Media Advisories and Press Releases

Following the signing of the Reclaiming Jesus declaration, multiracial elders from across traditions—including evangelical, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, and African American churches—launched the “Suffer the Little Children” statement condemning the splitting apart of families at the United States border and the abuse of Scripture to defend a morally indefensible policy. The Trump administration is abusing Scripture to justify abusing children.

On Thursday, May 24th from 7-10pm, a group of multiracial elders from many Christian traditions—including representation from evangelical, mainline Protestant, Roman Catholic, and African American churches—will lead a church service, procession to the White House, and silent candlelight vigil in response to the moral and political crises at the highest levels of political leadership.

Today a multiracial group of church leaders with representation from evangelical, mainline Protestant, African-American, and Catholic churches, released a declaration to remind Christians—including the ninety-one percent of members of Congress who self-identify as Christian—that when politics undermines theology, we must examine that politics. The declaration is the first time since the 2016 election that a broad and diverse group of church elders have come together to speak in a unified voice to the current moral and political crisis. These elders are breaking the silence from within the evangelical community and the rest of the Church in rejecting the Christian faith being co-opted by partisan politics.

This declaration is more than another statement, but signals the beginning of a process commended by these church elders to the churches for prayer, study, reflection, and action. It is the duty of elders, they believe, to speak the truth in love to churches by calling out racial and cultural captivities and warning against temptations, false doctrines, and political ideologies. 

On behalf of Sojourners and my family, I want to express our condolences to the Graham family and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Billy Graham has been an important figure in my life and vocation. Ever since meeting him in the early days of Sojourners’ ministry, I found him to be not only gracious and warm, but also a bridge-builder and encourager. I am exceedingly grateful for Billy Graham’s outreach to me as young evangelical starting a faith- inspired social justice movement and his steady support of Sojourners’ work for peace and justice throughout the years.

Billy Graham once told me that he believed his mission for preaching the gospel of salvation and Sojourners mission of teaching the social implications of that personal salvation were “complementary.”

His integrity, consistency, willingness to learn, change, admit mistakes and go forward, and his willingness to take stands on public issues like racially integrating his crusades in the South, and speaking out against nuclear weapons, is an example for all faith leaders to follow. May Billy rest in peace as we all continue to reach out to the world and humanity for which he cared so deeply.

Today Sojourners Executive Director, Adam Taylor and Immigration Campaign Coordinator Jessica Cobian and stood with faith leaders outside of Senator McConnell’s office this morning to perform an Ash Wednesday ceremony in solidarity with Dreamers pressing members of Congress for a Clean Dream Act.

Sojourners strongly denounces the hateful words spoken by Donald Trump during a closed-door immigration-related meeting this week. According to news outlets and confirmed to the media by at least one senator present at the meeting, President Trump asked, “Why do we have all these people from shit-hole nations come here” when referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and other African countries.  It has been reported the President went on to say he would like more people from “places like Norway.” The message was clear --about the color of the skin of the people Trump wants and does not want in America.

The words uttered by Trump may be among the ugliest and most harmful words to ever come from the White House of the United States of America. Media debates around what the words mean dominate the current news cycle. Debates over language are not the issue but rather the worldview that white European immigrants are preferable to black and brown immigrants. As an organization committed and driven by faith in action for racial justice and healing, Sojourners urges a unified response against this Administration’s divisive, dangerous, and racist agendas against people of color, immigrants, refugees, and Muslims; again revealed by the brutal expletives from the President of the United States.

“The deepest question we must ask is about white American Christians. What will they/we say and do? Will we speak against the racism which is a sin against God and against our brothers and sisters of color who are all made in the image of God? Silence is not morally or biblically allowed; and silence is complicity according the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whose birthday we remember on Monday. My recommendation is that every MLK event in America this Monday make the move from commemoration to commitment. It is time for Christians, especially white American Christians, to speak out and step up as Christians to the kind of racial talk and actions that are now becoming normalized in the United States of America and that we heard again on Thursday from the Oval Office. God help us,” said Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners. 

Dreamers and immigration advocates gathered at the Capitol this morning for the Dreamer Prayer Rally, kicking off a week of planned civil disobedience actions as part of the Camino de Sueños/ Path of Dreams virtual pilgrimage coordinated by Christian Community Development Association. Faith leaders urged Congress to pass a clean DREAM Act and provide a permanent legislative fix to protect DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients from deportation and provide a path to citizenship.

Christian leaders from all the families of U.S. Christianity are concerned that the tax bill being considered in Congress will cause harm to people in poverty. Below are statements from leaders of the Circle of Protection. The statements follow a letter the Circle of Protection sent to members of Congress recently. It reads in part: 

Sojourners announced today the debut of the Jim Wallis Show a new weekly audio program that will feature thoughtful commentary on the week’s key issues.  The show will feature Sojourners President and Founder Jim Wallis and is available at: sojo.net/media/gallery/jim-wallis-show