Today, Economic Justice is the OMG topic du jour.

I’m continuing my blog series covering official religious statements on various social, justice, and medical ethics issues, and lining them up with the religious affiliations of various politicians.

(Just scroll down to go directly to the religious groups, their statements, and the politicians affiliated with each group)

Hopefully, the blogs will shine some light on faith systems that intentionally make political and social claims; to discover what these claims are–and whether there appears to be any common ground from group to group; and to raise some questions and have some conversations about the appropriateness, let alone the intent and effectiveness, of religious groups asserting a certain claim and stake in any given issue.

Listing the religious affiliation of each politician seemed a natural extension of this project.

Every congressperson has publicly self-offered the listed religious identity below, and to that degree, must have some level of fidelity to it. (I gathered the information from Project Vote Smart, a respected volunteer group which helped me considerably; from this list from the Pew Forum and CQ Roll Call; and, when I had a hunch that more specific information than just “Christian” or “Protestant” might be available, I gleaned further specifics from various publicly available interviews online.)

There is a pretty significant difference, say, between the theology of Southern Baptists and members of the United Church of Christ.  Those who belong to a given group must have some affinity for the group’s belief systems and priorities welling up from them.  What does this mean, if anything, on the ground (or on the Hill, as the case may be)?

And should it mean anything?

The first blog covered gun control.

The one at hand reviews religious statements about economic life and poverty.

This topic proved to me more broad and handled in more ways than that of gun control, and in that sense was trickier to compile.  Since several denominations and religious groups covered the issues of both domestic and global poverty, as well as job creation, taxation, budgetary, and debt matters, all under the rubric of “economic justice,” I have done the same.

Sometimes, there were so many links that I linked to pages with more links, so as not to overwhelm you with the extensive information.

As many groups have specific statements about unions and collective bargaining, I’ll have a separate blog on that one issue (almost exactly a year ago, because of the Wisconsin tumult, I wrote an earlier OMG blog on the matter, listing some denominational statements).

As before, I’ll list religious grouping headings (where there are different “flavors” with the same heading, like with Jews and Lutherans, I will have sub-headings under each grouping), then a quick description of each tradition’s stance on the issue (if found).  I’ll then offer a few links to their statements and brief excerpts of the relevant texts.

Keep in mind, I have only listed the official stances as I’ve found them. Within each community, you can be sure that there are a variety of active organizations and voices which disagree with official denominational stances.

Since the last blog, I have written to each denomination to ask for specific links to statements.  When one was given, I will use that: when not, I will use the best of my google-sleuthing to identify any statements that more or less seem to be reflective of any official position.

If there are no clear statements, I will simply write “No official statement,” but am happy to be corrected.

If there are any further links, clarifications, additions, or corrections, I will gladly update the blog with them.  It was a big project and so I fear and yet am sure that there will be a few blips.

The extent of inter-denominational and inter-religious collaboration about poverty and economic justice was, frankly, both astonishing and heartening.

One document, signed by many faith leaders, including those from groups which otherwise have no policy statement, received a lot of press, and so I’m highlighting it at the beginning of this blog.

It’s called the “Circle of Protection,” and was crafted in response to and against the Paul Ryan budget, and any other budget that threatens protection of the poor.  Because the document has gained much support, recognition, and respect, I will put “CoP” by any denomination that has an official representative who signed it.

You can find this piece here, (the link to the organization’s website is here) but the letter itself is both short enough and worthy enough of a full excerpt:

“In the face of historic deficits, the nation faces unavoidable choices about how to balance needs and resources and allocate burdens and sacrifices. These choices are economic, political—and moral.

As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. We look at every budget proposal from the bottom up—how it treats those Jesus called “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences and common resources. The Christian community has an obligation to help them be heard, to join with others to insist that programs that serve the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world are protected. We know from our experience serving hungry and homeless people that these programs meet basic human needs and protect the lives and dignity of the most vulnerable. We believe that God is calling us to pray, fast, give alms and to speak out for justice.

As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, we join
with others to form a Circle of Protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad.

1. The nation needs to substantially reduce future deficits, but not at the expense of hungry and poor people.
2. Funding focused on reducing poverty should not be cut. It should be made as effective as possible, but not cut.
3. We urge our leaders to protect and improve poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance to promote a better, safer world.
4. National leaders must review and consider tax revenues, military spending, and entitlements in the search for ways to share sacrifice and cut deficits.
5. A fundamental task is to create jobs and spur economic growth. Decent jobs at decent wages are the best path out of poverty, and restoring growth is a powerful way to reduce deficits.
6. The budget debate has a central moral dimension. Christians are asking how we protect “the least of these.” “What would Jesus cut?” “How do we share sacrifice?”
7. As believers, we turn to God with prayer and fasting, to ask for guidance as our nation makes decisions about our priorities as a people.
8. God continues to shower our nation and the world with blessings. As Christians, we are rooted in the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our task is to share these blessings with love and justice and with a special priority for those who are poor.”

