housing. It’s been our pleasure to work with local partners in helping people return to their homes.”
 
Other highlights of the CWS response:

• CWS partnered with Terrebone Readiness Assistance Coalition to help build five of the first-ever Louisiana Lift Houses, a sustainable housing solution for living on coastal land. Built for economy, ecology and to withstand hurricane-force winds, the Lift Houses handily survived the real-world test of Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
• The agency supported more than 30 new community recovery organizations to manage cases and coordinate volunteer and skilled labor for home rebuilding.
• CWS sponsored Interfaith Trauma Response Trainings workshops to assist clergy and other caregivers who responded to the disaster.

How to help

Contributions to support the life-saving work of Church World Service may be made online or by phone (800.297.1516), or may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515, Attention: Pakistan floods. 

NCC presents an NBC special on August 29;
'Coming home' five years after Katrina struck

Albert Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote in 2005 that: 

I believe that now is the time for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from the public schools. 

Why would he say such a thing? At the time the Southern Baptist Convention was debating a resolution that would have called for all Southern Baptists to remove their children from public schools (an idea my Southern Baptist grandmother who worked as a public school librarian would have rightly scoffed at) because, in Mohler's words:  

Every week, new reports of atrocities in the public schools appear. Radical sex education programs, offensive curricula and class materials, school-based health clinics, and ideologies hostile to Christian truth and parental authority abound... 

Fueled by a secularist agenda and influenced by an elite of radical educational bureaucrats and theorists, government schools now serve as engines for secularizing and radicalizing children. 

Yikes, that sounds scary.

S. Michael Craven (someone I'm not familiar with) wrote about this issue today on crosswalk.com in a post entitled "Christians and Public Education." He quoted Mohler, Martin Luther and others and came away with the same conclusion: public schools are evil and Satan lurks in the classroom...or something like that.

The good news is that most Christians don't agree and support our nation's public schools.

Back in 1999 - a few years before the Southern Baptists debated this issue - the National Council of Churches issued a statement that read in part:

While we acknowledge and affirm the contribution of private schools to the welfare of children and the nation, public schools are the primary route for most children—especially the children of poverty—into full participation in our economic, political, and community life. As a consequence, all of us, Christians and non-Christians alike, have a moral responsibility to support, strengthen and reform the public schools. They have been and continue to be both an avenue of opportunity and a major cohesive force in our society—a society becoming daily more diverse racially, culturally, and religiously. 

We welcome the fact that many public schools now teach about our nation's diversity and the role of religion in human life and history, and applaud the schools' efforts to promote those virtues necessary for good citizenship in a pluralistic democracy. These reforms help to accommodate the constitutional rights of all students and their parents. Just as we encourage schools to ensure that all religions are treated with fairness and respect, so we urge parents and others to refrain from the temptation to use public schools to advance the cause of any one religion or ethnic tradition, whether through curriculum or through efforts to attach religious personnel to the public schools. We repeat our conviction that parents have the right to select home schooling or private or parochial schools for their children. But with that personal right comes the public obligation to support public schools for all children.

Just this year the National Council of Churches re-affirmed that 1999 statement in a message to President Obama and Congress:

The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is a community of 36 Christian communions with a combined membership of 45 million persons in more than 100,000congregations across this country. Our member churches – from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches – do not agree on all things! We stand united, however, in our conviction that the church is called to speak for justice in public education. We affirm that each life is infinitely precious, created in the image of God, and therefore, that every child should be given opportunity for fullness of life, including a quality and affordable education. 

We further affirm that our society’s provision of public education—publicly funded, universally available, and accountable to the public—while imperfect, is essential for ensuring that all children are served. As a people called to love our neighbors as ourselves, we look for the optimal way to balance the needs of each particular child and family with the need to create a system that secures the rights and addresses the needs of all children. We know that such a system will never be perfect, and we pledge as faithful citizens to continue to improve the schools in our communities and to make our system of schools more responsive.

Why such vast differences in approaches to public education? 

Craven wrote today: 

Martin Luther wrote almost 500 years ago, "I am much afraid that schools will prove to be great gates of Hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt." Clearly the Scriptures do not reign paramount in today's public educational system and, true to Luther's prediction, the institution has indeed suffered corruption from its earlier intentions. 

But the United Church of Christ (a denomination of over 1 million people that dates backs to the Pilgrims) states on ucc.org: 

As we think about whether American society embodies Jesus' teaching that we should love our neighbors as ourselves, we need to be concerned about public schools, the primary institution where we have agreed to nurture and shape God's precious children. Public schools are our largest public institution, serving nearly fifty million children. 

In the national conversation about public education, our role in the church is special. We are concerned about our schools as an ethical and public policy matter. How do they embody attitudes about race and poverty, power and privilege, and cultural dominance and marginalization, and how do disparities in public investment reflect these attitudes? 

The United Church of Christ has spoken prophetically to name poverty and racism as among the primary causes of injustice in our nation's schools. General Synod 15 warned: "While children from many areas have comfortable schools with all the educational trimmings, poor and ethnic minority children often face overcrowded and deteriorated facilities, and a lack of enrichment programs or modern technology." General Synod 18 cautioned: "Because the poor and their children are disproportionately people of color, the educational inequities in our public schools reinforce the racial/ethnic injustices of our society." General Synod 23 proclaimed public school support - and advocacy for the same - as one of the "foremost civil rights issues in the twenty-first century." General Synod 25 called all settings of the UCC to do justice and promote the common good by strengthening support for public institutions and providing "opportunity for every child in well-funded, high quality public schools." 

As I've said before, how we read the Bible matters.  Craven blames the Enlightenment for the problems he sees within society and the public schools.  It was, however, the Enlightenment that brought us the pluralistic society and democratic Republic that we so treasure today.  We must defend our public institutions and our freedoms from those who would supplant their own values for the freedom of people to make their own decisions in accordance with their own faith tradition (or whatever moral guide one might use).  The danger of such radical freedom, of course, is that people might not think the way we want them to think.   

If, however, Mohler was right when he wrote in 2005 that:

Fueled by a secularist agenda and influenced by an elite of radical educational bureaucrats and theorists, government schools now serve as engines for secularizing and radicalizing children.

how do you explain this polling data on abortion from last year made available from Pew?

Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on the question, and there have been modest increases in the numbers who favor reducing abortions or making them harder to obtain. Less support for abortion is evident among most demographic and political groups...

The majority of people 18-49 believe abortion should be illegal (at least in some circumstances), according to Pew's 2009 data.  

Apparently the "elite of radical educational bureaucrats and theorists" are failing in their mission of "secularizing and radicalizing children."

Either that or Mohler was just dead wrong.  And on the issue of abortion, that radical freedom we enjoy serves his interests.  Ironic, isn't it?

Update:  Craven, who wrote of Mohler's 2005 statement "I would only expand on his foundation to reinforce the veracity of his claims," e-mailed me tonight to say that I had mischaracterized his views. Since he wrote of his complete agreement with Mohler I don't see how anything I posted mischaracterized anything. His e-mail is posted below the fold. I'm happy to provide him with the chance to respond:

The Brady Center notes this morning: 

This morning at least 11 people lost their lives in two incidents of mass gun violence, one at a Connecticut workplace, another at an Indianapolis party....These two mass shootings are examples of the continual tragedy of gun violence in our country.  Every day in the United States, 300 people are shot and 85 die from gun violence.  We must do better.

