This weekend, more than 750 Christian advocates have
gathered in Arlington, Virginia for the tenth anniversary Ecumenical Advocacy
Days. EAD2012 unites our voices to cry for justice for the powerless in our
society. Rooted in worship at the beginning of each of our days together, we
are learning more about how issues like immigration policy, women’s rights,
healthcare, peace, Middle East affairs, the environment and foreign aid
intersect with the federal budget and discovering how we can contribute unique
and distinct voices to the conversation because our positions are grounded in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It’s been intriguing to begin to dig into the economics of
the federal budget and realize how it is a moral blueprint for the United
States. Dr. Gary Dorrien from Union
Theological Seminary reminded us, “If people are suffering because of economics
and politics, then the church must be involved in economics and politics.” One
question that can help guide us is, “What are our priorities, and do the choices
we make increase income inequality and poverty or not?”
A generalist by nature, I know about three minutes of
information about a lot of different subjects, so it’s been fascinating to
realize how we can provide one message that impacts all of these policy areas
without becoming subject-area experts. Here is our message:
As people of faith, we urge decision-makers to defend people
struggling to live in dignity by funding programs that protect vulnerable
populations here and abroad. Enact a faithful budget that serves the common
good, provides robust funding for people struggling to overcome poverty, and
exercises proper care of the earth.
As one Washington staff person reminded us, we are called to
bring our voices together to cry for justice; that is our task. We do not need
to get into the weeds on any one issue or attempt to maneuver specific budget
lines because that task belongs to someone else. But we must make our voices
heard.
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