The Common Good

God's Politics

Danger and Opportunity in Zimbabwe and South Africa

by Nontando Hadebe 05-29-2008

I have heard that the Chinese symbol for crisis means both danger and opportunity. The political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and the crisis brought by xenophobic violence in South Africa present both danger and opportunity. 

For many citizens from both countries, the crisis has become an opportunity to express their values of compassion and generosity.  In the past week, there has been an outpouring of aid from many local citizens in the form of provision of [...]

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Feeling the Love on Daily Kos

by Ryan Rodrick Beiler 05-29-2008

Jim Wallis and the progressive shift within the evangelical community just got a little shout-out on a Daily Kos diary-which is great:

... this conservative Christian college is showing signs of a real shift in perspective.  Being overtly Christian is no [...]

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There is No Divide between Us

by Jim Wallis 05-28-2008

The genocidal situation in Darfur continues to worsen, with more killings and increased attacks on peacekeepers.  All the efforts to date by the U.N., the U.S., and other governments have failed to stop the atrocities. 

In this morning's New York Times, the Save Darfur coalition ran an ad with the message: "We stand united and demand that the genocide and violence in Darfur [...]

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In Memory of Maria -- and Millions More

by Eugene Cho 05-28-2008

I don't want to assume that readers automatically know who Steven Curtis Chapman is, but if you've been surfing the Web recently, it's very likely you may have seen the name. Chapman is one of the most visible and influential figures of the Christian music genre. As of 2007, he has sold more than 10 million albums, has nine gold and platinum albums, and won five Grammy awards.

Chapman [...]

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Burger King Agrees to Raise Wages for Tomato Workers

by Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves 05-28-2008

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers announced Friday that after a prolonged and often heated campaign, Burger King has agreed to award tomato pickers 1.5 cents per pound of tomatoes picked, the equivalent of a 71 percent increase in wages.

The decision was announced on Capitol Hill last Friday. Watch the press conference:

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Thabo Mbeki Must Intervene in Zimbabwe

by Seth Naicker 05-27-2008

In the back and forth concerning the role South Africa must play in the crisis of human rights abuses under the reign of Robert Mugabe and his cronies, it is my belief that we must see some form of serious intervention.

I understand the need for diplomacy, which always calls for "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." But when endless reports have been publicized of the atrocities that the people of Zimbabwe are facing, South African President Thabo Mbeki must engage ways to ensure [...]

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Taking Names: Witness Against Torture Gets Personal

by Frida Berrigan 05-26-2008

What does it mean to be a Christian in these times? The works of mercy knock on our door. The hungry, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner demand our compassion -- but more, they demand our action.

I am thinking of the prisoners especially as I prepare for trial in Washington, D.C., tomorrow. There are the

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Don't Let the Empire Limit Our Movement's Imagination

by Zack Exley 05-23-2008

Over the last few years, I've gotten acquainted with a movement of Christians that is vibrant, enormous, and yet refuses to let itself be named or to take credit for any of its accomplishments. Some have named subsets or aspects of the movement -- for example, "The New Monastics," "The Emergent Church," "Ordinary Radicals," and even "Revolutionaries." But there are millions of people swept up into this movement who have never even heard those phrases. [...]

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'Come Let Us Reason' with Iran

by Amanda Hendler-Voss 05-23-2008

On May 20, The Jerusalem Post reported that "a senior member in the entourage of President Bush" said during closed meetings that Bush and Cheney "were of the opinion that military action against Iran was called for." The White House denied the story, which claims that the reservations of Secretaries Rice and Gates are the remaining levies holding back the floodwaters of war. [...]

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The Lion of the Senate

by Jim Wallis 05-22-2008

They call him a lion. John McCain, on Tuesday, called him the "last lion in the Senate … because he remains the single most effective member of the Senate." I've always liked lions. I have a beautiful painting of a South African lion on the wall of our living room at home. My boys think it is Aslan, the lion of Narnia, of whom Mr. Beaver said, "'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

The nation got a shock this week. Edward Kennedy, the lion who has been in [...]

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