The Common Good

Election 2012 Campaigns

A Moral Economy: Faith, Values and the Federal Budget

In the face of historic deficits, our nation must make hard choices about how to balance needs and resources, while allocating both burdens and sacrifices. 

These tough (and unavoidable) decisions are economic, political, societal -- and moral.

As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the economy is how well the poorest, most vulnerable people are faring.

We look at each budget proposal from the bottom up – how it treats the folks Jesus called “the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). Widows. Orphans. The sick. The outcasts. The poor, marginalized and voiceless.

The Christian community has an obligation to help their voices be heard. And so we seek to join with like-minded souls in insisting that the programs that serve the most vulnerable in our nation and around the world be protected. 

 
 
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Christians for Immigration Reform

Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

CCIR, a campaign of Sojourners, educates and mobilizes Christian organizations, churches, and leaders from across the theological and political spectrum to advocate for comprehensive U.S. immigration reform and compassionate immigration policies at the state level. Our coalition work is driven by common moral and theological principles that compel us to love, care for, and seek justice for all of God’s people, including the visitors and foreigners among us.

We seek an end to the unproductive, divisive, and fear-driven anti-immigrant rhetoric in the media, which has often castigated all immigrants—regardless of citizenship status—and derailed attempts at true reform. As Christian leaders who share the biblical values named below, we commit to fostering civil dialogue on immigration in our churches and in our communities. We call on all our elected officials at the federal and state level to provide the leadership necessary to move from the hateful rhetoric that has often characterized this national debate to action that will fix our broken immigration system. We have committed ourselves to creating a new national conversation on immigration policy that reflects the best of our moral and civic values.

Our shared principles include the following:

  • We believe all people, regardless of national origin or citizenship status, are made in the "image of God" and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect (Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6).
     
  • We believe there is an undeniable responsibility to love and show compassion for the stranger among us (Deuteronomy 10:18-19, Leviticus 19:33-34, Matthew 25:31-46).
     
  •  We believe that immigrants are our neighbors—both literally and figuratively—and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and show mercy to neighbors in need (Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:25-37).
     
  • We believe in the rule of law, but we also believe that we are to oppose unjust laws and systems that harm and oppress people made in God's image, especially the vulnerable (Isaiah 10:1-4, Jeremiah 7:1-7, Acts 5:29, Romans 13:1-7).

We recognize that the current U.S. immigration system is broken and reform is necessary. The biblical principles above compel us to support immigration reform legislation that includes the following elements: 

  • Enforcement efforts that are consistent with humanitarian values;
     
  • Reforms in our family-based immigration system that reduce waiting times for separated families to be reunited;
     
  • A process for all immigrant workers and their families already in the U.S. to earn citizenship upon satisfaction of specific criteria;
     
  • An expansion of legal avenues for workers and families to enter our country and work in a safe and legal manner with their rights and due process fully protected;
     
  • Examining solutions to address the root causes of migration, such as economic disparities between sending and receiving nations.

We urge Congress and state legislatures to consider these elements when enacting humane and holistic immigration reform for our country.

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End the War in Afghanistan, Work for Peace

Sojourners believes it is time to bring the war in Afghanistan to an end.

There is no justifiable reason for continuing, but many reasons – human, financial and spiritual – to end. This page provides information, messaging and resources that enable Christians and the church to be a prophetic witness against continued U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, and take responsibility for the consequences of war in our country and in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Climate Change

Because God created an interconnected web of life that is radiant with value and goodness, we teach respect for all creation, we work to protect this beautiful and fragile planet, and we pursue cultural, economic, and environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Climate change is, first and foremost, a moral issue. Those who have contributed least to climate change are the first and most impacted by the consequences. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Working to slow climate change is one powerful way we can do just that.

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