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Bill Wylie-Kellermann’s use (in "False Gods and the Power of Love," November-December 2003) of the word "corporation" reminds me of the 1960s catchall phrase "the Establishment." It doesn’t mean anything. What company are you talking about and what specific offense are you referring to? The corporation’s mission is to survive through making a profit by providing goods and services to the marketplace at the lowest possible cost.
Presbyterian shareholder activist William Somplatsky-Jarman testified before the congressional subcommittee on financial institutions and consumer credit in November that shareholders in financial companies must oppose predatory lending practices and insist that Americas banks make capital available to underprivileged communities. "Shareholders play an essential role in preventing abusive lending practices," he said.
Most media tributes for former Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, who passed away in December following heart surgery, praised his political honesty, integrity, ethics, and commitment to the less fortunate, especially children living in poverty. But few noted the reason for these qualitieshis Christian faith. A local TV station reported that his pastor, Rev. Robert Gray, "describes Simon as a man filled with care and compassion for the underprivileged.... And he said Simon took that same kind of compassion into the political arena."
Thanks for the article on "Opposition Radio" (by Ted Parks, September-October 2003).
I want to commend you for your courage in speaking out against the fiscal and moral atrocities of an administration that has effectively used fear to trample on democracy...
Having read with great interest your "Open Letter to Dennis Kucinich" (by Danny Duncan Collum) in the September-October 2003 issue of Sojourners, I welcome this opportunity to respond.
More than 30 billboards with the slogan "Peace is Patriotic" have gone up nationwide.
Twenty-seven military pilots, former pilots, and air crew sent a petition to the commander of the Israeli Air Force in September saying they will not participate in attack missions...
More than 185 evangelical leaders from 50 countries met in Queretaro, Mexico, in September to examine the impact of the globalized economy on the poor.
The federal government now officially recognizes prison rape as a problem.
Matthew, Luke, and John tell us the story of Jesus in their own words, firmly linking him to the Hebrew Testament through scripture and events. The accounts confirm Jesus’ heritage as the true king, the one who will "judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice" (Psalm 72:2). For Matthew, Jesus is a liberator in the line of Moses (Matthew 2:1-12). Luke assures us that Jesus is the Messiah, the one who is so passionately awaited in Jewish scriptures (Luke 4:18). John insists that Jesus is both flesh and sign; he is the one who transforms ordinary substances into sacrament, so that we may know and taste God’s presence in the world (John 2:11).
They remind us that Jesus is no ordinary king, for his primary concern is for those who, in the world’s eyes, have nothing and are nothing. They are "the oppressed," "the poor," "the needy," "the blind, "the captives," "the weak," and "those who have no helper." Jesus is king of the downtrodden, and he calls us, as his living body, to be the same.
It is Paul who insists that as Christians we be a body—individuals who are equal, treated with mutual respect, and united (1 Corinthians 12:13). Living as one body does not come without difficulties, but Paul reminds us that we bear the Spirit for one purpose only, "the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). If we are to follow this Messiah king, the common good, especially of those left behind, is our only goal.
Perhaps you have noticed that this issue of Sojourners has fewer pages than usual (if you hadn't noticed, take our word for it). No, we're not trying to short-sheet you.