Sometimes, the timing of events seems almost providential.
For more than a year, Sojourners has been discussing and planning to launch a campaign called A Million Christians for Social Justice.
We have talked, dreamed, and prayed about the possibility and power of bringing together, from across the life of the churches, the many voices that are calling for social justice. There are many of us now -- Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants, Catholics and Pentecostals, Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American churches -- focusing our personal faith on the most urgent public issues our world is facing. From human trafficking to HIV/AIDS, from inner-city education to global poverty, from racial justice to nuclear weapons, from immigrant families to access to health care, from the status of women and girls to conflict resolution in the Middle East, from creation care to homelessness -- Christian voices are being heard and people of faith are mobilizing.
We are all being called to a deeper commitment to Jesus Christ and to living out his kingdom of love and justice. A stronger and authentic voice with moral authority beyond mere partisan politics needs to be heard on social justice. That voice can both speak truth to power and bring people together across cultural and political lines to act for justice.
Glenn Beck's attacks on deeply held Christian principles of social justice have ironically brought newfound attention, focus, and discussion about what it truly means to be a "social justice Christian." As wrong and often vitriolic as his caricatures, insults, and attacks on such core gospel teachings and biblical tenets have been, they have provided what is often called a "teachable moment" and perhaps a mobilizing moment as well. The Beck attack on Christian social justice has given us an opportunity to teach what true gospel principles are and offers us an opportunity to reach out to even more people who are being attracted by the biblical call to social justice -- which is the mission statement of Sojourners.
So we are now discerning whether this is the right time to move beyond the discussions and, as Congressman John Lewis says, "put some feet on our prayers" and launch A Million Christians for Social Justice.
Sure, we'd be responding to Glenn Beck, but we believe we'd really be responding to our own calling to stand up for the poor and vulnerable and to stand against the conditions, institutions, and polices that further poverty. It could be a moment to speak out and to serve. The attacks of poverty on vulnerable families and children, the attacks of hunger on entire communities, the attacks of economic inequities on hardworking people, the attacks of war on civilians who get caught in the crossfire, are all much harsher attacks than anything Beck can hurl at us. These are the attacks we must address. These are the attacks we are called to fight.
A Million Christians for Social Justice will bring us together to fight injustice and inequality, to fight hunger and hopelessness, and, ultimately, to love and nourish all the souls that are a part of God's creation -- and to do so in the name of Jesus.
By adding your voice as one of a million, you will allow us to work toward building a large and active network to help people find each other, as well as find kindred spirits and churches in their own communities; you'll help connect people and churches who want to work on the same issues and share both vital resources and stories for deepening our understanding and commitment to faith-based social justice; and when needed, your voice will help focus our attention, energy, and a united prophetic voice on urgent matters of common concern. That will require an investment in new technology and expert staff, something hard to do in the current economic climate without the assurance that there's a movement behind us to help make it happen.
Your honest feedback is important. Join us in making this decision. Join us in prayer, and join us with your comments, responses, and, finally, your commitment. Do you like the vision of A Million Christians for Social Justice? Has the time for such a movement finally come?
So we want to try this out with you. Would you join such a network and movement of faith and action? Would you be one of a million voices connecting, speaking, and acting in a common witness? We can create change in our society, and indeed are called to. To make this a reality, we need a strong indication from our constituents that this campaign is the way to go: Click here to leave a comment and tell us your ideas.
Jim Wallis is the author of Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street -- A Moral Compass for the New Economy, CEO of Sojourners and blogs at www.godspolitics.com.
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In So called Socialist countries, they have a measure of self security that a large portion of our country does not have, along with Mexico, lots of other countries, does not have. I am a Democratic Socialist., it is merely one notch to the left of Democratic Centralism. It isn't a matter of "If you don't love it here, move." It is a matter of "I love my country and want it to be the best it can be for everyone in this country." I believe the HCR is one step toward meeting those Hierarchy of needs, for basic care. Sure, we have a long way to go, it can be changed bit by bit. but it helps a lot of people breathe a little easier that they cannot go bankrupt when they are fighting for their health.
Everyone equates Heaven with "no sickness, no injury, no hunger, no pain.:" The Christians (and everyone else too) should work hard to make this earth a little bit of God's Heaven. In that the most we can do for the least of us is wonderful for them, and gives us all a little checkmark on our chalkboard of good deeds. We all should do what we can to ensure that everyone has the basics of life. If the Individuals can't do it, the Churches don't do it, I am pleased that the government will do it. Someone's got to do it.
don't believe me??? Put,
With no one to protect them
into the youtube search engine...
I seriously send you $20.00 RIGHT NOW if you can get to the 5:40 mark without crying, (or vomiting).
I have never done a blessing for a same-sex couple. I've never been asked to do one. I'm not sure that I would.
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This is why I - as a non-Christian - would not be so quick to join in Jim's "Million Christian March" - or whatever he's going to try to brand it as.
Like Jim, I'm glad if Christians are waking up to the Bible's call for social justice, and rejecting Glenn Beck craziness. But unlike Jim, I don't take ANY of my ethical or moral marching orders from a homophobic, mysogynistic set of texts written by people with an ancient mindset that is inimical to getting along in our world today.
A "Million Progressive March" - to which Jim would surely be invited without setting any Christianist agendas - would be much healthier, and much more appropriate.
Those times are long gone and procreation is necessary and can be a joy, but it just isn't as necessary. Casting seeds on the ground as in homosexuality and birth control just doesn't have the same bite.
I'm providing a counterpoint to those commenters who said, "I'm not a Christian, but I'd be happy to be a part of Jim's Christianist movement".
