In light of the escalating violence and humanitarian crisis that is developing in Iraq, Jim Wallis, President and Founder of Sojourners, released the following statement:
"Our hearts have grown heavy as we have watched events unfold in Iraq over the last weeks and months. As a follower of the Prince of Peace, my prayers are with all those devastated by violence and persecution. Watching historic Christian communities – places where faith has been nurtured from the earliest of times – and other religious minority groups decimated by inexcusable terror is a sad reminder that sin and evil continue to fracture our hurting world. Such suffering and atrocity demand condemnation and lament. We join with those all across the globe in expressing concern for the safety of our brothers and sisters and hoping for a sustainable cessation of violence, the development of stable governance, and protection of human rights within the country.
Regrettably, this ongoing crisis is the result of failed military strategies from the previous decade. American and international churches warned the United States and its allies that the likely outcome of war in Iraq would be increased terrorism and violence. Ultimately, there is no U.S. military solution that can solve Iraq’s long-term conflicts or address challenges roiling that nation. The path to stability and lasting peace involves the hard work of building a strong civil society, re-affirming robust and inclusive democratic institutions, protecting the human rights of everyone, and promoting fair and peaceful processes for resolving disputes.
In this horrible and complicated crisis, may we learn how to be the peacemakers that Jesus says are the children of God."
“The right to hold and practice one's religious beliefs, worship with members of a faith community, and pray according to one's conscience must be vigilantly protected and defended around the globe. Robust advocacy for religious freedom by the U.S. State Department helps to prevent violence and preserve peace; it promotes the common good and defends the God-given dignity of every human being.
Given the importance of this issue in the world today, I can think of no better leader to serve as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom than David Saperstein. As a friend and fellow advocate for justice, I know he brings the courage, dedication, and passion for protecting religious freedom that is necessary for success in this role. I commend President Obama for this nomination and I urge the Senate to quickly confirm Rabbi Saperstein to this post so that he can begin the work that is vital to our nation's foreign policy and the good of the global community.”
Source: Breitbart | John Sexton
Faith leaders of various denominations are interceding on behalf of Central American children now arriving at the U.S. border. This week both evangelicals and Catholics put out calls to help in various ways.
WASHINGTON, DC — Millions of Americans report having experienced domestic and sexual violence. Despite the enormity of this problem, a new poll shows pastors often fail to address it appropriately and consider themselves ill-equipped to respond to incidents of violence within their communities.
A survey of 1,000 Protestant pastors conducted by LifeWay Research on behalf of Sojourners and IMA World Health found that an overwhelming majority of the faith leaders surveyed (74%) underestimate the level of sexual and domestic violence experienced within their congregations. Despite its prevalence in society, two out of three (65%) pastors speak once a year or less about the issue, and when they do address the issue, they may be providing support that does more harm than good.
"The earth is the Lord’s, and in Genesis, God entrusts us with caring for Creation. The earth that we leave to future generations is already being changed by climate change, and so far, our nation has done little to stop climate pollution. The Clean Power Plan, just announced by EPA, is a great step forward for our country in taking climate change seriously. This policy will treat carbon the way it should be treated – as a pollutant that’s harming our health and our planet. It will reduce our carbon pollution 30% below 2005 levels by 2030, but will allow each state the flexibility to decide how it reaches that goal. The rule reflects some of the best values we hold dear and will help prevent premature deaths and asthma attacks caused by smog and other air pollutants. But most importantly, it will reduce the pollution that fuels climate change. It’s clear that President Obama cares about the legacy he leaves to today and into future generations. While there is a lot more that can and should be done by this Administration and by Congress, President Obama deserves our appreciation for embracing the common good and taking such a big step to preserve the earth for our grandchildren’s grandchildren."
WASHINGTON, DC – The following statement was issued by the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), National Immigration Forum, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Sojourners, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration:
“In the last few months, the national debate on immigration reform has been fraught with questions on the timing of when the U.S. House of Representatives or President Barack Obama would act on addressing our country’s heightening moral crisis.