As I noted recently after the U.S. Supreme Court expanded gun rights, gun violence is an issue deeply concerning for U.S. churches:

The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) and other religious organizations have been outspoken advocates of ending gun violence in America.  Earlier this year NCC, a communion of "36 faith traditions encompassing 45 million Americans in 100,000 local congregations," adopted a statement on gun violence saying:  

When thinking about the problem of violence, Christian faith is both “idealistic” and “realistic.” On the one hand, there is a stream within the Christian tradition that counsels non-violence in all circumstances. A seminal text is the Sermon on the Mount,found in Matthew's gospel, where Jesus instructs his followers to bear violence rather than inflict it. 

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.... You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . (Matt. 5: 38-39, 43-44). 

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets. This stream of the Christian tradition insists that it is idolatry to trust in guns to make us secure, since that usually leads to mutual escalation while distracting us from the One whose love alone gives us security.

On the other hand, Christians also know, from both experience and scripture, that all humans are sinful, capable of acting with hostile aggression toward their neighbors. This "realistic" view of human nature also argues for restricting access to guns which, in the wrong hands or without adequate supervision, can make violence ever more deadly. Christians can certainly contend that it is necessary for public authorities to take up arms in order to protect citizens from violence; but to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel’s prohibition against violence.

NCC's statement called for these specific action steps:

No community, church or individual believer can address a problem as complex and intractable as gun violence on its own. Therefore, together, the member communions of National Council of Churches U.S.A. RESOLVE to: 

(1) call upon our local, state, and federal legislators to enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns, including closing the so-called federal “gun show loophole,” which allows for the purchase of firearms from private sellers without submitting to a background check, or providing documentation of the purchase. 

(2) participate with movements such as “Heeding God’s Call” (http://www.heedinggodscall.org/) to insist that commercial sellers adopt and adhere to responsible sales practices. 

(3) prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun violence advocacy organizations.

Meanwhile, as the Brady Campaign notes, our fellow Americans continue to die:

EVERY DAY (on average) 

• Every day, 300 people in America, 67 of them children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, accidents, and police intervention. 
• Every day, 85 people die from gun violence, 35 of them murdered. 
• Every day, 9 children and teens die from gun violence. 
• Every day, 215 people are shot, but survive their gun injuries. 
• Every day, 57 children and teens are shot, but survive their gun injuries.

Let our prayers today be with those who have died and the family and friends left behind. Let us also pray that those that manufacture these weapons and their advocates - such as the NRA - repent of their sins and embrace God instead of guns.

From Church World Service: 

NEW YORK CITY, July 28, 2010--Church World Service welcomed U.S. District Court Judge Susan Bolton's temporary injunction against the implementation of parts of Arizona's controversial new immigration law SB 1070, scheduled to take effect Thursday (July 29), and reiterated its call for a federal fix of America's broken immigration system. 

 "While temporary and partial, Judge Bolton's injunction feels like a small victory," said Joe Roberson, CWS Associate for Operations. "Most importantly, it's an opportunity to re-emphasize that only fair, humane, comprehensive federal immigration reform will fix America's broken immigration system. For its part, CWS will continue to press the U.S. Congress for immigration reform that prioritizes family unity, protects the rights of all workers, reforms inhumane detention and deportation processes, makes the visa system efficient, and provides a pathway to earned legal status for undocumented immigrants now in the country."

Founded in 1946, Church World Service is a cooperative ministry of 36 Christian denominations and communions.

Additional information on immigration reform and the church can be found on the website of the National Council if Churches.  Interfaith resources can be found here.

George W. Bush inherited a strong economy and historic budget surpluses.  He left office with historic deficits and the biggest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.  It was a failure of leadership of epic proportions that continues to haunt us today.    

President Obama has made some progress in fixing the problems he inherited but more needs to be done - starting with allowing the tax cuts President Bush passed to expire.  The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports:

Allowing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts for couples making over $250,000 (and singles over $200,000) to expire on schedule on December 31 represents the best course of action for the budget and the economy. Extending those tax cuts for one or two years, as some have proposed, would be highly ill-advised. It would make it much more likely that Congress would ultimately act to extend the tax cuts indefinitely, increasing deficits and the debt for as far as the eye can see — and thereby adding to the long-term risks that deficits and debt pose to the economy. 

Exempting small business income from the scheduled increase in the top tax rates, as some may also propose, would do little for the economy in the short term; only the top 3 percent of people with any business income would benefit.[1] Over the long term, such an exemption would likely harm the economy and the budget by encouraging tax avoidance and reducing revenues.

Will Congressional democrats and the White House push for these tax cuts to expire as planned? They better.

Some critics continue to assert that President George W. Bush’s policies bear little responsibility for the deficits the nation faces over the coming decade — that, instead, the new policies of President Barack Obama and the 111th Congress are to blame. Most recently, a Heritage Foundation paper downplayed the role of Bush-era policies (for more on that paper, see p. 4). Nevertheless, the fact remains: Together with the economic downturn, the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq explain virtually the entire deficit over the next ten years (see Figure 1). 

The deficit for fiscal year 2009 was $1.4 trillion and, at nearly 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was the largest deficit relative to the size of the economy since the end of World War II. If current policies are continued without changes, deficits will likely approach those figures in 2010 and remain near $1 trillion a year for the next decade. 

The events and policies that have pushed deficits to these high levels in the near term, however, were largely outside the new Administration’s control. If not for the tax cuts enacted during the presidency of George W. Bush that Congress did not pay for, the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were initiated during that period, and the effects of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression (including the cost of steps necessary to combat it), we would not be facing these huge deficits in the near term. 

While President Obama inherited a dismal fiscal legacy, that does not diminish his responsibility to propose policies to address our fiscal imbalance and put the weight of his office behind them. Although policymakers should not tighten fiscal policy in the near term while the economy remains fragile, they and the nation at large must come to grips with the nation’s long-term deficit problem. But we should not mistake the causes of our predicament.

Click here to read more from CBPP.

Religious leaders from across the United States have spoken out on this issue.  The National Council of Churches and others have called for the tax cuts to expire.

From Bread for the World's website you can read "Faith Reflections on Anti-Poverty Tax Policy:

Give generously and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 

Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

All of our sacred writings affirm that God consistently expresses concern for the well-being of all people, especially the poor and vulnerable. We believe that God has created a world of sufficiency for all, providing us daily and abundantly with all the necessities of life. All people deserve the opportunity to live lives of dignity and abundance. However, today there are pressing economic challenges facing many throughout this nation, especially those living in poverty, that require our collective attention, effort, and imagination. We raise our voices with and on behalf of those in need to advocate for an economy that serves everyone.

As people of faith, we often talk about the federal budget being a moral document because where we choose to commit our resources demonstrates our values. Our nation’s tax policy functions in much the same way. Paying taxes to enable government to provide for the needs of the common good is an appropriate expression of our stewardship in society. Every year, billions of dollars are generated in tax revenue that are then reinvested in ways that serve the public interest, like providing for our security and building our roads, bridges, and schools.

