YOUR CENTRAL LOCATION for DISCIPLES JUSTICE ADVOCACY NEWS, VIEWS, and EVENTS.
A project of the DISCIPLES CENTER for PUBLIC WITNESS in partnership with DJAN (the Disciples Justice Action Network), and DAWN (the Disciples Advocacy and Witness Network).
Please note: Not everything posted on this blog represents the official positions of any or all of the organizations collaborating on this project.
As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, let us pray that the love of God will be born anew in our hearts, and that our lives might more fully incarnate the Biblical vision of shalom--a vision of peace and justice for everyone throughout the world.
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Birth of Godis an icon by Nicholas Markell, and Christmas Light is a painting by Lu Bro. More of their art can be found at Bridge Building Images.
Today, Christmas Eve, at 7.16 AM, the Senate passed its health care bill by a vote of 60-39. Negotiations will now begin to reconcile the Senate and House health care reform bills.
According to U.S. President Barack Obama, "a meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough" occurred in Copenhagen. "For the first time in history all major economies have come together to accept their responsibility to take action to confront the threat of climate change."
He continued, "We feel confident that we are moving in the direction of a significant accord. . . . Going forward, we're going to have to build on the momentum that we've established here in Copenhagen to ensure that international action to significantly reduce emissions is sustained and sufficient over time. We've come a long way, but we have much further to go."
A brief statement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper was released by the Canadian government shortly after the close of the U.N. conference. "Canada is working to align our clean energy and climate change policies with those of the Obama Administration," he said. "This approach recognizes the high degree of integration of our two economies."
He also affirmed that "Canada is prepared to contribute our fair share of financial support, particularly to the poorest and most vulnerable nations."
World leaders have gathered in Copenhagen to wrap up a two week United Nations summit on climate change. This morning, President Obama attended multi-lateral talks with hopes of moving the stalled talks forward. In his address to the conference this morning he reiterated his role by stating "I've come here today not to talk but to act" and added "we are running short on time." The President also said, "I believe we can act boldly and decisively in the face of this common threat."
A group of Palestinian Christians representing a variety of churches and church-related organizations have issued an animated and prayerful call for an end to occupation of Palestine by Israel.
The call, issued at a 11 December meeting in Bethlehem, comes at a time when many Palestinians believe they have reached a dead end. It raises questions to the international community, political leaders in the region, and the churches worldwide about their contribution to the Palestinian people's pursuit of freedom. Even in the midst of "our catastrophe" the call is described as a word of faith, hope and love.
Referred to as "The Kairos Palestine Document" the call echoes a similar summons issued by South African churches in the mid-1980s at the height of repression under the apartheid regime. That call served to galvanize churches and the wider public in a concerted effort that eventually brought the end of apartheid.
The authors of the Kairos Palestine Document, among them Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem Munib Younan, and Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, have raised the challenge of the urgency for peace with justice to religious and political leaders in Palestinian and the Israeli society, international community, and to "our Christian brothers and sisters in the churches" around the world. They believe that current efforts in the Middle East are confined to managing the crisis rather than finding pertinent and long term solutions to the crisis.
U. S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday urged international negotiators in Copenhagen to reach a broad operational agreement to combat climate change. In an op-ed published by the International Herald Tribune, the Secretary laid out what she hopes will be a way forward, one that promotes sustainable development by moving the world toward a low-carbon economy.
"A successful agreement depends upon a number of core elements, but two are shaping up to be essential: first, that all major economies set forth strong national actions and resolve to implement them; and second, that they agree to a system that enables full transparency and creates confidence that national actions are in fact being implemented," the Secretary wrote.
The need for "strong national actions" was also recently stressed by President Obama in his speech in Oslo (December 10, 2009): ". . . the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, more famine, more mass displacement -- all of which will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and environmental activists who call for swift and forceful action -- it's military leaders in my own country and others who understand our common security hangs in the balance."
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) yesterday welcomed new immigration legislation by Representative Luis Gutierrez. According to the coalition and its members, "The introduction of Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR A.S.A.P.) in the House of Representatives is a sign of progress and momentum for action on real, common sense immigration reform this Congress that reflects the best of our values."
