Dan and I were just sitting in the office, talking about how the financial mess is affecting churches and religious organizations. With that in mind, I started poking around religion blogs and news sources, expecting to find stories about diminishing funds in church coffers stymieing congregations’ abilities to help those in need, how pledges and stewardship campaigns are shifting as a result, what cuts are being made in religious organizations’ budgets, and the like.

When I found “Wall Street’s Woes come to Church", I thought my expectations were confirmed.

But the subtitle-- “Episcopalians consider new economic landscape, extend help to others"-- told a different story.

Mary Frances Schjonberg writes about new and evolving ministries that cater to the needs of those affected by the Wall Street crisis; churches like Trinity Church, (located at the corner of Wall Street and Broadway in lower Manhattan), which is now offering sessions on "Coping with Stress” and "Navigating Career Transitions.” Others offer job-seeking classes; all offered pastoral support and care for parishioners suffering from doubt and anxiety.

It’ll be interesting to see how else houses of worship respond. What’s yours done so far?

(Thanks to Jeff Weiss over at the Dallas Morning News religion blog for posting this article!)

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Reading today's Jerusalem Post, I came across a reflection on how observance of the High Holy Days has changed for American Jews over the course of centuries, and I got to thinking about how the election and the unfolding financial crisis will color this year's.

Jewish Week editor and publisher Gary Rosenblatt examines the election through the lens of the holiday:

As we move toward the final days of the presidential campaign in a nation increasingly divided between Red and Blue, between opposing visions of how America should deal with its growing problems, domestic and foreign, what, if anything, do the High Holy Days teach us?

It’s an age-old challenge for religion, to link our soul-searching to our daily concerns. But in truth the theme of these Days of Awe, like that of this political season, is all about the need for and capacity to change — in this case, the challenge to take stock of our thoughts and actions and turn inward, not to escape reality but to better ourselves in responding to the trials of everyday life.

Judaism is about the here and now. Our sages spent little time postulating on the afterlife, focusing instead on mitzvot whose overarching purpose is summed up by Hillel’s famous axiom: “What is hateful to you, do not do unto others.”

When we are commanded to emulate God and be a holy people, it does not mean to live a life removed from society but rather to engage with others in ways that make them, and us, more human, in the best sense of the word.

Newsday's Bart Jones reports that, in keeping with this spirit, Rabbi Charles A. Klein, chair of the New York Board of Rabbis will prompt his congregation to reflect on our national economic ethos:

Klein said he will tell his flock the crisis raises fundamental questions about who we are as a society and what values we are cultivating.

"What brought the crisis on?" said Klein, who is president of the New York Board of Rabbis. "If it's a result of people accepting the idea that greed is good," then that would contradict Jewish teachings.

Words for believers and nonbelievers alike to ponder.

Posted by Dan at 03:37 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

On the heels of the recent University of Akron national survey of religion and politics poll that found that "evangelical protestants supported Republican John McCain at levels approaching their support for George W. Bush in the comparable stage of the 2004 election," this week's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly poll shows young evangelicals peeling away from their elders and from the Republican party:

---White evangelicals are supporting McCain by a marging of 71-23, but those #'s change to 62-30 among WE's under 30.
---Young white evangelicals also have less favorable views of McCain, Palin and Pres. Bush than evangelicals overall.
---A majority of young evangelicals are ok with some sort of civil union/legal recognition of same-sex couples, but are just as pro-life as their elders.

These findings aren't enough to reshape the face of evangelicalism and may/may not make a big difference on the '08 race. They do, however, raise an interesting question. As under-30 evangelicals increasingly move into positions of leadership, how will the movement change?

More data to come between now and the election, I'm sure.

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Over at his Boston Globe blog, Articles of Faith, Michael Paulson notes that Friday night's presidential debate at Ole Miss, which centered on the economy and foreign policy, "was completely free of talk about religion -- a marked shift in language choice from the words used by both candidates during their acceptance speeches at their party political conventions," despite the fact that issues with strong religious underpinnings such as Iran, Israel and terrorism.

Paulson's observations come at a time when people of faith are increasingly expressing that the economy and the way our country handles its business overseas fall under the category of moral or "values" issues.

While the candidates certainly don't have to invoke the name or language of any faith to recognize an issue's gravity, it will be interesting to see how these topics are framed going forward. Will they dialogue with voters (and each other) about the inherent moral and spiritual ramifications of our nation's actions, or will rhetoric be devoid of these dimensions?

