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Christian Principles in an Election Year
The National Council of Churches USA has
drafted a
Group Study Guide to "Christian
Principles in an Election Year" to
facilitate group discussions of them. These
principles were developed by the National
Council of Churches USA's Justice and
Advocacy Commission and approved by the
NCC's Executive Committee. Following are the
principles themselves.
Your church, your communion, and the
National Council of Churches USA do not
endorse any political party or any
candidate.
Be that as it may, 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 10 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 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.
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For more information, visit
www.councilofchurches.org, or write the
National Council of Churches USA, Attn:
Justice and Advocacy Commission, 110
Maryland Ave. N.E., Washington, DC 20002,
202-544-2350.
People of
Faith File Amicus Brief in Death Penalty
Case
The New York
State Council of Churches is signing on to
an amicus brief by communities of faith in a
challenge being brought to the court in
People v. John Taylor. The brief states that
it is their "unambiguous position [the death
penalty] is morally wrong and offensive to
our society’s common sense of human
dignity."
The brief
points out that accountability is necessary
but not revenge; that all people are capable
of atonement and forgiveness; that the death
penalty is not (and probably cannot) be
applied equally and fairly; and that the
death penalty is not a source of healing for
families of victims.
The document
stresses the commitment of religious
communities to ministering to victims of
violent crimes and their loved ones as well
as to offenders and their loved ones. In
stating that the groups believe the human
family is far better off when it focuses on
healing and not vengeance. It then goes on
to cite statements by over forty faith
groups against the death penalty.
People v.
John Taylor is the last of New York's
current death penalty appeals. Although the
Court of Appeals invalidated New York's
death penalty in its June, 2004, LaValle
decision, the composition of the Court of
Appeals is changing and the issues in Taylor
differ from LaValle. A decision upholding
Taylor's death sentence would re-establish
the death penalty in New York.
Chaplain Downgrade Proposed
The agencies
where chaplains work – The Department of
Corrections, Office of Mental Health, Office
of Mental Retardation and Developmental
Disabilities and the Division of Children
and Family Services – are in the midst of
transition. There will be a new
administration in January. In response to
this change, we are seeing many senior
administrators leaving agencies. Normally,
such a period of transition would mean that
no new initiatives would be undertaken.
However, the
Department of Corrections has just announced
that a reorganization of the Division of
Ministerial Services will result in the
demotion of the Ministerial Program
Coordinators (MPC) from a civil service
grade 25 to a grade 23. (Each faith group
has an MPC.) This demotion is very troubling
as it clearly indicates that the role of the
MPC – and by extension, chaplains – is being
undercut. The NYSCC Chaplain Coordinator,
Demi McGuire, expressed her concern over
this move to DOCS Assistant Commissioner
John Nuttall at the recent Association of
Protestant Chaplains annual meeting.
The NYSCC
will discuss this concern with the new state
administration as soon as the 2006 election
has taken place. This change gives an
opportunity to articulate the role of
chaplains in our state institutions and to
propose ways to strengthen the important and
necessary function of chaplains. One of the
key responsibilities of the Coordinator of
Chaplains is to advocate for chaplains –
both individually and collectively.
Chaplains often feel constrained from
reporting problems such as harassment,
fearing that they would become the target of
retaliatory actions. Fortunately, the NYSCC
has a long history of supporting chaplains
and bringing instances of unjust treatment
directly to commissioners and deputy
commissioners. NYSCC has been able, over the
years, to resolve many problems encountered
by the chaplains.
A
Rare Opportunity for Dialog and Worship With
WCC Leaders
The Greater Rochester Community of Churches,
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and
Rochester Friends of the World Council of
Churches are sponsoring a visit to Rochester
by a delegation from the World Council of
Churches. The principle guest will be the
Rev. Hansulrich Gerber, Coordinator of the
WCC’s "Decade to Overcome Violence". The
secondary guest will be Caroline Hennessey,
Director of Development for the WCC in the
USA.
Rev. Gerber will be featured at a seminar
the morning of November 14th and a workshop
in the afternoon. These events will be held
at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
The previous day there will be a luncheon
and an ecumenical worship service featuring
the WCC guests. More details and a
registration form are available at the
Greater Rochester Community of Churches
web-site:
www.gree.org. |