The tax system also creates financial incentives for individuals to act in ways that are thought to strengthen our social fabric, such as investing and saving for retirement, starting a business, owning a home, getting a college education--even charitable giving. Because of the way tax benefits are structured, however, too often low-wage workers do not earn enough to access those benefits. This results in a system that perpetuates inequality by rewarding behavior that generates financial security for those who already have it, while excluding those who are working hard at low-wage jobs and need help the most. An equitable, moral tax code should reward the efforts of low-income people to work and save at every level.

The undersigned organizations support the following principles to guide the development of tax legislation that will enable families and individuals to provide for their immediate needs, as well as create incentives for saving so that they can build the assets they need to weather future economic shifts, build their human capital and ultimately move out of poverty as well as put our economy on a sustainable, inclusive path.

Principles

It should be an objective of national tax policy to:

• Provide adequate income assistance and related services to working families and individuals
• Strengthen and expand programs that support low-income working parents with children
• Provide incentives to pursue and maintain employment and increase earnings
• Strengthen and expand programs that support workers’ efforts to develop their human capital, invest in their financial security, and achieve self-sufficiency
• Be made as simple as practicable so that taxpayers, tax administrators, and legislators can all understand the rules and confidently apply them or comply with them
• Raise adequate revenues to meet societal needs while supporting economic growth and job creation

Signatories

Bread for the World
Catholic Charities USA
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Islamic Relief USA
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
National Council of Churches of Christ, USA
National Council of Jewish Women
National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Washington Office
Sojourners
Union for Reform Judaism
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society

This post has been updated with additional information and photos from Tea Party rallies that expose the "beautiful movement" that Sarah Palin backs for what it really is.

Sarah Palin is out there defending the Tea Party movement against charges from the NAACP that elements of the movement are racist:

"The Tea Party movement is a beautiful movement, full of diverse people, diverse backgrounds," Palin said on Fox News' "Hannity." "It's very unfortunate that they are taking this tactic because it's a false accusation that Tea Party Americans are racist. Any good American hates racism. We don't stand for it. It is unacceptable." 

Palin in turn called on President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to "repudiate" the resolution and "set the record straight."

Diverse?  CNN reported in February that polling of Tea Party supporters showed "Tea Party activists tend to be male, rural, upscale, overwhelmingly conservative."

As ABC News reports, NAACP president Ben Jealous offers a much more honest picture of the Tea Party movement that Palin calls "beautiful": 

 

"For more than a year we've watched as Tea Party members have called congressmen the N-word, have called congressmen the F-word. We see them carry racist signs and whenever it happens, the membership tries to shirk responsibility," NAACP President Ben Jealous said in an interview with ABC News. "If the Tea Party wants to be respected and wants to be part of the mainstream in this country, they have to take responsibility." 

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People this evening unanimously passed a resolution that calls on Tea Party members to repudiate what Jealous says are "ultra-nationalist and racist factions within the organization." 

The resolution said the Tea Party members have used "racial epithets," have verbally abused black members of Congress and threatened them, and protestors have engaged in "explicitly racist behavior" and "displayed signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically."

The NAACP did exactly the right thing in issuing their statement because the Tea Party movement has a history of overt racism.  Tea Party supporters have carried racist signs at rallies directed at President Obama and spit on members of the Congressional Black Caucus - while yelling "nigger!" - after the health care reform vote.  So yes, there is an element of racism in the Tea Party movement that needs to be called out.     

There is also a concerted effort by the Tea Party movement (and here they're taking lessons directly from Palin herself) to incite hate against the president - and this is the kind of hate that could led directly to violence against President Obama or others who support his political agenda.

Exhibit A comes from Iowa just today:

Full story here.  

Governor Palin, as I suggested yesterday about the Tea Party movement in general, should heed the advice of the National Council of Churches, which said last year:

The essential nature of our national compact, to enfranchise the views of all, is imperiled in a hostile and suspicious environment. In this moment, then, we call the members of our churches, our political leaders, and all people of good will to somber reflection on the ways we might restore dignity and civility to our national discourse both as a matter of social ethics and to bolster the highest traditions of democratic process. 

Update from 7/16 from Media Matters For America:

After the NAACP signaled its intention to pass a resolution condemning the "racist elements" within the tea party, conservatives went ballistic, claiming that the many,many, many, many, many examples of tea party racism and bigotry simply don't exist. And nothing will convince them otherwise -- not the many photographs of racist placards at tea party rallies (if Sean Hannity couldn't find them, they must not exist!), nor the word of civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (he's a liar!).

Bigoted, racial attacks from conservatives against Obama aren't anything new. Hell, not even a week after he announced his intention to run for the presidency, they were excitedly spreading false rumors that he spent his childhood in a madrassa. But this past month has been something different. Gone are the code words, the winks and nods, and the dog whistles -- the conservative media are openly and aggressively trying to turn Obama's race into something threatening. You can chalk it up to the heat, the summer doldrums, or whatever. The fact is that they're going down roads from which there is no coming back, and it's only going to get worse as the summer rolls on.

Israel has a right to exist free from terrorism or fear of annihilation. Unfortunately, many of their neighbors and nation-states such as Iran have openly worked for their destruction. The Jewish people of Israel have every right to fear another Holocaust. 

Our nation has a special relationship with Israel. We are their protector and benefactor. President Truman acted to make the United States the first nation to recognize Israel. He was right to do so. 

But our support for Israel cannot blind us to their treatment of the Palestinian people. Nor can we ignore their continued violation of human rights any more than we can ignore the violation of human rights committed by the United States in recent years. 

Israeli supporters and their American allies need to stop calling those that oppose their military policies anti-Semitic. Such rhetoric is meant to silence critics and inflame tensions. It is the equivalent of saying those who question American policies are unpatriotic. 

The most recent incident under question has been the violent taking of a ship with humanitarian supplies to Gaza, a place left desolate by Israel's blockade and the corruption and incompetence of their own government. 

In the wake of this incident, JStreet, the well respected American-based Jewish organization, suggested the following actions needed to be taken:

The words of Israel’s national anthem speak of hope — a hope that one day the Jewish people would have a national home of our own. However far-off such a dream may have felt in 1878, when the original words of “HaTikvah” were composed, that hope was realized 70 years later. What had been only a poet’s dream became a reality.

Recent events off the coast of Gaza confirm for many the impossibility of speaking of peace, relegating it to nothing more than a poet’s dream. We feel deeply the sense of pain and anguish over the violence and insecurity wrought on Israel by Hamas through rockets and terror, as well as the ongoing suffering of Gilad Shalit and his family.

But we, American rabbis and cantors, assert that we have not lost hope. We are steadfast in remaining true to the vision of Israel’s founders in creating a democratic, Jewish state — a nation that upholds the highest human and Jewish values.

The international controversy surrounding the attack on the Gaza flotilla, the tragic loss of life, and the growing isolation of Israel concern us deeply. They reinforce our conviction that immediate efforts to finally resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are urgently needed to ensure Israel’s long-term security and to create a viable, just, and lasting two-state solution.

It is our hope that the rhetoric and actions that feed fear and violence, emanating from both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, will soon give way to bold leadership that makes way for the compromises necessary to bring the violence, despair, and terror to an end.

It is our hope that Israel will bring to an end what has become a counter-productive blockade of Gaza’s citizens, a policy which has only strengthened Hamas, while causing great suffering to many innocent Palestinians. The blockade as currently operated also undermines Israel’s long-term security and interests by increasing international hostility and isolation. We believe it is possible for Israel to ensure that weapons and materials intended for purposes of terror do not enter Gaza by screening humanitarian goods and materials appropriately to ensure they are intended for peaceful purposes.