In response, I'm saying, "I'm not so excited about it - and here's why".
If you're GLTS or love someone who is, you've got to be thoroughly pissed at the Christianist agenda that bars 10% of the population from sharing the rights all others have - because of some ancient collection of writings that don't define life for many of us.
Wallis wants the church to repent. Well, lots of us want Wallis to repent, too.
if you believe in god then by logic you must believe in ole slew foot himself, satan. there is no other option biblically even rev wallis should cede that point. then you look at genesis satan changed one word and eve fell for it and now we live in a fallen world. how much more can he deceive now that his time is short. marxism is his goal because he hates you and he wants to murder you like the other 100 million whom marxism has murdered in the last century.
but this time MAYBE it will be different.
Jesus gave two "new commands" - "love God" and "love your neighbors". Social justice is about fighting for our neighbors - so that they don't face poverty, homelessness and sickness (without access to appropriate treatment).
There will ALWAYS be free will. That will never be eliminated. But, societies need laws and regulations to establish "order" and social "norms". Imagine walking into a first grade classroom that had no rules. How would a teacher ever be able to instruct the students - in the midst of that chaos? Free will allows students to break the rules. Free will allows educators to offer consequences (or not) at that point. Now, imagine if we abandoned our "laws" and allowed everyone to follow their "free will" unrestrained...do you really have any concept of what would happen?!?
ask someone from the soviet union if they have free will to see the doctor they choose?
ask someone from cuba if they can start a huffington post to debate with their neighbors?
jesus commanded us to do what is right, not to force others to do what is right. there is a huge difference. and throughout history those nations that have adopted your policies have in turn murdered hundreds of millions of people on their march to socialism/ communism.
wake up sheeple.
our nation is the only nation in the history of the world to acknowledge that rights according to the laws of nature, cannot be given by man, or else man can remove them at his leisure.
dont you understand, that if you create rights out of thin air there is no longer any hindrance from the government commanding you purchase a dodge car because we should support american labor unions? maybe the next administration will say then you cannot have children because it is a burden on the economy( like china), maybe the following administration will ban your free speech. we are already on the slippery slope.
Ol Slewfoot. He was/is an angel of God. Kicked out of Heaven to take over the Region of Hell. All that means is that with man's free choice in this world, there must be an opposing view, a different choice. If we didn't have that fallen angel, there would be no choices, except for the good choices of God. Somebody has to be the Devil's Advocate, lol. I firmly believe that when the end of this world as we know it (and no I am not a Rapture person like Palin), That fallen angel will be shown to be the angel to give us choice. How can we be good and choose good, if there is no other choice? Our free will means we need choices.
we zealots, love everyone, especially you.
my bible teachs me that miriam was given leprosy for hassling her brother moses about his cushite (ethiopian) wife. pretty clear to me.
it also commands to treat your immigrants well, as in not to abuse them, it does not however command us not to seal our borders and require all immigration to occur throught the established ports of entry.
and we love gays, as much as we love drunks, and prostitutes, and all other sinners, of which i am.
we cannot however condone any behavior which is contrary to our teaching.
we deny drunks the right to be drunk in public, is that fair?
we can prosecute someone for lying, is that discrimination?
this an activity, not a race or gender, or nationality. keep it in your bedroom just like i do.
we would rather remove marriage from the public square than grant it to gays through the state.
No where did I say that immigrants should not come here legally - however it seems you blame the Democrats that the illegal immigrants are here when it is the Republican power structure that brought them here to work in their corporate fields and their home as cheap labor. That alone is abuse. This is not to say that I don't believe some Democrat somewhere has not done the same and if so it is also abuse - no matter who does it.
Believing that somehow the rich deserve the wealth they have attained and should not pay a proportional share of those riches as taxes to run the country that has been so kind to them - or the good old boys club that they were born into - is just simply unChristian.
Life is never fair. But here in the U.S. we have a Constitution that could make that a hope for people. It is simply the wealthy that do not want to part with any of their 8 homes or private planes or yachts and would rather watch the poor die from lack of health care and insurance that could be provided by our government - while they gave up maybe ONE of their homes.
I understand that there are people who are not gay who have participated in gay sex. That comes closer to sin than any thing you have suggested. I believe the Bible says that we should not fornicate - have sex with someone other than our husband or wife. So lets make it legal for gay people to have sex with the person they love and want for a life partner.
You need to evolve.
Interestingly enough I found 9 instances in which Jesus warns about hell (Mt 7: 13-14, Mt 24: 50-51, etc.), 8 instances in which Jesus said he came to save sinners (Jn 5:24, Jn 3:16-18, Luke 15: 1-7), four instances in which he predicts his own death and ressurection (Mt 20:17-19, Mk 10: 33-34, Jn 11:50, etc.), 5 instances in which he claimed to be the son of God (Mt 26:63-64, Jn 10: 35-39, Jn 8: 58-59, etc.) , and 3 instances in which he instructs people to proslytize (Mt 28: 19-20, Mk 16: 15-16, Lk 10).
Please check out these verses yourself. The "teachings of Jesus" are diverse and go well beyond helping the poor.
So what you seem to be saying is Jesus addressed caring for the poor, the widow, and the orphan more often than any other single subject.
Also, Jesus never mentioned gays or marijuana. And since both of those two things are all over Jesus' father's planet, it seems obvious that God loves both gays and weed!!!
Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, so to speak.
God if there be one is neither female, nor male, he bears no resemblance to anything on earth, if he is, he is an inconceivable.
God is love.