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Following is a message from Brian Swarts, National Coordinator of Micah Challenge USA. It is also posted at God's Politics.

Tonight US presidential candidates will meet to debate foreign policy. Yesterday the United Nations met to discuss our progress towards cutting global poverty in half by 2015.

While most of us in America are focused on our financial mess in Wall Street, there is another major crisis taking place – one of life and death. Right now, the developing world faces a major hunger crisis that threatens to push an additional 70 million into extreme poverty. Just as the US government is taking bold action to stem financial troubles for wealthy banks, people of faith are calling on our leaders to remember their promises to the poor and to take bold actions to stem rising hunger and poverty.

In response to this need for Christians to speak out for the poor, Micah Challenge USA is launching Micah's Challenge to the Future President, an open letter calling on McCain and Obama to support a foreign policy that renews America's commitment to the pledge to dramatically reduce poverty, disease and inequality by 2015 (Sign your name to the challenge).

On Monday, I moderated a press conference panel of American and global evangelical leaders in calling on the UN and US presidential candidates to take bold steps to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This conference was in response to a prophetic Letter on poverty, written by senior evangelical Christian leaders in the Global South, representing four continents and hundreds of millions of Christians. The Letter calls on Christians in the United States to protest the lack of progress that has been made toward cutting global poverty. Yesterday, I attended a meeting of more than 70 national religious leaders to discuss how the faith community is going to respond to the global hunger crisis, which threatens to be overshadowed by our own financial challenges.

The clear consensus of both these events was that is the faith community’s role, more than any other group in the country, to remind Americans of our responsibility to those who are suffering most. Just as we need to urge Congress to remember families losing their homes as they bail out banks, we need challenge our political leaders to remember our promises to those living in extreme poverty around the world.

Micah Challenge USA, a coalition of US evangelical denominations and institutions dedicated to fighting global poverty. Visit www.micahchallenge.us to read the “Letter to the Church in the United States” and ‘Micah’s Challenge to the Future President”

Faith In Public Life

Posted by Dan at 01:31 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Via TAPPED, Bono:

"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion dollars to saved 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

Posted by Dan at 03:22 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Today FaithfulAmerica.org began flooding the Mississippi airwaves with radio ads demanding accountability and honesty from the candidates at Friday’s presidential debate because, as the ad states, “the Ninth Commandment wasn’t just a suggestion.”

“In Mississippi, we teach our kids to let their 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and their 'No' be 'No,'” it begins, echoing the Sermon on the Mount. “Unfortunately, politicians are often more interested in scoring political points and attacking each other than in telling us the whole truth about how they’re going to lead our nation.”

Listen to the ad here.

It encourage voters to contact debate moderator Jim Lehrer to request that he “hold both candidates accountable when they bear false witness about themselves or their opponent.” Faithful America members nationwide are joining in this call to action as well. You can join the effort too at faithfulamerica.org.

The ads are running on Christian and Country radio stations throughout Northern Mississippi and Western Tennessee. Click here to give it a listen.

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With less than two months till the election, no segment of religious voters is completely sewn up, and a lot of the public dialogue is about culture war vs broadening agenda.chatter. However, we'd also do well to consider some gut-level feelings faithful voters have about the political process.

The current issue of Relevant Magazine devotes its cover to the political ponderings of young evangelicals. Not wanting to repeat the mistakes of their (metaphorical and literal) fathers, they're trying to engage politics in a way that transcends the narrow partisanship of the Religious Right era. For many, their efforts are leading to a crisis of faith and civics that offers many questions and few models for success.

Writer Adam Smith acknowledges the problem's deep roots:

"It’s not just the candidates that can give Christians pause. Indeed, the entire political process has become so polarized and vitriolic that some have begun to question its very foundation."

(Note: This disillusionment is just as true of the public at large.)

In interviews with leading evangelicals, Smith explores different options: engaging politics in an unconventional way that makes room for activism but may or may not lead to voting (Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw); or being a multi-issue voter, refusing to be completely defined by one party or the other (Tony Campolo:

“My contention is that if anybody asks if you’re a Democrat or a Republican, the answer should be, ‘Please name the issue,’” he says. “On certain issues, I’m going to come across as someone who likes what the Republicans say, and on other issues I will come across as saying what the Democrats say.”