It is our hope that the American Jewish community will become a positive force for peace, adding our voices to those in Israel calling for compromise and reconciliation.

It is our hope that the Obama administration will take this recent crisis as an opportunity to do all in its power to achieve a viable and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Hope is not lost, and we refuse to give up hope in the possibility of two states, Jewish and Palestinian, living as neighbors, in peace and security. Od lo avda tikvateinu.

On June 3, 2010 the National Council of Churches USA also released a statement concerning recent events:

New York, June 3, 2010 -- The National Council of Churches and other faith groups have expressed alarm and concern over the Israeli action May 31 against an international flotilla on the high seas that led to the deaths of nine persons and the wounding of many others. 

"The National Council of Churches has strongly supported Israel's right to exist with peace and security, but this attack on an aid convoy contributes to neither," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, NCC General Secretary. "In fact, it undermines Israel's standing in the community of nations." 

Kinnamon supported a statement released Wednesday by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) that said "the incident highlights the need for the United States to work for new, constructive Israeli policies toward Gaza that end the blockade and provide for the humanitarian need of those living there without diminishing Israel’s own security." 

Kinnamon is a member of the board of CMEP, which is a coalition of 23 public policy offices of national churches and agencies -- Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant. CMEP began its work in 1984 out of the conviction that the policy perspectives and long Middle East experience of our member bodies should be more widely known in the public policy arena. It maintains an on-going dialogue with Congress, the Administration and the diplomatic community, to advance such concerns, assessments, and advocacy positions. 

Less than three months ago, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and the heads of many of CMEP’s sponsoring organizations wrote to President Obama urging him to use America’s unique relationship with Israel to persuade it to open its borders with Gaza now. CMEP said then, “We believe this policy is strategically unsound, harms Israel’s security, and exacts an unacceptable toll on innocent Palestinians.” 

The letter also said, “The perception of U.S. support for or acquiescence in the closure challenges our reputation for upholding humanitarian values. It deprives 1.4 million Palestinians of a decent, minimum standard of welfare. It restricts the use of the $300 million the United States has committed to rebuild Gaza, is a serious obstacle to restoring hope and making peace, and undermines long term Israeli security.” Over 6,000 endorsements of this letter from CMEP supporters have been received and sent by CMEP to the White House. 

The current Israeli restrictions on trade and movement of persons in and out of Gaza have been in place since Hamas took over Gaza by force in 2007. They have limited trade in food and medicines and led to worsening unemployment and poverty among Gaza's population of 1.4 million. Restrictions on imports of building materials have limited reconstruction of housing and utilities destroyed during the war. Travel restrictions have limited opportunities for education. 

The restrictions were aimed in part at ending rocket attacks from Gaza and securing the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit. They also had the political goal of undermining Hamas' control in Gaza. "

The blockade has not had the desired results," CMEP said. " Hamas remains in power. Rocket attacks have not completely stopped. Smuggling of goods through tunnels under Gaza's border with Egypt has become an economy of its own. Paradoxically this underground trade is controlled and taxed by Hamas. President Obama has said that "the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel's security interests." 

The Gaza flotilla incident also underlines the necessity of pressing without delay for a comprehensive agreement for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, beginning with the indirect talks now being brokered by the United States, CMEP said. 

 "This crisis and its tragic consequences must not be allowed to undermine peace efforts. The United States should seize this opportunity to push hard now for an end to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority has already said it plans to continue the proximity talks with Israel brokered by the United States. The United States should help Israel find better ways to enhance its security through negotiation and a comprehensive agreement for peace."

Dr. Kinnamon is a long-time friend of Israel who studied there and has been an outspoken supporter of Israel's security.  In fact, he spoke in recent years at a controversial "Stand With Israel" rally that was condemned by many peace activists, Jewish and Christian, who felt the rallies (sponsored in part by Religious Right organizations) inflamed tensions.  As one of his students at Eden Theological Seminary, I questioned his participation in that event but have never once questioned his commitment to peace and justice.  I mention this episode because no one should question NCC's commitment to Israel under his leadership.   

In response to the international outcry concerning the blockade of Gaza there is been some good news this week:

"The Israeli Cabinet decision to ease the blockade of Gaza is a step toward ending a policy that amounts to unlawful collective punishment of Gaza's civilians, but fails to address severe Israeli restrictions on exports and freedom of movement," says Human Rights Watch. "Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision would allow the "expansion of economic activity," the Cabinet decision did not address Israel's policy of restricting exports from Gaza, which has crippled Gaza's economy and led to high rates of unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity. During the past three years, Israel has permitted the export of only a few truckloads of strawberries and cut flowers. Under international humanitarian law governing military occupation, Israel has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of Gaza's civilian population."

Jews, Muslims and Christians must all witness for peace during a time of increased extremism from people representing all our faith traditions.  

Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled - as expected with the court's current conservative make-up - unconstitutional (or at least unenforceable) Chicago's ban on hand guns.  

The Brady Campaign released the following statement in response:  

“We can expect two things as a result of today's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in McDonald v. Chicago: the gun lobby and gun criminals will use it to try to strike down gun laws, and those legal challenges will continue to fail. 

“We are pleased that the Court reaffirmed its language in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment individual right to possess guns in the home for self-defense does not prevent our elected representatives from enacting common-sense gun laws to protect our communities from gun violence. We are reassured that the Court has rejected, once again, the gun lobby argument that its ‘any gun, for anybody, anywhere’ agenda is protected by the Constitution. The Court again recognized that the Second Amendment allows for reasonable restrictions on firearms, including who can have them and under what conditions, where they can be taken, and what types of firearms are available. 

“Chicago can amend its gun laws to comply with this ruling while continuing to have strong, comprehensive and Constitutional gun laws, just as Washington D.C. has done. After the Heller decision, at least 240 legal challenges have been brought to existing gun laws, nearly all of which have been summarily dismissed. There is nothing in today’s decision that should prevent any state or local government from successfully defending, maintaining, or passing, sensible, strong gun laws.”

Mayors in recent years - with the support of law enforcement - have taken the led in fighting for gun control.  Chicago's Richard Daley was not happy about the court's decision:

Mayor Daley responded to the long-anticipated ruling at a City Hall news conference flanked by the parents of young people struck down by gun violence. 

 “I’m disappointed by this decision, but it’s not surprising,” the mayor said. 

Although the Chicago ban remains in effect until a federal appeals court invalidates it, Daley said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling essentially “means that Chicago’s current handgun ban is unenforceable.” 

The City Council’s Police Committee recessed until 1 p.m. Tuesday to consider a replacement ordinance, provided it’s ready by then. 

Daley has said Chicago gun owners could be required to take a training course, register their firearms, allow police to perform ballistics tests and even purchase liability insurance.

The National Council of Churches USA (NCC) and other religious organizations have also been outspoken advocates of ending gun violence in America.  Earlier this year NCC, a communion of "36 faith traditions encompassing 45 million Americans in 100,000 local congregations," adopted a statement on gun violence saying:  

When thinking about the problem of violence, Christian faith is both “idealistic” and “realistic.” On the one hand, there is a stream within the Christian tradition that counsels non-violence in all circumstances. A seminal text is the Sermon on the Mount,found in Matthew's gospel, where Jesus instructs his followers to bear violence rather than inflict it. 