The signatories are listed here:

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL:  Statements, CoP

The AME does not have a specific statement on economic justice as a broad topic, but rather addresses specific legislation that attends to economic well-being for all.

Two issues came up quickly: the jobs bill, and the fiscal cliff negotiations.

To the first, the AME heartily endorsed Pres. Obama’s Jobs Act, saying:

“African-American families and communities are laboring to make ends meet at a time when many American corporations have opted to move their operations to emerging nations, where regulations are loose and where labor is well below what is considered to be a living wage in America. Other corporations that are financially thriving have opted to simply ‘sit’ on their funds rather than offering jobs to American citizens.

Those who vigorously embrace the free market in their political rhetoric should urge their corporate supporters to offer the well paying jobs that feed the engine of the free market. Those who trumpet their religion and co-mingle it with their patriotism and partisan political views should remember the admonition of the historical Jesus to focus not on the well being of the rich and influential, but on the well being of ‘the least of these.’ They must lay aside their stubborn refusal to compromise and remember that the Creator urged us through the Prophet Isaiah to ‘reason together.'”

To the second, to fiscal cliff negotiations, they have dovetailed statement-efforts with the Methodist Church as their official statement, a statement which reads, in part:

“As you continue efforts to resolve the budget impasse, the General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church urges you to reorder our nation’s fiscal and budget policy to reflect our shared concern for those living in poverty and all those struggling on the economic margins. The real crisis in the United States and around the world is not the so-called “fiscal cliff,” but rather the continued manipulation of God’s economy of abundance into a world where the wants of the few have taken priority over the needs of the many. A moral budget and economy would prioritize the needs of the poor, require more from the wealthiest among us and value true human security over a perpetual warfare state.”

Three headings section of more specific goals, namely that the Congress should “Prioritize the Needs of the Poor,” “Require More from the Wealthiest Amongst Us,” and “Value True Human Security over the Warfare State.”

House Members: Terri A. Sewell (D-AL), Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), James E. Clyburn (D-SC), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)

ANGLICAN CATHOLICS: No official statement

House Member: F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-WI)

BAPTISTS: (Some CoP)

Southern Baptists: No official statement.

American Baptists: (CoP) There is an official statement found here.  The statement uses the rubric of “industry” more often than “economic,” and so seems to be geared more to private companies and their treatment of its labor force.  Still, an excerpt follows here:

“Recognizing in the words of Christ “One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brothers,” the abiding charter of democracy and seeing in this the summons to realize the democracy of all life, we believe that this Christian principle applied to industry implies that industry is a social service whose ruling motive should be not the profit of the few, but the welfare of all, and that the service motive must become the dominant spirit in both the methods and processes of industry.”

House Members: Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Mike D. Rogers (R-Baptist), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Tim Griffin (R-AR), Steve Womack (R-AR), Karen Bass (D-CA), Duncan Hunter (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Corrine Brown (D-FL), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Steve Southerland II (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), John Barrow (D-GA), Sanford D. Bishop Jr (D-GA), Paul Broun (R-GA), Doug Collins (R-FL), Tom Graves (R-GA), John Lewis (D-GA), Austin Scott (R-GA), David Scott (D-GA), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Bobby L. Rush (D-IL),  Aaron Schock (R-IL), Martin Stutzman (R-IN), Harold Rogers (R-KY), Rodney Alexander (R-LA), John Fleming (R-LA),Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Donna Edwards (D-MD), Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD), John Conyers Jr. (D-MI), Gregg Harper (R-MS), Alan Nunnelee (R-MS), Sam Graves (R-MO),Steven Horsford (D-NV), Donald M. Payne Jr (D-NJ), Steve Pearce (R-NM), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), George E.B. Holding (R-NC), David E. Price (D-NC), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH),  Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), James Lankford (R-OK), Frank D. Lucas (R-OK), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Trey Gowdy (R-SC), K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Bill Flores (R-TX), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Al Green (D-TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (R-TX), Randy Neugebauer (R_TX), Steve Stockman (R-TX), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Randy Weber (R-TX), J. Randy Forbes (R-VA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Reid Ribble (R-WI).

Senate Members: John Boozman (R-AR), Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Roy Blount (R-MS), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Ted Cruz (R-TX)

BUDDHISTS: No official statement.

House Members: Hank Johnson (D-GA), Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI)

Senate Member: Mazie K Hirono (D-HI)

CHRISTIAN REFORMED: Statements

The Christian Reformed tradition has a two-fold approach.  They encourage their members to advocate for economic justice through Bread for the World (info below) and, in Canada, through Dignity for All.

Additionally, however, the CRC encourages direct action, action which “address[es] issues of poverty and injustice by exposing problems at their roots.”  This link leads people to a long list of ways in which members address poverty and related blights in their own communities and in extended communities.

House Member: Bill Huizenga (R-MI)

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE:

In response to my inquiry, I was directed to the following link http://christianscience.com/what-is-christian-science#social-political-and-global-issues, which says “People who practice Christian Science have diverse opinions. The church takes no official position on social, political, or global issues. One thing Christian Scientists can agree on and feel passionate about is the need to pray about the difficult issues facing our world.”

