Liberal Clergy Oblivious to Financial Crisis?
A conservative religious organization is questioning why a group of church leaders seems to be encouraging more dependence on the federal government. The comment follows a meeting this week between those leaders and President Barack Obama.
Jim Wallis of Sojourners, David Beckmann of Bread for the World, and Galen Carey of the National Association of Evangelicals — along with liberal leaders from various other organizations — attended a meeting at the White House. All those who met with the president are signatories to “A Circle of Protection,” a movement advocating that programs for low-income people should be protected from budget cuts.
The leaders asked the president to protect funding for hungry and poor people in the ongoing budget debate. In a statement, they said: “As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people.”
Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy (IRD), admits he is troubled by what he sees as a clearly partisan stance by the clergy.
“It…is disturbing that these representatives, claiming to speak for the vast majority of American church members, would in a partisan way side with the president against the Republicans and [appear] almost indifferent to the crisis before us, in terms of federal overspending and extreme federal deficits for as far as the eye can see,” says Tooley.
While the group contends it is open to tax increases and supports cuts in military spending, Tooley says he is stumped why the group does not advocate for those who are trying to improve their condition in life.
“There’s no word of concern about the unemployed, which is almost over nine percent of Americans searching for a job, in terms of their wanting to work for a living instead of relying on federal benefits,” he offers. “There’s no word of concern for Americans who are struggling to create or sustain their own business.”
Others who attended the White House meeting were John Carr of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Ambassador Tony Hall of the Alliance to End Hunger; Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Michael Livingston of the National Council of Churches of Christ; Commissioner William A. Roberts of The Salvation Army; Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Stephen J. Thurston of the National Baptist Convention of America; and Barbara Williams-Skinner of the National African American Clergy Network.
The Circle of Protection statement has been signed by more than 60 heads of Christian denominations and religious organizations, and endorsed by 45 heads of development agencies as well as leaders of other faiths.
(Source: OneNewsNow)
