From: jdav@mcs.com (Jim Davis) Subject: Christian leaders denounce attacks on poor Date: 12 Jun 1995 18:46:55 GMT CHRISTIAN LEADERS DENOUNCE ATTACKS ON POOR, CALL FOR NEW POLITICS By Chris Mahin [Editor's note: Below we print the second in a series of columns about spirituality and revolution. We encourage readers to submit articles to this column. We would appreciate any comments readers have on the articles which appear here.] More than 100 prominent Christian clerics and lay leaders issued a statement May 23, warning that "the gospel message is turned upside down" when religion is used to "bring more comfort to those on the top of society than to those at the bottom." The group expressed its concern with the "harsh rhetoric toward the powerless coming from the nation's capitol" and warned against any effort "[t]o abandon or blame the poor for their oppression." The coalition of religious leaders includes mainline Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox and Roman Catholic leaders, including six Catholic bishops. The religious leaders released their statement -- "The Cry for Renewal: Let Other Voices Be Heard" -- at a midday news conference at the National Press Club in Washington on May 23. Later that day, representatives of the group went to the U.S. Capitol and met with House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), House Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (Texas) and other Republicans and then met separately with Democratic legislators. "The crisis we face is a spiritual crisis," the religious leaders declared in "The Cry for Renewal." This crisis "must be responded to by solutions that address the 'spirit' of the times that often lies beneath our political and economic problems," they said. In their statement, the religious leaders described themselves this way: "We are Evangelical voices who seek a biblical approach to politics, not an ideological agenda. We are Catholic voices who assert our own church's social teachings as a vital alternative to both the Left and the Right. We are Orthodox voices who have long stressed the role of spirituality in nurturing culture. We are African American, Latino, white, Asian, and Native American church voices whose commitment to personal faith and social justice leads us to visions of transformation beyond both political parties. We are voices from all the Protestant churches who feel represented neither by old religious liberalism nor new right fundamentalism. ... "[W]e are deeply concerned about the subversion of prophetic religion when wealth and power are extolled rather than held accountable. ... "We refuse the false choices between personal responsibility or social justice, between good values or good jobs, between strong families or strong neighborhoods, between sexual morality or civil rights for homosexuals, between the sacredness of life or the rights of women, between fighting cultural corrosion or battling racism. We call ourselves and our churches back to a biblical focus that transcends the Left and the Right. We call the Christian community to carefully consider each social and political issue, diligently apply the values of faith, and be willing to break out of traditional political categories. ... "We believe the American people are disgusted with politics as usual and hungry for political vision with spiritual values," the signers of "The Cry for Renewal" declared. "The religious community should help lead that discussion and action toward new political and economic alternatives. We commit ourselves to that task and to dialogue with all sectors of the religious community toward that end," the signers of the statement pledged. The statement offered several criteria by which to morally judge the nation's political policies: "We serve a God who upholds the dignity and hope of the poor and a Savior who loved the little children. We must save all of our children and not punish those who are disadvantaged. "We follow the One who called us to be peacemakers and gave his life to reconcile a broken humanity. We must stop the violence that has overtaken the nation, and address its root causes in the distorted spiritual values and unjust social structures in which we are all complicit. "We have a faith that invites us to conversion. We must revive the lapsed virtues of personal responsibility and character, and repent for our social sins of racism, sexism, and poverty. "We love a Creator who calls for justice and stewardship. We must begin to judge our economic and environmental habits and policies by their impact on the next generation, rather than just our own. "We are compelled to a lifestyle of service and compassion. We must seek healing from the materialism which has made us less caring and more selfish creatures, isolated us from one another, enshrined the power of money over our political processes, wounded our natural world, and poisoned the hearts of our children -- rich and poor alike. "We are led by our faith into community. We must rejuvenate the moral values and political will to rebuild our disintegrating family systems, our shattered neighborhoods, and our divided nation." The signers of "The Cry for Renewal" also warned against the "almost total identification of the Religious Right with the new Republican majority in Washington," calling it "a dangerous liaison of religion with political power." "Our definitions of politics must be widened to include new solutions and leadership," the religious leaders suggested in their statement. At the May 23 press conference, the group gave three examples of the kind of response needed to address the nation's crises. The first was a commitment to use the church as a base to create new partnerships in combating inner-city problems such as homelessness, poverty and violence. Second, the group announced an effort to expand religious youth volunteer corps. Third, the coalition announced plans to form a "progressive Evangelical caucus" to express the social and spiritual concerns of Evangelicals. "Let politicized religion be replaced with prophetic faith to forge new coalitions of Christian conscience across the land," the statement from the religious leaders concluded. [For more information about The Cry for Renewal, contact Sojourners magazine at 2401 15th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009. Phone: 202-328-8842. Fax: 202-328-8757.] ****************************************************************** This article originated in the PEOPLE'S TRIBUNE (Online Edition), Vol. 22 No. 22 / June 12, 1995; P.O. Box 3524, Chicago, IL 60654, pt@noc.org For free electronic subscription, email: pt.dist-request@noc.org Feel free to reproduce; please include this message with reproductions of this article. ******************************************************************