WASHINGTON, DC—Sojourners laments the passing of well-known historian and scholar Dr. Vincent Gordon Harding, who died on May 19. Harding, author of many books including Hope and History and There is a River: The Black Struggle for Freedom in America, was a contributing editor for Sojourners magazine.
Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners and a friend of Harding, released this statement in response to Harding's death: “This is a great loss for our movement and the world and for all of us here at Sojourners. Vincent loved and served us so often in our history. He was an elder and mentor to me and to many of us. I am so grateful for a life so well lived. Thanks be to God for Vincent Harding. We are poorer for his passing and richer for having known him.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2014
CONTACT:
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Sojourners takes home nearly 30 awards from Evangelical Press Association and Associated Church Press
WASHINGTON, DC—Sojourners was recently recognized with 29 awards from the Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press, two of the leading professional organizations in religious journalism. In a year that saw the highest number of entries in the Associated Church Press competition, both Sojourners magazine and the God’s Politics blog were honored, with the magazine receiving 16 awards, the most in its history.
Awards from the Evangelical Press Association included the “Award of Merit” to Sojourners magazine in the “General Publication” category, First Place to “Gandalf, Gollum, and the Death Penalty” by Tobias Winright in the “Biblical Exposition” category, and First Place to “It’s Time to End the Death Penalty” by Jim Wallis in the “Editorial” category.
Awards from the Associated Church Press included First Place to God’s Politics in the “Best in Class” category, Second Place to Sojourners magazine in the “Best in Class” category, and First Place to the May 2013 issue of Sojourners magazine focused on climate change in the “In Depth Coverage” category.
The Associated Church Press awards were presented in Chicago in late April, and the Evangelical Press Association awards were presented in Anaheim in early May.
The full list of awards Sojourners received is listed below:
Source: The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | Jarvis DeBerry
The Bible Society's media packet also includes a testimony from Jim Wallis, the founder and president of Sojourners Magazine. Wallis lectured at Dillard University in October, and the Bible Society quotes him telling the same story he told Dillard: "When we were seminarians ... we cut out of an old Bible every single reference to the poor, to poverty, to justice. ... We were left with a Bible full of holes," he said, "which literally was falling apart in our hands. I used to take it out with me to preach, saying 'This is the American Bible, full of holes...' "
A Bible full of holes. That's the Louisiana Legislature's Bible, too.
"Budgets are moral documents revealing our deepest values, not just our fiscal priorities. As an evangelical Christian, my primary concern with any budget proposal is how it treats those whom Jesus called "the least of these." In offering a budget that focuses on expanding economic opportunity for working people, strengthening tax credits for low-income families, and investing in our nation's infrastructure to benefit all of us, President Obama has demonstrated his commitment to the common good. There are many good ideas here that - by any measure - truly will help vulnerable people and deserve the support of leaders from both parties. The moral test of any budget will always be its practical effects on people’s lives, not ideological purity. Both parties should work together to protect people on the edges of our society and help families to lift themselves out of poverty by making sure there are real ladders of opportunity."
Our broken immigration system has created a moral crisis that must be urgently addressed.
"Opportunity. There might not be a more American word than “opportunity.” But it has never come easily or without struggle. We live in a time when the dreams of so many are slipping away and inequality has become, as President Obama has stated, the "defining challenge of our time."
Washington, D.C., January 27, 2014 –Leaders of the Circle of Protection, a group of Christian leaders from various denominations and organizations, are urging Congress to extend federal emergency unemployment benefits as it resumes its sessions today.
“With 10.4 million people unemployed and three job seekers for every job opening, a moral obligation exists to help protect the life and dignity of unemployed workers and their families,” Christian leaders wrote members of Congress. “Just days after Christmas, 1.3 million unemployed workers were cut off from emergency unemployment assistance. It is time to correct this wrong.”
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Sojourners named Sandi Villarreal as the publication’s new Executive Editor. Sandi, with eight years of experience at Sojourners leading the web team, will lead Sojourners’ dynamic brand of Christian social justice news and commentary.