Ultimately, Adam suggests that young evangelicals are looking to take a principled approach to politics that eschews partisan lever-pulling. One that requires candidates to speak truthfully, thoughtfully and offer conviction rather than character asassination. Given the recent tone of the campaign, turnout will be something to watch closely.

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The first presidential debate will take place this Friday at the University of Mississippi, and there's more at stake than the presidency. The race is crossing threshold after threshold of sleaze: character attacks, innuendo, outright lies. A key enabling factor of this debasement is the media's hesitancy to call a lie a lie and a smear a smear. We need truth-telling, and for better or worse we need the media's to help make it happen.

To this end, during the run-up to Friday night's presidential debate, Faithful America is placing ads on Mississippi Christian radio urging listeners to contact debate moderator Jim Lehrer and tell him to hold the candidates accountable if they bear false witness about themselves or each other. Listen to the ad here.

When there's no accountability, commandments get treated like suggestions and integrity becomes a liability. That's not the political culture we need. To help us fund this ad demanding accountability and honesty from the presidential candidates, click here. Thanks!

Posted by Dan at 10:34 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

The people are not on your side. Religion News Service reported this morning that 54 percent of Americans think pastors should not be allowed to endorse candidates from the pulpit without risking their 501c3 tax exemption, 40 percent thought clergy should be allowed to do so, and the remainder weren't sure. Just as remarkably, 39 percent strongly disapproved of endorsement and 22 percent strongly approved -- remember this if and when pastors claim the mantle of popular approval during the ADF-sponsored "Pulpit Initiative" this weekend.

What gets me about ADF's claim that pastors are somehow persecuted or denied freedom of speech by IRS regulations is that it's just not true. If clergy want to explicitly make their houses of worship part of a political machine, fine. But they are not entitled to a tax exemption for that. If there were no regulations of tax-exempt organizations' political activity, political groups would have a pretty strong incentive to just set themselves up as houses of worship. I seriously cannot imagine how any religious leader would think that's a good thing.

Posted by Dan at 09:11 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

All year I've been meaning to crank up a faith-and-politics book salon over here, but I've just never been able to carve out the time. Luckily, the good folks at Firedoglake are hosting one for my new neighbor Robby Jones, author of the recently released Progressive & Religious, which draws on almost 100 interviews with Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Buddhist leaders working to transform public life. I've worked with Robby on several projects and found his insight and expertise remarkable.

It'll be moderated by Sarah Posner, author of God's Profits and journalist who churns out The American Prospect's weekly must-read Fundamentalist column. I met Sarah at last year's Values Voter Summit and have spoken with her regularly ever since. If our conversations are any indication, expect a great discussion of Robby's book.

Saturday, Firedoglake.com, 5-7 pm. I will be there, and I hope you join us.

Posted by Dan at 03:24 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Today's Los Angeles Times ran an editorial under the headline "The real issues of election 2008" calling for economic and security issues to take precedence in the presidential campaign:

Last year, Sen. John McCain finished last in a Republican presidential poll held in conjunction with the [Values Voter] summit. This year's summiteers were newly enthusiastic about McCain because of his selection of their kindred spirit, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as his running mate. Some of the faithful hope that the 2008 election will be a referendum on "values" -- as defined by them.

We hope they're wrong. A raft of issues will confront the next president: the faltering economy, Iraq, Afghanistan, the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, a resurgent Russia, gaps in health insurance, energy policy and climate change. Especially after this week's turmoil in the financial markets, it's bizarre to suggest that this election should turn on abortion, same-sex marriage or the relationship between church and state. Though these remain important issues, the electorate would be the loser if they play as significant a role this year as they have in recent presidential races.

I guess I'd half agree with this. The more we focus on issues outside the culture wars, the better off we'll be, but we can't just wish wedge issues away. We need an alternative framework. Long wars typically don't end until one or both sides more or less run out of bullets, and as much as I've enjoyed watching the Religious Right's influence wane, their munitions factories are still humming along. I don't have the solution, but I think a good starting point is deciding whether we're trying to end the war or trying to win it. It is an important distinction, and one that each of us who care about politics owe ourselves to ask. I for one don't think this war can end in victory -- for either side.