House Member: Lamar Smith (R-TX), Robert W. Goodlatte (R-VA)

CHURCH OF CHRIST: No official statement

House Member: Janice Hahn (D-CA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Ted Poe (R-TX)

Senate Member: John Cornyn (R-TX)

CONGREGATIONALISTS/UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: Statements, CoP

From their Economic Justice Home Page they write:

“Unemployment, low wages, unsafe jobs, globalization, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, taxes (who pays and how much), the right to form a union (and why someone might want to), imports from China and closed factories in the U.S. – these are issues of economic justice. And they are very complicated issues.

But things are a little simpler for people of faith. We measure the economy against one fundamental truth: the earth and all that is in it belong to God (Ps. 24:1). Moreover, God intends that we fully share God’s gifts (Exodus 16: 16-18). But we know that this radical equality is not reflected in the economic realities of our world. Some of us have very little while others have very much.

As people of faith, before we begin working to change the economic system, we must first discern, as best we can, a vision of God’s will for our society and our economy. For many people, this would be a world where no one is poor, homeless, living in substandard housing, or lacking the nutritious food needed for a healthy life. Everyone who wanted a job would have one.

Once we have a vision, we can we begin working to put it in place – by lobbying our elected representatives for the needed legislation, standing with striking workers, resisting unfair international trade and investment agreements, sharing our abundance, ensuring the social safety net is sufficient, and taking other actions to make certain that all God’s children receive a fair share of the resources that God provides for us all.”

And then the have no fewer than 20 links to issues related to poverty and its eradication, ranging from Social Security to Worker Justice to Race, Ethnicity, and Economic Justice.

Here are links to official pronouncements about Economic Justice, which include the following words: “”…the struggle to achieve economic justice for all of God’s people is an imperative of the Christian faith, a confession that we have done too little to correct the economic injustices of our nation and the world … [and] a statement of our commitment to transform the structures of church and society by working for economic justice.”  Describes the “marks of a just economy” including: all people have access to basic material necessities, enhances human dignity, is inclusive, assures equality of opportunity, has preferential option for the poor, honors creation, and promotes international peace and well-being. Commitment to achieving an economic bill of rights including guaranteed national minimum income level, universal health care, full employment, affordable housing, and quality education for all.”

House Member: Elizabeth Esty (D-CT), Bill Enyart (D-IL), Fred Upton (R-MI)

Senate Member: Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Max Baucus (D-MT)

EPISCOPALIANS/ANGLICANS: Statements, CoP

In addition to advocating for direct solutions to poverty and establishing a Network for Economic Justice Advocacy, and creating a thorough issue-bulleted .pdf detailing specific issue papers, the Church also has an extensive list of official resolution after resolution about a wide-variety of poverty-related matters.  You can find that list here.

House Members: Jo Bonner (R-AL), Don Young (R-AK), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Scott Tipton (R-CO), Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), John Mica (R-FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL), Jack Kingston (R-GA), Peter Roskam (R-IL), Garland “Andy” Barr IV (R-KY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), Robert E. Andrews (D-NJ), Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Greg Walden (R-OR), Tom Rice (R-SC), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Michael C. Burgess (R-TX), Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Robert C. Scott (D-VA), Rob Wittman (R-VA), Suzan DelBene (D-WI), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Adam Smith (D-WA), David B. McKinley (R-WV)

Senate Members: John McCain (R-AZ), Saxby Cambliss (R-GA), Angus King (I-ME), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

HINDUS: No centralized body.

House Member: Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)

JEWS:

Reform Jews:  Statements

Here, Reform Jews make reference to a long tradition of support for the poor, and builds upon those earlier resolutions:

“The Reform Movement has always acted upon fundamental Jewish ideals by advocating for children, the poor, disenfranchised, the elderly, the sick, the disabled and the ‘stranger among us.’ In past resolutions we have called for full employment programs, social welfare entitlements for public housing, day care, family planning, health and legal services and income maintenance assistance programs. In 1973, the URJ urged Congress to expand social programs, and in 1981 opposed efforts to cut funding to education, job training, food subsidies and many other social programs that were in danger of losing some, if not all, of their funding.

Just before the passage of the 1996 welfare reform law, the URJ passed a resolution entitled ‘Our Economic Commitment to America’s Poor.’ This 1995 resolution recognized the importance of prudent fiscal reforms and welfare reform, but asserted that these reforms should not be made on the backs of the most needy. The resolution further asserted that ‘the United States government [must]”ensure an adequate, federally guaranteed safety net to protect our nation’s most vulnerable populations.’ Any legislation that does not meet the above standard should not be passed by Congress or signed into law by the President.”

Also under this link, further links of advocacy crafted by groups under the Reformed umbrella can be found, including those provided by the Women of Reform Judaism, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Central Conference of Reformed Rabbis.  There are several worthwhile links to be found under each group, and I encourage you to click as many as you can.

Additionally, the Reform Tradition encourages economic justice advocacy here.