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.... You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you . . . (Matt. 5: 38-39, 43-44). 

It is difficult to imagine that the One whose own Passion models the redemptive power of non-violence would look favorably on the violence of contemporary U.S. society. Present-day violence is made far worse than it otherwise would be by the prevalence of weapons on our streets. This stream of the Christian tradition insists that it is idolatry to trust in guns to make us secure, since that usually leads to mutual escalation while distracting us from the One whose love alone gives us security.

On the other hand, Christians also know, from both experience and scripture, that all humans are sinful, capable of acting with hostile aggression toward their neighbors. This "realistic" view of human nature also argues for restricting access to guns which, in the wrong hands or without adequate supervision, can make violence ever more deadly. Christians can certainly contend that it is necessary for public authorities to take up arms in order to protect citizens from violence; but to allow assault weapons in the hands of the general public can scarcely be justified on Christian grounds. The stark reality is that such weapons end up taking more lives than they defend, and the reckless sale or use of these weapons refutes the gospel’s prohibition against violence.

NCC's statement called for these specific action steps:

No community, church or individual believer can address a problem as complex and intractable as gun violence on its own. Therefore, together, the member communions of National Council of Churches U.S.A. RESOLVE to: 

(1) call upon our local, state, and federal legislators to enact reforms that limit access to assault weapons and handguns, including closing the so-called federal “gun show loophole,” which allows for the purchase of firearms from private sellers without submitting to a background check, or providing documentation of the purchase. 

(2) participate with movements such as “Heeding God’s Call” (http://www.heedinggodscall.org/) to insist that commercial sellers adopt and adhere to responsible sales practices. 

(3) prayerfully, financially, and otherwise support the NCC staff in coordinating ecumenical efforts for gun violence reduction, including preparing educational materials about the magnitude of gun violence, developing avenues for dialogue among gun owners and gun control advocates within our congregations, and offering a faithful witness in cooperating with inter-faith and nonreligious anti-gun violence advocacy organizations.

Meanwhile, as the Brady Campaign notes, our fellow Americans continue to die:

EVERY DAY (on average) 

• Every day, 300 people in America, 67 of them children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, accidents, and police intervention. 
• Every day, 85 people die from gun violence, 35 of them murdered. 
• Every day, 9 children and teens die from gun violence. 
• Every day, 215 people are shot, but survive their gun injuries. 
• Every day, 57 children and teens are shot, but survive their gun injuries.

Poverty is one of the most important issues lifted up in Scripture.  We are called by God not only to help those in need through individual acts of charity but all through societal change.  Click here Click here to visit the Poverty Initiative of the National Council of Churches.     

The goal of the Poverty Initiative is to empower and mobilize the faith community to lend its powerful moral and public voice to the ongoing and urgent debate around poverty. 

Churches have been powerful voices for generations on a range of defining social justice issues, most importantly the need to address poverty. Central to any Christian message is the call to care for the "least of these"--to love and care for our neighbors. With more people both in the United States and globally living on the economic margins, people of faith are drawing more deeply upon that rich tradition of social justice engagement to speak out on the need to address the range of poverty issues, and create community practices and national policies that lift people from a life of poverty.

The voice of the church is needed on this important moral issue.

NOTE: Please be advised that viewers should be cautioned that the video contains graphic and disturbing imagery.

This video, "Accounting for Torture, featuring the voices of religious leaders who support the message of the Physicians for Human Rights report, Experiments in Torture: Human Subject Research and Evidence in the 'Enhanced' Interrogation Program," has been produced by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. 

 

On June 7, 2010, Physicians for Human Rights unveiled a report detailing the alleged involvement of U.S. military and intelligence health professionals in experiments utilizing “enhanced interrogation techniques” on detainees captured after 9/11. Such experimentation on human subjects would be a violation of the legal and ethical protections afforded by the Nuremberg Code, the Geneva Conventions, federal regulations governing human subject research and the federal War Crimes Act. The report also presents evidence indicating that the results of the experiments were used by attorneys in the Department of Justice to craft a legal framework designed to shield interrogators from prosecution for torture and to refine the illegal torture practices used by the U.S. government.

TAKE ACTION - WRITE TO CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT

An impartial, nonpartisan, and independent Commission of Inquiry is needed to seek the full truth about U.S. torture policies and practices since 9/11. Send an email today.

We continue as a nation to watch in horror as the Gulf Coast region is devastated by the oil rig explosion and on-going leak. The costs will be monumental. Some are comparing the scope of the disaster to Hurricane Katrina (and while those comparisons are meant largely to embarrass President Obama politically by comparing his response to this crisis with President Bush’s inept response to the hurricane as people were dying) the reality is that the ecological impact may very well rank as one of the worst human caused disasters in American history. 

At the heart of this story, in theological terms, is human sin. Consider this story from CNN which chronicles the federal Minerals Management Service, the agency charged with oversight of off-shore drilling:

(CNN) -- The Minerals Management Service, a division within the Interior Department, was a troubled agency long before the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the recent revelations of employee misconduct. 

The agency -- which oversees U.S. offshore drilling, including the Gulf of Mexico -- has come under fire for mismanagement, questionable conduct and cozy relationships with industry officials. 

The MMS issued permits for the Deepwater Horizon drill rig -- contracted by BP -- which exploded on April 20. The explosion killed 11 people and resulted in an oil spill that is threatening parts of the Gulf. 

Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar, during an appearance Wednesday before the House Committee on Natural Resources, said he was trying to change the agency's culture and its structure, which some critics say leads to mismanagement. 

"My belief is that most of the employees of the MMS are good public servants," Salazar said. He, however, acknowledged some of the past conduct was "scandalous" and "reprehensible."

Salazar said some people have been fired and others referred for prosecution.

When talking about sin we most often refer to personal sin. The Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament, however, talk about societal sins as well as personal ones. We are called, as an example, to be stewards over all creation in Genesis 1:26-27 (NRSV). 

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind* in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,* and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ 27So God created humankind* in his image, in the image of God he created them;* male and female he created them. 

Some have argued (incorrectly) that dominion gives us control over creation to do as we please – for the benefit of humankind above all else. “We have interpreted the ‘dominion’ granted to humankind as giving us raw power to exploit and abuse the rest of creation, rather than as requiring mature responsibility of us to show respect and loving care for creation,” writes The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. in his new book Whose Gospel? “Like rebellious adolescents, we have been inclined to see the gifts of God as ours to use as we choose.” 

The sin in this crisis was not the explosion that caused the massive spill – that was an accident – but rather the arrogance we have shown in drilling for oil in sensitive areas using a system of oversight ripe with corruption all for the gain of humanity without concern for the plant. 

“Drill, baby, drill” has been the mantra. Such thinking has led us to this moment: where the interconnectedness of humanity and all creation is once again in jeopardy immediately in a large region of this planet while we still struggle with the reality of global climate change. 

Our actions (or inactions) place us into a place of conflict with God. In other words, we as a people are in a perpetual state of sin. The consequences will be grave this time. The immediate concern in stopping this seemingly never ending underwater volcano of oil is legitimately our top priority. 