Posted by Dan at 03:39 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Yesterday numerous religious leaders called on candidates for public office (not just the presidentials) to make poverty a more urgent priority. A group of more than 100 called specifically for relief and rebuilding on the hurricane- and poverty-ravaged Gulf Coast:

In an attempt to solve what they called a "moral crisis," the religious leaders sent the statement to national leaders of both parties to urge them to restore the Gulf Coast communities by creating resident-led partnerships that will enable residents to help rebuild their communities.

The statement also called for government officials to increase federal and state funding for affordable housing and coastal wetland restoration, and to implement a flood control system to protect the communities from future severe weather.

The statement and full list of signatories is here.

And in Washington, DC,

Praying outside the U.S. Capitol Sept. 16, Catholic, Protestant, Islamic and Jewish leaders invoked the words of the prophet Micah in calling upon candidates for public office in the Nov. 4 election to join with Americans of faith concerned about the growing poverty in the U.S. to work for justice for the poor.

It's important to make these statements right now. A new administration and a new Congress will take the reins before we know it, and they'll put the most energy into the issues they hear about most from voters. If we don't put poverty on their radar, they'll do exactly nada about it. With faith leaders asking en masse, and in some cases face to face, the candidates and electeds won't be able put poverty on the back burner or sweep it under the rug as they have for decades.

Posted by Dan at 02:49 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Following up on last week's sudden firing of 100 Muslim workers at a JBS Swift meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, 500 Muslim workers at the company's plant in Grand Island, Nebraska, have walked off the job to protest being denied time to pray at work during Ramadan.

On one level, this is a workers' rights and religious freedom issue, but the underlying problem seems to be a basic lack of respect for Muslims at this meatpacking company. Seriously, can you just let people schedule break times around prayer? Is that too much to ask?

UPDATE: The Greeley Tribune reports that proceedings for reinstatement are stalled, and that the incident has a lengthy backstory.

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Faithful America recently purchased advertisements in the St. Paul Pioneer-Press and Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel thanking community organizers for all they do to advance justice and improve their communities. The ads were funded by contributions from hundreds of Faithful America members who, in response to derisive comments about community organizers, responded to an action alert calling for an expression of gratitude to these humble servants.

Click here to view a PDF of the ad.

If you're not a member of Fatihful America, click here to join the online community of tens of thousands of activists dedicated to the common good.

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Plenty of bad news about Hurricane Ike. Click here to contribute to relief efforts.

Posted by Dan at 11:49 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

From this morning's Houston Chronicle:

Comment: Damage from inundation caused by storm surge will be widespread across the region, but should not reach the catastrophic level that would have occurred, if several model predictions materialized. Heavy rains continue across the Houston metropolitan region, and bayou flooding may replace the storm surge threat, but if Ike exits the region on schedule, Southeast Texas will have escaped the worst.

All of this doesn't speak to the potential devastation in Galveston, especially for areas beyond the seawall on the island's west end. That's a story that will continue to unfold for days and weeks.

So plenty to be thankful for and much to continue to pray for.

Posted by Dan at 12:20 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

I remember receiving an email on 9/12 with pictures of dozens of vigils across the world, from London to Tehran, Cairo to Moscow. The outpouring of grief and support from abroad was a moment of community that mirrored our instinctive and inspiring unity at home. But on 9/16, Dick Cheney went on Meet the Press and foreshadowed the response that squandered this global good will and divided the country:

We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will. We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world. A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we're going to be successful. That's the world these folks operate in, and so it's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective.

Seven years on, it's common knowledge that agents of the American government torture detainees. We do. We deprive people of sleep for days on end, subject them to hypothermia, tie them in agonizing stress positions, slowly drown them, beat them, sexually humiliate them, hold them incommunicado for years on end. People of faith, like everyone else, have come down on both the right and wrong sides of this moral issue. As support for torture lingers, hopefully the golden rule persuasion message that worked so well in the poll we released yesterday will come into wide use and change the hearts and minds of misguided people.

Posted by Dan at 09:16 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Results of a new poll on Southern Evangelicals’ attitudes toward torture were released today at Mercer University in Atlanta during the opening day of A National Summit on Torture. You can read the poll memo, which details the poll’s findings, here.

A video recording of this morning's press conference about the poll is available here.