Orthodox Jews:  No official statement.

PAN-JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS

B’nai B’rith:  No official statement.

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs: Statements

In addition to a regular journal dedicated to covering issues of poverty, it advocates for economic justice in a number of ways, including dealing specifically with the plight of elderly citizens, usury, and reform of the federal poverty measure, along with broader measures to curb poverty suffered by a number of groups.

House Members: Susan A. Davis (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Ted Deutsch (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), John Yarmuth (D-KY), Sander M. Levin (D-MI), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Steve Israel (D-NY), Nita M. Lowey (D-NY), Jarrold Nadler (D-NY), Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-PA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Senate Members: Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MY), Carl Levin (D-MI), Al Franken (D-MN), Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

LUTHERANS:

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): Statements, CoP

In this statement from 1999, the ELCA stated :

“An economy (oikonomia or “management of the household”) is meant to meet people’s material needs. The current market-based economy does that to an amazing degree; many are prospering as never before. At the same time, others continue to lack what they need for basic subsistence. Out of deep concern for those affected adversely, we of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America here assess economic life today in light of the moral imperative to seek sufficient, sustainable livelihood for all.“

Culled from each of these three headings (sufficient, sustainable, livelihood), and additional concerns, the ELCA calls for the following bulleted items:

• scrutiny of how specific policies and practices affect people and nations that are the poorest, and changes to make policies of economic growth, trade, and investment more beneficial to those who are poor;
• efforts to increase the participation of low-income people in political and civic life, and citizen vigilance and action that challenges governments and other sectors when they become captive to narrow economic interests that do not represent the good of all;
• shifts throughout the world from military expenditures to purposes that serve the needs of low-income people;
• support for family planning and enhanced opportunities for women so that population pressures might be eased; [7]
• reduction of overwhelming international debt burdens in ways that do not impose further deprivations on the poor, and cancellation of some or all debt where severe indebtedness immobilizes a country’s economy;
• investments, loan funds, hiring practices, skill training, and funding of micro-enterprises and other community development projects that can empower low-income people economically.

• policies that promote stable families, strong schools, and safe neighborhoods;
• addressing the barriers individuals face in preparing for and sustaining a livelihood (such as lack of education, transportation, child care, and health care).

• public and private sector partnerships to create jobs and job retention programs;
• national economic policies that support and advance the goal of low unemployment.
• other employers to engage in similar practices [hiring without discrimination; compensating fairly; providing adequate benefits; ownership in decision-making; and freedom to engage in unions and collective bargaining];
• government enforcement of regulations against discrimination, exploitative work conditions and labor practices (including child labor), and for the right of workers to organize and bargain collectively;
• public policies that ensure adequate social security, unemployment insurance, and health care coverage;
• a minimum wage level that balances employees’ need for sufficient income with what would be significant negative effects on overall employment;
• tax credits and other means of supplementing the insufficient income of low-paid workers in order to move them out of poverty.

• government to provide adequate income assistance and related services for citizens, documented immigrants, and refugees who are unable to provide for their livelihood through employment;
• adequate, consistent public funding for the various low-income services non-profit organizations provide for the common good of all;
• scrutiny to ensure that new ways of providing low-income people with assistance and services (such as through the private sector) do not sacrifice the most vulnerable for the sake of economic efficiency and profit;
• correction of regressive tax systems, so that people are taxed progressively in relation to their ability to pay;
• opposition to lotteries and other state-sponsored gambling because of how these regressive means of raising state revenues adversely affect those who are poor.[10]

• Too much:  Because most of us in the United States have far more than we need, we can easily fall into bondage to what we have. We then become like the young man Jesus encountered, whose bondage to his possessions kept him from following Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-25).
• corporate policies that lessen the disparities between compensations of top corporate executives and that of the workers throughout an organization;
• corporate governance that is accountable for the effects of a company’s practices on workers, communities, and the environment here and throughout the world;
• scrutiny of the tax breaks, subsidies, and incentives many companies receive, to assure that they serve the common good;
• enforcement of laws to prevent the exercise of inordinate market power by large corporations;
• appropriate government regulatory reform so that governments can monitor private sector practices more effectively and efficiently in an ever-changing global economy.
• appropriate policies and regulations that help reverse environmental destruction;
• planning that accounts for the impact of regional growth on communities and ecosystems;
• ending subsidies for economic activities that use up non-renewable natural resources;
• companies to pay more fully for the wider social and environmental costs of what they produce;
• the development and use of more energy-efficient technologies.
• changes to assure that farmers will receive a greater proportion of the retail food dollar;
• adequate prices for agricultural products so that farmers can be compensated fairly for their labor and production costs;
• sustainable agricultural practices that protect and restore the regenerative capacities of the land, rather than practices that deplete the land (for example, by measuring productivity only by short-term agricultural yields);
• more just work conditions for farm workers, especially immigrants, and opportunities for them to acquire their own land;
• greater entry-level opportunities for the next generation of family farmers.
• support of the above strategies by governments, financial institutions, and the wider society;
• alternatives to gambling as a means of community economic development;
• grants and low-interest loans that enable small companies and farms to get started, develop, and expand in order to provide livelihood for more people in low-income communities.