The only way to reconcile with God, though, will be to stop this madness and act like the true stewards we are called to be. God is calling us to stop acting like adolescents and act like grow-ups should: with responsibility, with justice in our hearts, and a mature understanding of the difference between right and wrong.

Prayers for the Gulf from The National Council of Churches

PRAYER OF CONFESSION 

Creator God, author of life, source of all meaning, you made a universe of infinite complexity and beauty and entrusted us humans with the care of a tiny jewel called Earth. With the passing of time we came to believe we were owners, not fellow creature dwellers, of this bountiful planet and its extravagant web of life. We have used God’s creation without regard for the impact our rapacity had on the other creatures with whom we share our earthly home. We have acted with craven disregard for complex ecosystems we barely understand. Our self-deception has led us to assume we have the capacity to manage environments we exploit to sustain lifestyles that defy the intrinsic interdependence of all life. Now we face the consequences of our idolatry. We thought we were gods; but our recklessness has brought us to our knees, to ask for your mercy and forgiveness for the chaos we have brought about. We pray for the oceans and all the creatures that dwell in it. We pray for the forests and the abundance of life they nurture. We pray for the very air we breathe, now laden with the toxic gases we produce. We pray for our children whose earthly home we have so imperiled. Loving God, have mercy on us, grant us forgiveness and the strength to make amends. 

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS 

There are no sins so great that the mercy of God cannot forgive. Go with God’s grace to make amends. Embrace lifestyles that will help restore balance and harmony to our Earthly home. Care for those whose environments have been destroyed by our actions and inactions. Amen.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches (NCC), was in Portland today for meetings with Oregon ecumenical leaders and a "town-hall" style forum at First United Methodist Church.  Dr. Kinnamon's visit was arranged by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO).

NCC is made up of "Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation."  The United Church of Christ is a member.

Dr. Kinnamon spoke at the town hall meeting about the need for Christian unity and reconciliation during a time of great division not only within churches but in the society-at-large.  He lifted up the growing partnerships between mainline, evangelical, orthodox and Roman Catholic churches on issues such as poverty, the environment, and war and peace as examples of successful ecumenical endeavors.  Dr. Kinnamon also spoke of the need for increased interfaith dialog in our nation during a time of growing religious pluralism.  But he also acknowledged the difficulties in these tasks when churches are often torn about over social issues.

Well over 100 people attended the town hall discussion from a variety of Christian traditions. 

Earlier in the day Dr. Kinnamon met with the heads of communions in Oregon that make up the leadership of EMO.

The Oregonian published a Q & A with Dr. Kinnamon in today's paper that you can read here.

Dr. Kinnamon served as the Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission, Peace and Ecumenical Studies at Eden Theological Seminary before being named the general secretary of NCC.  At Eden I had the good fortune to take classes with Dr. Kinnamon, travel to India with him as part of a study seminar, and to serve as his teaching assistant during my final semester.

Liz and I, along with the the twins, enjoyed a chance to see Michael and to have dinner with him after his meetings had ended.     

Message from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon:

Please join us for a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, on "Ecumenical Happenings, Interfaith Relations & the Future of the Church." 

Monday, January 11, 2010, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. 

The event will be hosted by First United Methodist Church, in the Chapel, 1838 SW Jefferson St., Portland. The church is on the MAX Line and has a parking lot. 

All are invited to attend.

Dr. Kinnamon, by the way, was one of my professors at Eden Theological Seminary and I worked as his teaching assistant my final semester.

Health care reform is needed now.

Statement from Religious Leaders On Health Care Reform

A MATTER OF HEALTH...A MATTER OF WHOLENESS

Today health care reform has become an urgent priority, with many Americans fearful about the health care they now hold and more than 45 million lacking coverage altogether. Rising unemployment, underemployment and a decline in employment benefits have deprived many more of health care. The health of our neighbors and the wholeness of the nation now require that all segments of our society join in finding a solution to this national challenge.

"...Learn to do good, seek justice; rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." Isaiah 1:17

"...Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Matthew 22:39

"...Ye who believe! Stand up firmly for Allah, witness to justice...be just, that is next to piety." Qur'an 5:8

Our diverse communities of faith -Jewish, Christian and Muslim- are each shaped and guided by our respective sacred texts which compel us to speak out on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society. Today that means making comprehensive and compassionate health care reform an urgent priority so that all of our neighbors, especially the people living in poverty, children, and the aged, can be assured of the fullness of life that is central to the holy vision of a beloved and peaceable community.

No longer can we afford to squander the hopes and dreams of the American people through a much-too-costly system that contributes to economic despair. Families and individuals must be able to rely on affordable care in times of illness or accident and preventative care to safeguard health and well-being. Those who are ill need the assurance that coverage will not be canceled by illness or employment circumstance. They should also be afforded the dignity of selecting their own caregivers.

Today we pray, each in our own custom, for discernment, boldness, clarity and leadership in each segment of our society so that we may find the resolve to achieve health reform worthy of this land. As we together pursue this vision our direction is certain-it is toward the common good. The prospect of high-quality, affordable health care for everyone is a measure of our wholeness as a nation.

We pray that our best minds and kindest hearts might be joined in this effort so that all men, women and children will have the health care they need to live the lives for which they were created. We stand ready to give our support and energies to its achievement.

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Armenian Apostolic Church
President of the National Council of Churches

Bishop Wayne Burkette
Moravian Church in America, Southern Province

Rev. Dr. Miriam Burnett
Medical Director
African Methodist Episcopal Church Health Commission

Rev. Jerry D. Campbell, Ph.D.
President
Claremont School of Theology

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Margurite Carter
National Board President
Church Women United

Dr. Iva E. Carruthers
General Secretary
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.

The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane
Episcopal Bishop of Washington
District of Columbia

Bishop Ronald M. Cunningham
Ecumenical Officer
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Dr. William H. Curtis
President
Hampton University Minister’s Conference

Amy Echeverria
Director
Columbian Center for Advocacy & Outreach

Matthew Ellis
Executive Director
National Episcopal Health Ministries
National Episcopal AIDS Coalition

Bishop Christopher Epting
Deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
The Episcopal Church

Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell
Ecumenical Officer
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Rabbi Steve Gutow
President
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Dr. Richard L. Hamm
Former General Minister & President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the US & Canada

Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Dr. Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary
National Council of Churches

Dr. Ken Brooker Langston
Director, Disciples Justice Action Network
Coordinator, Disciples Center for Public Witness

Elaine Lee
Vice President at Large
Health Ministries Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Rabbi Michael Lerner
Rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue in San Francisco
Chair of the Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives

Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner
Connectional Presbyter
Presbytery of the Palisades (NJ)

Rev. Michael E. Livingston
Executive Director, International Council Community Churches
Immediate Past President, National Council of Churches

Marie Lucey, OSF
Associate Director for Social Mission
Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Felton Edwin May United Methodist Bishop (Retired)
Executive Director
Multi-Ethnic Center for Ministry

Dr. David McAllister-Wilson
President
Wesley Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley
General Secretary
American Baptist Churches

Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren

Harriett Jane Olson
Deputy General Secretary, Women's Division
General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church

Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church USA

Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts
General Secretary
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader
Ecumenical Officer
United Methodist Church

Nancy Ratzan
President
National Council of Jewish Women

Rabbi David Saperstein
Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel,
The Union for Reform Judaism's Religious Action Center

The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
Episcopal Church

Dr. Robert Seymour
Minister Emeritus
Binkley Memorial Baptist Church

Ronald J. Sider
President
Evangelicals for Social Action

Rev. Dr. T. DeWitt Smith
President
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.

Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director
Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances
Islamic Society of North America

Russell M. Testa
Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network

Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

Daniel Vestal
Executive Coordinator
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Bishop George Walker, Jr.
Senior Bishop
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

Dr. Robert Welsh
President, Council on Christian Unity
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada

The Rev. David L. Wickmann
President
Moravian Church-Northern Province

Jim Winkler
General Secretary
General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church

Bishop Gabino Zavala
Bishop President
Pax Christi,

Moments ago the World Health Organization raised the Pandemic Alert Level to 5.  This means that a pandemic is imminent.

WHO's Dr.Maragaret Chan called the possibility of such a pandemic a "threat to humanity."

“Faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs) will be essential partners in helping to ensure that people in need are provided for and that care is given in a way that minimizes stigma and other negative social responses,” according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Is your congregation ready for such an emergency?

Click here for the HHS report “Faith-Based Organizations and Pandemic Preparedness” to learn about the steps we will all need to take to be equipped for a pandemic. There is no reason for panic but many reasons to be ready.

Additional information on how churches can respond to the possibility of pandemic have been made available on the website of the National Council of Churches.

This Sunday at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ here in Portland, Oregon we will begin preparing emergency preparedness kits for elderly members or other members that might not be able to obtain such kits for themselves.  The Red Cross has on their website information about what items are needed in such kits. 

My prayer is that such kits will not be needed and no pandemic will actually develop but we must keep all those currently ill in our prayers.  They are God's beloved children and we pray for healing.

Related Link:  Church World Service Swine Flu Info  

Mainline church leaders should develop an agenda and present it to the president-elect.

The Iraq War has been opposed since the start by the leadership of the United Church of Christ and religious bodies from the World Council of Churches to the Vatican. But how can our voices compete with this?

4000 Americans Now Dead In Iraq

Related Link:  What Should Christians Do?

Related Link: NCC laments a ‘disastrous’ war, now entering its sixth year

Video Credit:  Andrew Stelzer

As the election season heats up the National Council of Churches USA has re-issued their Christian Principles in An Election Year.  Check this out before you vote.

This week the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA voted to approve the nomination of The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon to serve as NCC's new General Secretary:

Click here for the full post.

It didn’t take long.

Today the Institute on Religion and Democracy criticized the nomination of Michael Kinnamon to serve as the new General Secretary of the National Council of Churches.

In a statement, IRD president Jim Tonkowich (a minister in a Presbyterian schism group opposed to the ordination of women) called Dr. Kinnamon “outside of the mainstream.”

Why does IRD care who serves as the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches?

FULL POST

The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon has been tapped to serve as the new General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. Official word came just moments ago from UCC-related Eden Theological Seminary, where Dr. Kinnamon has served as the Allen and Dottie Miller Professor of Mission and Peace, and from NCC.

FULL STORY

Reprinted from the National Council of Churches

New Orleans, August 29, 2007 – "If it had not been for the Church, we would be in even worse shape than we are now."

So said the Rev. Patrick Keen, pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in New Orleans. He was addressing 50 volunteers from 14 Christian churches taking part in Ecumenical Work Week (Aug. 19-25) sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC) USA’s Special Commission for the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. Bethlehem Lutheran hosted volunteers for the week and provided dinner during the week.

"The people of God from all around the country have come to help," Pastor Keen said.

The work week was held last week in New Orleans and Biloxi, Miss. In addition to the six houses the workers helped to repair and rebuild, the week was intended to point out the ongoing need for volunteers and the work done by church volunteers and organizations in the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina two years ago today.

In a survey conducted by the Special Commission of the NCC's 35 member communions it was estimated those churches sent more than 120,000 volunteers. They donated 3.6 million hours in helping victims put their lives back together. Those churches sent an estimated $250 million in financial aid to local churches and relief agencies. The survey was compiled by Tronn Moller, the Special Commission’s Gulf Coast consultant.

"The Road Home has been a bureaucratic nightmare," said Bishop Thomas Hoyt, co-chair of the Special Commission and past president of the NCC.

He said the money sent by government agencies has not been shared equitably among the victims nor has it been managed properly. The Rev. Michael Livingston, current NCC president, co-chairs the Special Commission with Bishop Hoyt.

"The task ahead is still a mammoth one," said Bishop Hoyt. "We need people to stay with us." More volunteers are needed to help people struggling all along the Gulf Coast, Hoyt said.

"We didn't come here to get noticed," said the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, NCC's associate general secretary for justice and advocacy. "We came here to give notice that we will be here until the work is done."

In Biloxi, the volunteers worked to repair two homes, including the home of Myrtle Davis. She was born in the house 81 years ago as was her brother who will be 85 next month.

During a lunch break the workers heard from representatives of two dozen different organizations. The message from each was please keep sending volunteers. They warned of a pending housing crisis if the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) begins to evict residents of FEMA-supplied trailers. The temporary housing was designed for only 18 months to 2 years.

At a Tuesday night prayer service the Rev. Dr. Bob Hill, pastor of Community Christian Church in Kansas City, Mo., preached following a tour of the Lower Ninth Ward. In describing his emotions he said he felt angry but did not share that out loud until he realized, "anger is always an appropriate response when our values have been violated."

Bishop J.D. Wiley of Life Center Cathedral in New Orleans and the Rev. C. Dan Krutz, executive director of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference in Baton Rouge, La., also preached at nightly prayer services.

While much of the media attention leading up to today's anniversary has focused on the Lower Ninth Ward, volunteers also saw other neighborhoods where little seems to have been done in two years. Gentilly, Lakeview and New Orleans East, were also areas the workers saw that are still struggling to rebuild and virtually uninhabited.

In addition to the work of the 50 volunteers, visiting clergy spent two days on a listening tour about the environmental impact of the post-Katrina flooding of this city and what still needs to be done in the area. The tour was coordinated by Cassandra Carmichael, NCC's director of eco-justice programs.

In February of this year the Special Commission issued a report card on the status of recovery efforts. After more than a half a dozen post-Katrina trips to the Gulf Coast region and extensive on-the-ground analysis, the NCC's Special Commission on the Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast gave low marks across the board to local, state and federal governments. The report card reviewed response and rebuilding efforts in the city of New Orleans, the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and the federal government in areas such as transportation, healthcare, housing, schools, insurance, and environmental justice.

The NCC's Special Commission was formed in September 2005 in response to the spiraling neglect present in the Gulf Region after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Commissioners representing NCC member communions convened for the first time in Louisiana in November 2005, a few months after the storms ravaged the Gulf Coast, to analyze on-the-ground progress post-Katrina. The Special Commission has since toured the Mississippi coast, met with religious leaders and community activists and government officials in New Orleans and Mississippi, including Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. In addition, the Special Commission has met with members of Congress and officials at FEMA about efforts to rebuild.

The ecumenical work week was organized for the Special Commission by Moller and the Rev. Leslie Tune, NCC's associate director for justice and advocacy. Work projects were coordinated through the United Church of Christ disaster relief, Episcopal Disaster Relief and Disciples of Christ Disaster Relief in New Orleans. In Mississippi the work was coordinated with Episcopal Disaster Relief.