Speakers at the press conference included Dr. David P. Gushee, who authored the National Association of Evangelicals-endorsed Evangelical Declaration Against Torture, and is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, at Mercer University and President of Evangelicals for Human Rights and Tyler Wigg Stevenson, Director of the Two Futures Project, a nuclear disarmament initiative centered around young evangelicals. Dr. Robert Jones, President of Public Religion Research presented the poll’s findings. Katie Paris of Faith in Public Life moderated the press conference.

Among the key findings:

• While a majority of white evangelical Christians in the South think that torture is often or sometimes justified, they are significantly more likely to oppose torture if they rely on Christian teachings or beliefs to form their views on the issue.
• A majority of white evangelical Christians in the South agree with the Golden Rule argument against torture—that the U.S. government should not use methods against our enemies that we would not want used on American soldiers.

Posted by Dan at 10:37 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

The Fighting Poverty WIth Faith Week of Action discussed earlier has their own blog, which features an audio recording yesterday's press teleconference kickoff. On the call are JCPA Executive Director Rabbi Steve Gutow, Reps. John Lewis and Rosa DeLauro, Rev. Clarence Williams of Catholic Charities, and Dr. Jared Bernstein from the Economic Policy Institute. As a whole, they lay out the moral, theological, historical, political and strategic frameworks for cutting poverty drastically right now. Have a listen for some illuminating observations about how we can and why we must.

Posted by Dan at 04:29 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Yesterday, a nationwide interfaith campaign to increase the emphasis on poverty in the '08 election kicked off:

Faith leaders from 21 national organizations, led by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Catholic Charities USA, have joined forces to spend a week urging local, state and national politicians to make anti-poverty efforts a top priority.

Called "Fighting Poverty with Faith: A Week of Action," the grass-roots effort includes a range of activities, from a poverty symposium in Nashville, Tenn., to a letter-writing campaign in Rhode Island. The week culminates with a Sept. 16 gathering on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

With the McCain and Obama campaigns heading into the final two months before Election Day, Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said the interfaith coalition can "hold the candidates responsible" for coming up with strategies to help the 37 million Americans who live below the federal poverty line.

To be fair, both party platforms address domestic poverty (albeit with rather different approaches and degrees of emphasis). But it's hard to argue that it's received due attention. Smart, dedicated people in the interfaith advocacy world have put a tremendous amount of effort into putting poverty back on the agenda. Their energy, and the faith-driven dedication of religious communities across the country, can make the difference. Poverty is a moral issue, and a far more important topic than how many houses John McCain has or whether Barack Obama called Sarah Palin a pig.

Posted by Dan at 09:30 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Delving into the latest Barna poll, Christian Post's Jennifer Riley found some fascinating data.

Sixty percent of the American people perceive evangelicals will significantly influence the election, and 59% think they "spend too much time complaining and not enough time solving problems." What's more, 50% of evangelicals share this perception. Hmm, I wonder where people would get that idea.

On other matters, public images and self-perceptions of evangelicals diverge, revealing a remarkable deficit of understanding:

Also, only 48 percent of evangelicals believe it is accurate that their voting peers will focus primarily on abortion and homosexuality despite the wide attention such moral issues have received. In contrast, 85 percent of all American adults agreed with this description about evangelical voters.

David Kinnaman, who directed the Barna study, pointed out that a 2007 study by Barna showed that 9 out of 10 evangelicals believe abortion is a major problem. Similarly, nearly 8 out of 10 evangelicals say homosexuality is a major challenge facing the nation.

...Meanwhile, 47 percent of all adults said evangelical voters will minimize social justice issues, like poverty and immigration. Only 28 percent of evangelicals agreed with that statement.

However, Barna evangelicals don't see this translating into Obama votes -- 74% said they expected evangelicals to vote overwhelmingly Republican.

Barna defines evangelicals by theological criteria, not self-identification, resulting in a much smaller (and more conservative) group falling into the category, so we're planting an appleseed in an orange grove if we place this poll into the overall picture without qualifiers, but I still think these findings are noteworthy and confounding.

Posted by Dan at 10:51 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Perhaps you've noticed the proliferation of religion-and-politics polls in recent years. Perhaps you've read some of them. Perhaps you wish you could find them all in one place.

Wish no longer -- FPL Poll Spot is here! It's a comprehensive resource for religion and politics polls, containing all the current and recent survey data on campaigns, issues and religious communities. Pew, Barna, Gallup, Time, ABC -- you name it, we got it. Check back often for the latest information!