House Members: Lois Capps (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Tom Letham (R-IA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Collin C. Peterson (D-MN), Tim Walz (D-MN), Bill Shuster (R-PA), Diane Black (R-TN), John Carter (R-TX), Tom Petri (R-WI), Denny Heck, D-WA

Senate Members: Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tim Johnson (D-SD)

Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS): I received the following from the LCMS Information Center:

“…It is the usual practice of the LCMS not to take an official ‘position’ which would bind the consciences of its members on purely political issues (i.e., issues concerning which God’s Word does not clearly speak).  Rather, the LCMS encourages its members to follow their own individual consciences in supporting candidates, legislation and social and political efforts which/whom they believe would help to create a better and safer society.

For more information, see the various reports of the Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations on “Social/Ethical Issues,” which are available on the Web site of the CTCR (www.lcms.org/ctcr).”

House Members: Cory Gardner (R-CO), John Shimkus (R-IL), Larry Buschon (R-IN), Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Dave Reichert (R-WA), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY)

Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC): No official statement

North American Lutheran Church (NALC): No official statement

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS): No official statement

House Member: Ron Kind (D-WI)

Senate Member: Ron Johnson (R-WI)

MENNONITES: No official statement, CoP

BUT, in the stead of an official stance on poverty, they maintain that Jesus’ words ought to speak for them:

“Matthew 25: 44-45

Then the people will ask, “Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?” The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me.”  Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Luke 16:19-25

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.’  New International Version (NIV)”

METHODISTS: Statements, CoP

At the United Methodist Building in DC, they’ve had a banner flowing with “cliff notes” for Congress to see, with three points:

1. Protect the poor,
2. Create good jobs for all, and
3. End the warfare state.

These points were summarized also in a letter to Pres. Obama and Congress, found here.  It begins:

“As you continue efforts to resolve the budget impasse, the General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church urges you to reorder our nation’s fiscal and budget policy to reflect our shared concern for those living in poverty and all those struggling on the economic margins. The real crisis in the United States and around the world is not the so-called “fiscal cliff,” but rather the continued manipulation of God’s economy of abundance into a world where the wants of the few have taken priority over the needs of the many. A moral budget and economy would prioritize the needs of the poor, require more from the wealthiest among us and value true human security over a perpetual warfare state.”

This link connects you to several further economic statements concerning the budget, taxes, gambling, living wages, and hunger.

The UMC makes a claim here that I have not discovered as boldly stated on any other religious group’s site [italics mine]:

“Therefore, we do not hold poor people morally responsible for their economic state. To begin to alleviate poverty, we support such policies as: adequate income maintenance, quality education, decent housing, job training, meaningful employment opportunities, adequate medical and hospital care, and humanization and radical revisions of welfare programs.

Since low wages are often a cause of poverty, employers should pay their employees a wage that does not require them to depend upon government subsidies such as food stamps or welfare for their livelihood.

House Members: Tom Cotton (R-AR), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Mike Coffman (R-CO), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Rich Nugent (R-FL), Bill Posey (R-FL), C.W. Bill Young (R-FL), Rob Woodall (R-GA), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Kevin Yoder (R-KS), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Edward Whifield (R-KY), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Mike Rogers (R-MI), John Kline (R-MN), Bennie Thompson (D-MO), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-MO), Lee Terry (R-NE), Richard Judson (R-NC), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Steve Stivers (R-OH), Tom Cole (R-OK), Stephen Fincher (R-TN), Phil Roe (R-TN), Joe L. Barton (R-TX), John Culberson (R-TX), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Kay Granger (R-TX), Gene Green (D-TX), Ralph M. Hall (R-TX), Sam Johnson (R-TX), Pete Olson (R-TX), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Rick Larsen (D-WA)

Senate Members: Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Richard Burr (R-NC), Rob Portman (R-OH)

MORMONS: No official statement

House Members: Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Raul R. Labrador (R-ID), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Rob Bishop (R-UT), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Jim Matheson (D-UT), Chris Stewart (R-UT)

Senate Members: Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Michael D. Crapo (R-ID), Dean Heller (R-NV), Harry Reid (D-NV), Tom Udall (D-NM), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Mike Lee (R-UT)

MUSLIMS: Statements

The Islamic Society of North America has responded to my inquiries about faith-related stances with nothing but graciousness.  This pan-Islamic organization represents many of the Islamic voices in the United States, and can be considered to be the most comprehensive source of statements from Muslims in the U.S.

Regarding poverty, the ISNA has partnered with Fighting Poverty with Faith, an inter-religious group that addresses poverty by way of its root causes, stating “We enlist the moral authority and organizing power of the faith community to ensure meeting the needs of those living in poverty is a national priority. This mobilization utilizes the strength of the coordinated faith community to move individuals and communities to action and advocate for clear, immediate policy solutions to address the root causes of poverty.” Its goal is to cut domestic poverty in half by 2020.