CIR A.S.A.P. seeks to provide a pathway to earned legal status that takes into account immigrants’ contributions to U.S. society. According to IIC, it also protects workers, promotes family unity, ensures due process for all and offers educational opportunity to youth through an expansion of the DREAM Act.
"We applaud the leadership of Rep. Gutierrez and look forward to working with him and other members of the House and Senate to pass fair and just comprehensive immigration reform. The IIC and its members are deeply committed to the struggle for immigrants’ rights and is working to mobilize support for immigration reform at the grassroots level."
In the months to come, IIC will be organizing and supporting prayer vigils in hundreds of cities across the nation and urging people of faith to join them in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2010 to support just and fair immigration reform.
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is asking Attorney General Holder to release the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) report. The OPR report is believed to detail instances of professional misconductby lawyers in the previous Administration's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC). Specifically, it is reported to demonstrate how lawyers in the OLC may have purposely misinterpreted the law in order to sanction torture and other abusive acts.
On Wednesday, Nov. 18th, Attorney General Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that a career prosecutor was going to review the report but that he expected that that review would be completed and the report released by Nov. 30. As of December 14, the OPR report has not been released.
NRCAT is encouraging all opponents of torture to email the Attorney General's office to ask him to release the OPR report.
On Thursday, December 10, 2009, President Obama accepted the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. The Nobel committee said that they chose the President of the United States because of his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
In his acceptance speech, the President acknowledged that there are many people in the world today who suffer for the cause of justice, peace, freedom, and human dignity who are "far more deserving of this prize than I." He also pointed out that "perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars."
He continued, "And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict – filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other."
As the it continues its advocacy in Copenhagen, KAIROS Canada is calling on churches throughout Canada to ring their bells this Sunday as a way of sounding the alarm and engendering hope and action on climate change. So far, over 250 churches across Canada havejoined in and are ready to participate in this effort.
Also, there is still time to sign up your action. CLICK HERE to register on KAIROS Canada's "Ring Your Bells" page.
Pictures, reports, audio or video clips can be sent to Sara Stratton, Education and Campaigns Coordinator, Sustainability at sstratton@kairoscanada.org.
KAIROS also contributed over 12,000 of Canada's 150,000 signatures on the KyotoPlus Petition. These were part of 10 million signatures presented in Copenhagen earlier this week calling for a clear, fair, binding treaty with science based targets. Most of these petitions were collected since mid-October.
Last night, as Senators continued to debate and negotiate about the future of a "public option" in a Senate health care bill, people of faith from diverse religious traditions gathered near the Senate to hold a candlelight vigil and rally. The purpose of the event was to demonstrate strong support for the "public option" by people of faith.
Participants in the vigil sang, prayed, and listened to speakers from the political, medical, and religious communities--including two senators and six members of congress. Two mothers also spoke about children who had been denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition: one child survived while the other tragically joined the 45,000 who die each year because of insufficient or no health care.
General Assembly Resolution 9915 called for a combination of "initiatives both private and public" to achieve affordable, quality health care for all. However, no General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has spoken specifically about the current issue of a "public option."
Disciples Justice Action Network, an independent justice advocacy organization, was one of the sponsors of the event and is a strong supporter of a robust version of the "public option."
The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), a coalition of over 250 religious groups, is encouraging congregations to show a new, revised version of one of its videosbetween now and April 1, 2010, and also asking people of faith to use a corresponding discussion guide specifically designed for congregational use.
The video, Ending U.S.-Sponsored Torture Forever, is partially a response to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life that indicates that 34% of Americans believe that torture can sometimes be justified while only 25% believe it can never be justified. But it is also a part of NRCAT's ongoing and overall effort, since its founding in 2006, to increase the number of people who believe that torture is always wrong with no exceptions.
NRCAT and its members have set a goal of having 300 congregations in at least 30 states make a commitment to show the video and hold an adult discussion during this period.