Posted by Dan at 10:57 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Reading the numerous and powerful responses from community organizers to political insults of their work, it occurs to me that such words slight Faith In Public Life's work organizing diverse religious leaders across the country. We can deal with the derision -- it won't stand in the way of our work for the common good. But the ignorance on display presents a teachable moment.

We promote a vision of faith in the public square that rises above the sniping of the culture wars and claims space in the values debate for justice and the common good, and faith-based community organizing is where this rubber meets the road. Groups resourced by Faith In Public Life, such as We Believe Ohio and We Believe Colorado, are composed of faith leaders from a variety of traditions who take action at the state and local level on causes such as raising the minimum wage and fighting payday lending, preventing racial profiling and improving education. Rather than embroiling themselves in polarization for political gain, they work to actually promote justice and improve their communities.

Faith-based community organizing does not pit Republicans against Democrats. What it does is put social progress above political showmanship. Our faiths call us to walk humbly and work for justice, and organizers at the grassroots level do just that. It is worthy of praise, not punchlines. We are proud of our work in faith-based community organizing, and we believe that politicians of all stripes will be as well if they take the time to learn what it's all about.

Posted by Dan at 01:39 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

Father Ed Reese gives the invocation on the third night of the Republican National Convention. Notice the recurring theme from this week: relief for the Gulf region, which was affected by Hurricane Gustav this week.

Posted by Kristin at 05:46 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Faith-based community organizing leaders are speaking out today about the “actual responsibilities” of community organizers and their tremendous impact every day on the lives of millions of Americans.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s remark last night -- that her experience as “a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities” -- reflects the fact that many of our political leaders have no idea what community organizing is or how it impacts the lives working people in communities across America every day.

Community organizers are equipping tens of thousands of clergy and lay leaders in thousands of congregations across America to take effective action to improve the lives of millions of Americans. PICO, Gamaliel, DART, and Interfaith Worker Justice are four of the congregation-based community organizing networks dedicated to this work.

“As a life-long Republican, the comments I heard last night about community organizing crossed the line. It is one thing to question someone’s experience, another to demean the work of millions of hard working Americans who take time to get involved in their communities. When people come together in my church hall to improve our community, they’re building the Kingdom of God in San Diego. We see the fruits of community organizing in safer streets, new parks, and new affordable housing. It’s the spirit of democracy for people to have a say and we need more of it,”

said Bishop Roy Dixon, prelate of the Southern California 4th ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Church of God in Christ, member of the San Diego Organizing Project and former board chair of PICO. PICO is comprised of 53 faith-based organizations and 1,000 faith communities from 50 denominations working in 150 cities and town and 17 states.

"We can thank community organizing for the weekend, the 8 hour day, integrated swimming pools, public transportation, health care for children and safe neighborhoods. Community organizing is behind most of the family-oriented initiatives we benefit from every day. I am proud to work for change in my country, my state, and my city as a community organizer, following the great traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King,"

said Laura Barrett, National Policy Director of Gamaliel/Transportation Equity Network (TEN). Gamaliel is a multifaith community organizing network in 60 metro regions in the US, as well as Great Britian and South Africa. 2,000 faith congregations, student groups and unions are involved in Gamaliel.

“Contrary to Palin’s disparaging remarks, organizers have major responsibilities for creating policy changes. Feeding the hungry and housing the homeless are clearly responsibilities of people of faith. We do that by providing food and shelter and more importantly, by organizing to address the causes of injustice and inequity which lead to hunger and homelessness,”

said Kim Bobo, Executive Director of Interfaith Worker Justice and the co-author of “Organizing for Social Change.”
Interfaith Worker Justice includes 60 affiliates and 20 workers centers and organizes people of faith to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers.

“Politicians should thank community organizers, not insult them. As a longtime organizer, I’ve seen time and time again the we are the ones who make government work for the poor, the powerless and the marginalized. Politicians’ policies and promises would amount to nothing without grassroots activists to hold them accountable. We are leaders of faith and stewards of democracy. In a time when the face of faith in politics is often ugly, community organizing is a valuable example faith’s positive role in public life,”

said Pastor Mark Diemer, senior pastor of Grace of God Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio and a DART community organizer. DART has built and strengthened over twenty local affiliated organizations in six states and trained over 10,000 community leaders and 150 professional community organizers.