This is but one expression of the organizations advocacy on behalf of the poor.  One more link from July 2011 demonstrates the deep concern regarding the governmental threatened cuts to poverty assistance programs.  Says, Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, ISNA National Director of Interfaith and Community Alliances, “It is our religious duty as part of the faith communities to convey our concerns about the problems of the budget cuts that will directly impact low income individuals and the dispossessed. We are asking for a budget that should be just and equitable.  It is our Islamic duty because this is one of the pillars of Islam.”

House Members: Andre Carson (D-IN), Keith Ellison (D-MN)

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENES: Statement

Although there is no statement about political advocacy, the web site for the Church of the Nazarenes states the following:

The Church of the Nazarene believes that Jesus commanded His disciples to have a special relationship to the poor of this world; that Christ’s Church ought, first, to keep itself simple and free from an emphasis on wealth and extravagance and, second, to give itself to the care, feeding, clothing, and shelter of the poor. Throughout the Bible and in the life and example of Jesus, God identifies with and assists the poor, the oppressed, and those in society who cannot speak for themselves. In the same way, we, too, are called to identify with and to enter into solidarity with the poor and not simply to offer charity from positions of comfort. We hold that compassionate ministry to the poor includes acts of charity as well as a struggle to provide opportunity, equality, and justice for the poor. We further believe that the Christian responsibility to the poor is an essential aspect of the life of every believer who seeks a faith that works through love.

Finally, we understand Christian holiness to be inseparable from ministry to the poor in that it drives the Christian beyond his or her own individual perfection and toward the creation of a more just and equitable society and world. Holiness, far from distancing believers from the desperate economic needs of people in our world, motivates us to place our means in the service of alleviating such need and to adjust our wants in accordance with the needs of others. (2001)

House Member: Kenny Marchant (R-TX)

ORTHODOX TRADITIONS: No official statements (Orthodox Church in America signed the CoP)

House Members: Darrell Issa [Antioch Orthodox Christian Church] (R-CA), Gus Bilirakis [Greek] (R-FL), John Sarbanes [Greek] (D-MD), Justin Amash [Greek] (R-MI), Dina Titus [Greek] (D-NV)

PENTECOSTALS: No unified body

House Member: Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)

PRESBYTERIANS: Statements, CoP

In the Fall of 2010, the Presbyterian Church-USA created a document entitled Living Through Economic Crisis: The Church’s Witness in Troubled Times. Following are a few excerpts:

“In summary, these two principles, (1) economic justice for all (the establishment of economic conditions that support the human flourishing of all), and (2) sustainability (the establishment of conditions of economic justice today that will not destroy the earth’s capacity to provide abundant life to future generations), remain the basis of the biblical and Reformed imperative to promote social righteousness in economic matters.21 They remain the plumb lines against which economic practices in the 21st century must be judged. They are the product of a way of thinking about God, neighbor, self, and all of creation derived from Reformed beliefs and values that refute many economic assumptions and practices commonly accepted by our society today.”

This document details a Reformed view of the causes of and the responsibilities in the face of poverty.

Additionally, the PCUSA has a site for more specific means of advocacy, and that can be found here.  Highlighted on that site’s home page is a quote from the Confessions, which reads “…A church that is indifferent to poverty, or evades responsibility in economic affairs, or is open to one social class only… makes a mockery of reconciliation and offers no acceptable worship to God…”

House Members: Martha Roby (R-AL), John Campbell (R-CA), Jeff Denhham (R-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Jime Himes (D-CT), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Dennis Ross (R-FL), Tom Price (R-GA), Luke Messer (R-IN), Bruce Braley (D-IA), Mike Pompeo (R-KS), Candice S. Miller (R-MI), Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Billy Long (R-MO), Steve Daines (R-MT), Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Howard Coble (R-NC), Melvin Watt (D-NC), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Marsha Blackburn (TN), John J. “Jimmy” Duncan Jr (R-TN), William M. “Mac” Thornberry (R-TX), Robert Hurt (R-VA), Frank R. Wolf (R-VA), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Nick J. Rahall II (D-WV)

Senate Members: Richard C. Shelby (R-AL), Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), Dan Coats (R-IN), Rand Paul (R-KY), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Kay Hagan (D-NC), James M Inhofe (R-OK), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Bob Corker (R-TN), Mark Warner (D-VA), John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)

QUAKERS/FRIENDS: No official statement, but a long-standing history of working with those in poverty.

House Member: Rush D. Holt (D-NJ)

ROMAN CATHOLICS: Statements, CoP

The US Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops has an ardent history of advocating for the well-being of the poor, even writing letters to Roman Catholic politicians whom they believe are straying from the Roman Catholic commitment to protect all life.  Below are just a few links to demonstrate the denomination’s historical advocacy for the poor:

Recently, this letter to Representatives and Senators received much publicity, heightened because Speaker John Boehner is Roman Catholic.  An excerpt is here:

“As Catholic bishops, we have tried to remind Congress that these choices are economic, political, and moral. We offer the following moral criteria to guide difficult budgetary choices:

1. Every budget decision should be assessed by whether it protects or threatens human life and dignity.
2. A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects “the least of these” (Matthew 25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first.
3. Government and other institutions have a shared responsibility to promote the common good of all,especially ordinary workers and families who struggle to live in dignity in difficult economic times.