The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale, Senior Pastor of Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, GA, gave the invocation at this year's Lighting of the National Christmas Tree by President Obama.
Proclaiming that "the lighting of this tree symbolizes what Christmas is all about," Dr. Hale said in her prayer that "it is the celebration of the greatest gift given: in love, you gave yourself to us through your son, Jesus."
The text of Dr. Hale's prayer is provided below. The remarks of President Obama can be heard in the video link above. To watch the entire event, including Dr. Hale's prayer, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
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"God of love and God of light, we have gathered from near and from far on this cold, crisp night in our nation's Capitol for the lighting of the Christmas tree. The lighting of this tree symbolizes what Christmas is all about. It is the celebration of the greatest gift given: in love, you gave yourself to us through your son, Jesus.
In the lighting of this tree, we are reminded that his coming brought light to dispel darkness, joy to replace our sorrow, hope to drive despair away, and peace to overcome our differences. O God, as our President lights the tree this day, may this celebration be unprecedented in our times. May we as a nation and as a people love one another as you love us. May we continually give of ourselves in service to each other.
And may we seek to embody this prayer: Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With you as our Creator, brothers and sisters all are we. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony. Amen."
The United Church of Canada expressed its "profound shock" at the news of the Canadian government’s decision to cut funding to KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.
KAIROS, a church-based non-governmental organization, represents seven of Canada’s largest denominations, including The United Church of Canada. It works with global partners on a range of social justice issues, including human rights in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
According to a media release issued by KAIROS on December 2, 2009, an official from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) called KAIROS to inform it that CIDA would no longer fund KAIROS. The organization was told that KAIROS no longer fits CIDA priorities. No other explanation or information was provided.
For more than 35 years, KAIROS and its precursor organizations have been funded by CIDA. KAIROS says the decision to cut CIDA funding will have a devastating impact on KAIROS’ overseas partners and the thousands of marginalized people in local communities that these partners support.
The United Church of Canada is encouraging KAIROS supporters to write to Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation; and Margaret Biggs, President of CIDA, requesting a reversal of the decision.
President Obama tonight announced that he was sending more troops to Afghanistan. According to the President, "The 30,000 additional troops that I am announcing tonight will deploy in the first part of 2010 - the fastest pace possible - so that they can target the insurgency and secure key population centers."
He continued, "They will increase our ability to train competent Afghan Security Forces, and to partner with them so that more Afghans can get into the fight. And they will help create the conditions for the United States to transfer responsibility to the Afghans."
The President furthermore insisted that, when combined with increased international troops, additional American troops "will allow us to accelerate handing over responsibility to Afghan forces, and allow us to begin the transfer of our forces out of Afghanistan in July of 2011."
Critics on the Right are concerned that the number of troops is not enough and that the President should not publicly announce a time-table for withdrawal of American troops.
Critics on the Left are concerned that more troops and civilians will die while a corrupt and inept Afghani government continues to need U.S. military support to maintain power and counter the Taliban; and that billions of dollars will be wasted that should be spent on health care and other domestic needs, especially during the current harsh recession.
Each year on December 1, the world marks World AIDS Day. On this day, communities around the world remember those we have lost to the disease, and stand in solidarity with those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. This year, the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance has made available to churches around the world a World AIDS Day liturgical resourcefor use on the Sunday closest to World AIDS Day or at any time during the year.
"Universal Access and Human Rights" is the global theme of World AIDS Day 2008 and 2009. It will continue to be promoted within the campaign slogan of Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise. According to its web site, "The United Church of Canada is committed to solidarity and partnership as we reflect on God's promises, and urge governments to honour their promises to provide universal access to prevention, treatment, care, and support by 2010."
Here you will find information about--and sometimes commentary on--the public policy and justice advocacy issues, events, and activities of our denominational, ecumenical, and interfaith partners.
The Council of Governors and the all-volunteer Advocacy Team at The DISCIPLES CENTER for PUBLIC WITNESS wish you, your family, and all your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.
Please remember The CENTER in your holiday giving. Make a contribution ONLINE by clicking HERE or please send your most generous contribution to: 