Posted by Dan at 04:55 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (20)

This morning I was all set to write a post about how hard it is to blog about faith at the Republican Convention. After all, there hasn't been any video or transcripts of religious panels or prayer invocations or benedictions or anything of the sort. So I was pleasantly surprised to get a point in the right direction from Dan Gilgoff at God-o-meter and Reuters' Ed Stoddard.

Calling it "a very Christian convention," Dan says

The Democratic National Convention may have gone to extraordinary lengths to showcase its new faith-friendly ways last week. And John McCain has often seemed tone-deaf on matters religious. But make no mistake: evangelical Christians are still a huge and growing force in the GOP. The Republican Party might not be issuing press release after press release about it, as are the Democrats, but just turn to C-Span and see for yourself.

Thanks Dan. Interesting that it was explicitly Christian, as were some but not all of the prayers at the Democratic convention. We'll be on the lookout for nods to pluralism. Here's some of that C-Span footage -- prayer and remarks on Hurricane Gustav, humility and character by evangelist Miles McPherson:

Posted by Dan at 01:42 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (1)

One might call it a faithy morning at the Republican National Convention. At 9:30 am (Central), the party's Jewish Advisory Board is meeting, and the Catholic Working Group meets at 11:00 am (Central). In addition to symbolizing religious inclusiveness, this schedule highlights the importance of Jewish and Catholic voters in the election. As I've blogged about numerous times, Catholic voters might be the most vigorously courted religious group in this election because of their enormity and their habit of picking the winner (in that respect, if Catholics were a state they'd be Missouri). Jewish voters, while fewer in number, have the potential to swing key states such as Pennsylvania and Florida.

Both groups are traditionally associated with particularly contentious issues such as abortion and Israel, but also with a long history of working for social justice. You can't talk about the common good from a theological perspective without drawing on Tikkun olam and Catholic social teaching. And in flashbacks to my education in civil rights history, I always recall Viola Liuzzo, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner among the many who died in the movement. Whether these traditions are appealed to at the RNC is an interesting question. Hopefully so.

Posted by Dan at 09:21 AM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (0)

Reporting and commentary on Sarah Palin's nomination suggests a great deal of uncertainty about what evangelicals and socially conservative voters will do on Nov. 4.

On the one hand, James Dobson and Tony Perkins say she is an extemely reassuring and exciting addition to the Republican ticket, and David Brody thinks tapping her was an effective, game-changing move:

For the most part, social conservatives and the Evangelical base are now about to come fully on board...Anytime you have motivated Evangelicals behind you it means your candidate is in a good spot. Watch for pro-family organizations and the McCain team to now start working together to get out the vote. This CAN NOT be emphasized enough.

But Eric Gorski's first report from the Republican National Convention provides a counterpoint -- evangelical voters there haven't received the memo:

At Eagle Brook Church, Minnesota's largest evangelical Christian congregation, there was zero talk of politics on the eve of the Republican National Convention. Church pastors politely declined an invitation to a GOP prayer breakfast this week...

Conservative Christian activists on hand for the GOP convention in nearby St. Paul are suddenly energized about McCain's campaign, thanks to the addition of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the ticket, McCain's recent performance at megachurch pastor Rick Warren's candidate forum and the party's new, tougher platform on abortion and gay marriage.

The looming challenge for Republicans is building the same enthusiasm in "values voters" that fill evangelical churches each week.

Nor is there evangelical consensus at the national level. As reported by Suzanne Sataline in the Wall Street Journal, Rich Cizik's take sounds more tuned in to the facts on the ground:

“I like some of the personal choices she’s made, such as carrying a Downs child to term,’’ Cizik said, referring the governor’s infant son who has Down Syndrome. “So will millions of evangelicals.’’ But he said he and other evangelicals need more information about Palin’s views on the environment and global affairs. “I don’t think evangelicals are going to vote for this team for superficial partisan reasons. I think lots of people are looking beyond labels this time around.’’

Conservative evangelical biographer Stephen Mansfield, who wrote books on both Bush and Obama's faith, takes it a step further:

What is certain is that there were better choices. In an election largely about judgment, McCain may have just made another mis-step.

So it looks like there's nothing approaching consensus about Sarah Palin in socially conservative or centrist evangelical circles.

The plot thickens...

Posted by Dan at 02:44 PM | Link | del.icio.us | Digg | Comments (2)