As you craft and debate a budget resolution and spending bills for Fiscal Year 2013, we hope these criteria will shape your choices. They will guide our assessment of the various proposals. We join with other Christian leaders in calling for a “circle of protection” around our brothers and sisters at home and abroad who are poor and vulnerable.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church teaches: “Just, efficient and effective public financing will … encourage employment growth, … sustain business and non-profit activities” and help guarantee “systems of social insurance and protection that are designed above all to protect the weakest members of society.” We do not offer a detailed critique of entire budget proposals, but we ask you to consider the human and moral dimensions of these choices.

Our nation has an obligation to address the impact of future deficits on the health of the economy, to ensure stability and security for future generations, and to use limited resources efficiently and effectively. A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons; it requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.”

Here and here are pages dedicated to information about and advocacy in response to poverty.

House Members: Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ), Ann Kirkpatric (D-AZ), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Paul Cook (R-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), George Miller (D-CA), Grace F. Napolitano, D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Ed Royce (R-CA), Linda T. Sanchez (D-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Mike Thompson (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), Juan C. Vargas (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), John B. Larson (D-CT), John Carney (D-DE), Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Joe Garcia (D-FL), Trey Radel (R-FL), Tom Rooney (R-FL), Ted Yoho (R-FL), Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Rodney Davis (R-IL), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Susan W. Brooks (R-IN), Todd Rokita (R-IN), Peter J. Visciosky (D-IN), Steve King (R-IA), Tim Huelskamp (R-KS), Steve Scalise (R-LA), Michael H. Michaud (D-ME), John Delaney (D-MD), Andy Harris (R-MD), Michael E. Capuano (D-MA), William Keating (D-MA), Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-MA), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Dan Benishek (R-MI), Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI), Dave Camp (R-MI), John D. Dingell (D-MI), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Rick Nolan (D-MN), Steven M. Palazzo (R-MS), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Joe Heck (R-NV), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Frank A. LoBiondo (R-NJ), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ), Jon Runyan (R-NJ), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Timothy H. Bishop (D-NY), Chris Collins (R-NY), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Chris Gibson (R0NY), Michael G. Grimm (R-NY), Richard Hanna (R-NY), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Peter T. King (R-NY), Dan Maffei (D-NY), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Bill Owens (D-NY), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), Jose E. Serrano (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY), Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Walter B. Jones (NC), Patrick T. McHenry (R-NC), John Boehner (R-OH), Steve Chabot (R-OH), David Joyce (R-OH), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Bob Latta (R-OH), James B. Renacci (R-OH), Tim Ryan (D-OH), Pat Tiberi (R-OH), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Lou Barletta (R-PA), Matt Cartwright (D-PA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Tom Marino (R-PA), Patrick Meehan (R-PA), Tim Murphy (R-PA), Keith Rothfus (R-PA), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Kevin Brady (R-TX), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Pete Gallego (D-TX), Ruben Jinojosa (D-TX), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), Filemon Vela (D-TX), Peter Welch (D-VT), Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), James P. Moran (D-VA), Sean P. Duffy (R-WI), Paul D. Ryan (R-WI)

Senate Members: Mark Begich (D-AK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Mary L. Landrieu (D-LA), David Vitter (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD), John Kerry (D-MA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), John Hoeven (R-ND), Bob Casey (D-PA), Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Maria Vantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Joe Manchin III (D-WV)

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS: Statement, CoP

While there doesn’t appear to be a statement encouraging specific forms of action or governmental advocacy, there are statements speaking about the commitment to tend to the poor and hungry both domestically and globally.

“Social scientists tell us that a number of ills find fertile ground in the conditions of poverty. Feelings of hopelessness, alienation, envy and resentment often lead to antisocial attitudes and behavior. Then society is left to pay for the after-effects of such ills through its courts, prisons, and welfare systems. Poverty and misfortune as such do not cause crime and provide no excuse for it. But when the claims of compassion are denied, discouragement, and even resentment are likely to follow.

The claims upon the Christian’s compassion are not ill-founded. They do not spring from any legal or even social contract theory, but from the clear teaching of scripture: “He has showed you, O man, what is good: and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 7:8 RSV)

The fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah is precious to Seventh-day Adventists. We see our responsibility in this chapter as those raised up to be “The repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in” (verse 12).

The call is to restore and “to loose the bands of wickedness … to deal thy bread to the hungry … bring the poor that are cast out to thy house … when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him” (verses 6, 7). So as repairers of the breach, we are to restore and care for the poor. If we carry out the principles of the law of God in acts of mercy and love, we will represent the character of God to the world.”

