A coalition of 100 Christian faith leaders, looking to raise hunger and poverty as a prominent issue in the 2016 election cycle, is urging all potential 2016 presidential candidates to post videos stating how they plan to alleviate poverty and hunger in the United States and abroad.
The group of faith leaders, which represents a wide array of Christian denominations, churches, universities, seminaries and agencies, was convened by Circle of Protection, a group committed to advocating for programs that help ease the hunger and poverty of the indigent. The coalition asks potential candidates to make three minute videos explaining how each of them will provide "help" and "opportunity" to needy people throughout the world.
Along with the many Christian schools, churches and other localized Christian groups who've had representatives sign onto this movement are national groups such as the National Association for Evangelicals, Sojourners, American Bible Society, Bread for the World, Catholic Theological Union, Jesuit Conference, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, and Catholic Charities USA.
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As over 45 million Americans and 14 million children are living in poverty in the U.S., Jim Wallis, CEO and founder of Sojourners, explained that the Bible states that God judges on how the less fortunate people in society are treated.
"Throughout the Scripture, we're told that a society will be judged by how they treat "the least" among them. Our political leaders also must be assessed through the measure of their commitment to the poor and most vulnerable," Wallis said in the release. "Though political advisors are telling their candidates that they shouldn't talk about poverty, as people of faith we must and will disagree. That is why, as each presidential candidate declares, the faith community will hold them accountable by asking them all — Republicans and Democrats alike — to answer the question: 'How will you treat those Jesus has called 'the least of these?' How will you address and find real solutions to poverty?'"