"It was not a sacrifice for us to be there. It was an immense honor and privilege to be the hands and feet of God and to help people rebuild," said the Rev. Tune. "It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life that people allowed us in their homes and trusted us to help them get things back in order."

The volunteers and clergy came from NCC and other denominations: African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, American Baptist Churches USA, Armenian Orthodox, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, International Council of Community Churches, Presbyterian Church USA, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ; as well as members of Roman Catholic and Full Gospel Baptist churches plus FaithfulAmerica.org.

The Rev. Bob Edgar will be stepping down soon as the general secretary of the National Council of Churches In Christ USA (NCC).  The council has grown under his leadership and become a more effective voice for Christians in the United States.  As a United Methodist minister, former seminary president, and former U.S. Congressman he brought a unique set of skills to his job.  When he took the helm at NCC no one knew if the organization had the capacity to survive into the future.  Bob leaves the council with the budget deficit erased and on a stable footing.  More importantly:  NCC has been a prophetic voice on issues like the environment, the war in Iraq, and on a range of poverty issues.  It has been a pleasure for me to get to know Bob over the last several years.  He will be missed after two-terms of visionary leadership.

Related Link: Podcast Interview: The Rev. Bob Edgar On "Middle Church"   (Sept. 18, 2006)

Related Link: Podcast Interview With Bob Edgar: The National Council Of Churches Urges An Increase in The Minimum Wage (November 7, 2005)

Related Link: The Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar Talks About The National Council Of Churches, Iraq, and Voter Registration (June 30, 2004)

Press Release from the National Council of Churches

New York City, August 20, 2007 – The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary at the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) since January 2000, departs at month's end for Common Cause.   He will then assume fulltime responsibilities as the nonpartisan advocacy group's president.

Anticipating Edgar's departure the NCC's executive committee has appointed Clare Chapman, NCC's deputy general secretary for finance and administration, to be Acting General Secretary.

"We are blessed to have the administrative gifts and talents in Clare Chapman to manage the day-to-day leadership of the NCC," said the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the NCC.  "Clare will carry us through to the end of the year when we expect to have our next General Secretary in place."

A search committee has been considering candidates for the General Secretary position for several weeks.

"The NCC and its member communions continue to be in ministry together, striving for the unity to which Christ calls us," said Chapman.  "The Council has strong leadership in its Governing Board and Executive Committee and I look forward to working with them in a new way in this leadership transition.  While we all acknowledge the improvement in financial stability that has occurred in Bob's tenure, his strong leadership in advocating for peace, working for environmental justice and helping those living with poverty is his real legacy," Chapman said.

Edgar's nearly eight years of leadership at the NCC saw numerous events that called upon the churches to speak out and witness to the gospel.  A photo retrospective produced and written by Philip Jenks, NCC's director of interpretation, is available online http://www.ncccusa.org/bobedgar/.

Edgar is returning to Washington, D.C. to head up Common Cause, a grassroots, non-partisan advocacy group with 36 state organizations and nearly 300,000 members.  Edgar lived in the Washington area for 12 years while he served as a Member of Congress from Pennsylvania, 1975-1987.

The National Council of Churches USA is the ecumenical voice of 35 of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches.  These NCC member communions have 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.

Statement from the National Council of Churches

Washington, August 3, 2007 – During the hot and dry months of August and September, the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program is asking churches to use water wisely as part of their Adamah Congregations quarterly action program.

The NCC hopes to reach people in the pews through organizing bible studies on water across the nation. Churches can register to host a bible study at www.nccecojustice.org/adamahh2o.html.

“The sacredness of water in our faith tradition is stated clearly throughout the Bible," says Cassandra Carmichael, Eco-Justice Programs Director.

"The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water per day. We pray that as congregations study the scripture that they will be moved to protect this precious gift.”

The Adamah Congregations program started in January 2007 as a way to engage congregations in taking simple actions to “green” their church.

Previous actions include asking churches to switch to a fair trade coffee hour and replacing incandescent bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The Eco-Justice Programs office of the National Council of Churches works in cooperation with the NCC Eco-Justice Working Group to provide an opportunity for the national bodies of member Protestant and Orthodox denominations to work together to protect and restore God's Creation. 

Last week low-income working Americans finally got a raise when the federal minimum wage was increased after years of growing poverty levels. Pehaps no one was more responsible for this than The Rev. Dr. Paul Sherry, the founder of Let Justice Roll, a project of the National Council of Churches, and the former general minister and president of the United Church of Christ.  At a press conference held this week with Congressional leaders he said: 

This is a good day, isn't it? After ten long years, America's low wage workers and families are getting a break. It's about time -- and Let Justice Roll is very glad to be part of it. Let Justice Roll is a nonpartisan coalition of over 90 faith-based, community-based, labor and business organizations united around one single goal -- working together to establish a living wage for all of our country's working people.

We have worked alongside many others to raise the minimum wage in a growing number of states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia. We have worked in support of city and county-wide living wage ordinances. And we have worked in support of the federal legislation we celebrate today. All with one purpose: reaching a living wage for all of America's working people -- a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

We believe that a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.

With Martin Luther King, we believe, "There is nothing but a lack of social vision to prevent us from paying an adequate wage to every American (worker) whether he (or she) is a hospital worker, laundry worker, maid, or day laborer."

And with the prophet Amos, we envision a renewed society wherein "justice rolls down like living waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream." That is the very definition of a good and decent society.

Yes, today is a good day. But, even as we celebrate, we know that we have a long way to go if justice is to be done for America's low wage working people.

Even at $7.25 an hour in 2009, the minimum wage, in inflation adjusted dollars, will be more than $2 below what it was in the year 1968 -- four decades ago. We do have a long way to go.

In the meantime, low wage working families will continue to struggle mightily with the ever increasing costs of health care, housing, education, and so much else.

When the Fair Labor Standards Act was established, way back in 1938, the Act was designed "to eliminate labor conditions detrimental to the maintenance of the minimum standard of living necessary for the health, efficiency and general well-being of workers." The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, called for a national minimum wage act that will give all Americans a decent standard of living. How far we are from those noble and visionary goals. We do have a long way to go.

A just minimum wage is not only ethically right; it is also economically right. A just minimum wage is good for workers. A just minimum wage is good for business and the economy. Speaking of business, nearly 800 business owners and executives representing every state in the nation have signed a statement endorsing a minimum wage increase at www.businessforafairminimumwage.org.

A just minimum wage is good for our common future. So, we dare not and we will not cease our efforts until all working people receive a living wage.

Let Justice Roll will work, along with many others, in support of future federal legislation to raise the minimum wage to a living wage. We will work in support of minimum wage legislation at the state level and for living wage ordinances at the local and state level -- places like Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma and Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

We will continue to make the case that raising the minimum wage is a central moral and economic issue of our time. Morality demands that a job should keep you out of poverty, not keep you in it.

Yes this is a good day, a day to celebrate. On this day, even as we celebrate, let us look forward to an even better day. A day when all working people will receive a truly living wage -- a wage that will give all of America's families a decent standard of living. On that day, justice will roll down like living waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Let's do it!

Congratulations to all who worked hard for this victory.  Now let's all get back to work.  My friend Rev. Sherry is right that we still have along way to go.