House Members: Raul Ruiz (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

UNITARIANS: Statements

The Unitarians have a tradition of advocacy on behalf of the poor, but seems to focus most of it by way of workers’ rights.  Further efforts can be linked to here.

House Members: Ami Bera (D-CA)

UNITED BRETHREN: Statement

Here, the United Brethren have a brief statement under the rubric of Human Relations, which speaks to their hope for economic parity.

“The church respects human personality which is inherent in every race, nation and creed. We believe in the Bible’s instruction that there is no basis whatsoever for a belief in the superiority or inferiority of any people. Therefore, the church protests against any action or practice that produces discrimination based upon racial, national, creedal or social differences, since God “made from one, every nation of men to live on the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). The church admonishes all members to commit their attitudes, actions and influences in faithful witness to this truth and to oppose every influence, whether it be economic, social, moral or religious which would debase, impair, or bring into bondage those whom God has created in his own likeness.

The church believes that there must be equal rights and justice for all. All members should register their concern and opposition to any form of prejudice that would prevent any individual or ethnic group from free and full participation in the privileges and benefits of our society. We advocate through due process of law and within the framework of the democratic system the elimination of poverty; the abolishment of unemployment; a fair wage in very vocation; fair practices between employer and employees; adequate provisions for the aged and for those who are unemployable; the opportunity for decent housing for all; and a proper concern for total human need in our contemporary world.”

House Member: Scott Perry (R-PA)

UNITED CHURCH OF GOD: No official statement

Senate Member: Joe Tester (D-MT)

NON-DENOMINATIONAL OR CHRISTIANS WITH NO STATED DENOMINATIONAL AFFILIATION:

Representatives: Mo Brooks (R-AL); Ken Calvert (R-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Michael M. Honda (D-CA), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Gary G. Miller (R-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), Randy Hultgren (R-IL), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Todd Young (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Mark Amodei (R-NV), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Mark Meadows (R-NC), Robert Pittenger (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Bill Johnson (R-OH), Jim Jordan (R-OH), Michael R. Turner [Presbyterian?] (R-OH), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jim Gerlach (R-PA), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Scott Rigell (R-VA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Doc Hastings [Presbyterian?] (R-WA), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)

Senators: Mark Pryor (D-AK), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

NO RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION:

Representatives: Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL), Adrian Smith (R-NE), Mark Pocan (D-WI)

Senators: Michael Bennet (D-CO). Mark Udall (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

OTHER:

Representatives: Tammy Duckworth [Deist] (D-IL), Suzanne Bonamici [raised Episcopalian and Unitarian, goes to Synagogue with husband and children] (D-OR)

_____________________________

The following are additional resources, pan-religious resources, that are worthy of a click or several.:

“Jubilee Debt Campaign Multifaith is a unique UK project raising awareness within faith communities to tackle the issue of International Debt and global poverty.”

Bread for the World “is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. By changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity far beyond the communities where we live.”

Christian Churches Together, an interdenominational group, established a Domestic Poverty Initiative which provides collaborate resources for many denominations to fight poverty.

As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. We look at every budget proposal from the bottom up—how it treats those Jesus called “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences and common resources. The Christian community has an obligation to help them be heard, to join with others to insist that programs that serve the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world are protected. We know from our experience serving hungry and homeless people that these programs meet basic human needs and protect the lives and dignity of the most vulnerable. We believe that God is calling us to pray, fast, give alms and to speak out for justice.

As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, we join with others to form a Circle of Protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad.

1. The nation needs to substantially reduce future deficits, but not at the expense of hungry and poor people.
2. Funding focused on reducing poverty should not be cut. It should be made as effective as possible, but not cut.
3. We urge our leaders to protect and improve poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance to promote a better, safer world.
4. National leaders must review and consider tax revenues, military spending, and entitlements in the search for ways to share sacrifice and cut deficits.
5. A fundamental task is to create jobs and spur economic growth. Decent jobs at decent wages are the best path out of poverty, and restoring growth is a powerful way to reduce deficits.
6. The budget debate has a central moral dimension. Christians are asking how we protect “the least of these.” “What would Jesus cut?” “How do we share sacrifice?”
7. As believers, we turn to God with prayer and fasting, to ask for guidance as our nation makes decisions about our priorities as a people.
8. God continues to shower our nation and the world with blessings. As Christians, we are rooted in the love of God in Jesus Christ. Our task is to share these blessings with love and justice and with a special priority for those who are poor.

Budgets are moral documents, and how we reduce future deficits are historic and defining moral choices. As Christian leaders, we urge Congress and the administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world. It is the vocation and obligation of the church to speak and act on behalf of those Jesus called “the least of these.” This is our calling, and we will strive to be faithful in carrying out this mission.

Budgets are moral documents, and how we reduce future deficits are historic and defining moral choices. As Christian leaders, we urge Congress and the administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world. It is the vocation and obligation of the church to speak and act on behalf of those Jesus called “the least of these.” This is our calling, and we will strive to be faithful in carrying out this mission.

Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III, Executive Director, American Baptist Home Mission Societies