Interfaith group launches social justice campaign (Jim Wallis/Sojourners Barf Alert)

Dayton Daily News ^ | 3-15-2006 | William Hershey

[Terriergal]

Interfaith group launches social justice campaign

Plans to raise single voice on social justice issues

By William Hershey

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | More than 300 people gathered Tuesday in Columbus' First AME Zion Church to celebrate the launch of We Believe Ohio, an interfaith group with the goal of making a unified cry for social justice heard in the public square.

In other faith-and-politics developments:

• Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a candidate for governor, met Tuesday in Cleveland with United Pastors in Mission, seeking support from black pastors usually considered friendly to Democrats. Blackwell, a black conservative, said the meeting reflects his determination not to concede "one inch of territory or one voter" to opponents.

• Jim Wallis, the nationally recognized progressive evangelical, will join the Rev. Russell Johnson of Lancaster for a two-hour town meeting on faith and politics March 26 in Columbus.

"We think this should be an honest dialogue," said Wallis aide Jack Pannell Jr., who confirmed the event.

Wallis is founder of the Washington-based Sojourners, a Christian ministry with the goal of integrating spiritual renewal and social justice.

Johnson is a conservative evangelical leading a statewide voter registration effort.

Efforts by Johnson and the Rev. Rod Parsley, a Columbus conservative evangelical leading a separate voter-registration effort, spurred formation of the new group, We Believe Ohio.

"We believe people of faith are meant to build bridges, not construct barriers," said the Rev. Tim Ahrens, senior pastor of the First Congregational Church of Columbus and a leader of the group. "Rather than demonize those with differences, we believe God calls us to unite and heal, because we believe our God is a reconciling God."

The group now includes pastors, priests, rabbis, cantors and lay leaders, according to Ahrens. Goals include advocating for the poor and homeless and getting an 80 percent voter turnout from congregations. The group has set a meeting for April 23 to discuss the May 2 primary election.

Ahrens said We Believe would be open to meeting with Johnson and Parsley.

Parsley said the new group, like his, wants to care for the poor and disadvantaged. "There's common ground when we're holding the word of God that speaks to all these issues," he said.

Contact William Hershey at (614) 224-1608.

[Terriergal]

I also received an email today from Sojourners' mailing list asking for a contribution (yegads...) to help support their Marxist Christian agenda. Here is the body of the email. I see that they only show you the links to the media coverage AFTER you donate. I'm looking for another way to find those videos.

"After 2,300 Americans have been killed, 106 from Ohio, and so many Iraqis,
we must say that when you go to war, whether you go to war, and
whether you tell the truth about going to war is a moral values issue, too."
- Jim Wallis, at a town hall meeting yesterday in Columbus, Ohio

Dear ____________,

Yesterday in Ohio, the monologue of the Religious Right gave way to a long overdue dialogue on the role of faith in politics.

At a theater in downtown Columbus, Sojourners' Jim Wallis and conservative Ohio pastor Russell Johnson spoke for 90 minutes on the priorities Christians should bring with them to the polls.

Johnson is one of the leaders of the Ohio Restoration Project, a group of "Patriot Pastors" who are organizing Christians around an extreme, conservative agenda on gay marriage, abortion, homosexuality, and the teaching of evolution in public schools.

Wallis and Johnson agreed that Christians should vote their values, but they disagreed on what those moral priorities should be.

Said Jim Wallis: "I think the Religious Right makes a mistake when it suggests that there are only two religious values issues: abortion and gay marriage. Many care about other things, but when it comes to politics, these are their primary political, public issues ... As an evangelical Christian, when I find 2,000 verses in my Bible about poor people, I insist fighting poverty is a moral values issue, too."

Yesterday's dialogue in politically important Ohio is an example of the kind of work Sojourners can take to the whole country - but only with your help.

Click here to make a gift to Sojourners today.

Every day, we're seeing evidence of a growing movement of Christians who don't want to go left or right - but who do want to go deeper to address root issues like poverty that impact all of us. With your support, we can continue to challenge the monologue of the Religious Right.

Please consider a gift of $500, $250, or $100. Click here to give online. You can help Sojourners magnify and expand a broad, progressive voice of faith to the entire nation.

In a few weeks we will be coming to you again with our regular spring fundraising appeal, but we couldn't miss this opportunity to share with you this exciting event in Ohio. If you choose to give now, we're grateful. If you choose to give now and again in a few weeks, we're doubly grateful.

For all your prayers and support, thanks.

Heidi, Dave, John, Tomek, and the rest of the Sojourners Development Team

P.S. After you donate, there will be a link to view media coverage and audio clips from yesterday's town hall meeting in Columbus. We hope you'll take a moment to check it out!

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Sojourners is a Christian ministry whose mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world. Sojourners publishes numerous resources, including an award-winning monthly magazine and a free, weekly e-newsletter, and hosts national and local events with the goal of informing and mobilizing Christians on issues of justice and peace. Sojourners' founder and executive director, Jim Wallis, speaks frequently on the intersection of faith and politics. Visit www.sojo.net.

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[gotribe]

More do-nothing social justice people hiding behind the Cross. By November they'll have a full-blown social justice agenda that's identical to the Democratic platform. And remember, health care is FREE in Cuba!

[RichInOC]

As a Christian, as a conservative and as a Zero Wing fan, I have a somewhat different concept of the pursuit of justice.

[trubluolyguy]

Why is it whenever I read or hear anything about an "inter-faith" or "Unitarian" group doing anything, they come off as Marxists, not Christians?

[theBuckwheat]

And just what is "social justice", exactly?

All too often, this catchphrase means whatever the writer wants it to mean. Justice, especially justice in a Christian context, that is detached from anything that God has said about the matter is just more hot air from do-gooders.

Christians should be familiar with the Ten Commandments. Three of those commands often are directly violated by advocates of "social justice": 1) telling lies; 2) coveting; 3) theft.

This is never more true when an advocate of "social justice" seeks a way to take from one group of citizens in order to give to another group. Coveting leads to lies that are used to justify theft in order to support wealth transfer.

When I hear "social justice", I run away as fast as I can.

[rawcatslyentist]

The Jivaro headhunters of the Amazons ancient religion was NOT represented. How can they claim interfaith without the one true religion represented?

Off with their heads and shrink them too!

Aap aap ahh dap dap!!!!!
It's a religion of peace
It's a religion of peace

Seven Dead Monkeys Page O Tunes

[Terriergal]

http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/03/27/20060327-C5-00.html

This has an update on what happened yesterday. Having no luck finding video, and I'm certainly not going to give a penny to Sojo just to get it. Someone let me know in freepmail if they find video.

[Terriergal]

Ya never know, they might have been!

[Terriergal]

Why is it whenever I read or hear anything about an "inter-faith" or "Unitarian" group doing anything, they come off as Marxists, not Christians?

Kinda funny that way isn't it~!

I've noticed though that whenever you add or subtract from the Word, you end up with some kind of legalism/phariseeism.

[Republican Wildcat]

Jim Wallis is the guy who said those who fled communist Vietnam did so because of their own selfish desires for materialism. He also attacks Christians for saying you have to be "pro-rich and pro-war." Has anyone ever said or implied that? No. He's lying.

[trubluolyguy]

I've noticed though that whenever you add or subtract from the Word, you end up with some kind of legalism/phariseeism.

---

Whitewashed tombstones.

Kinda pretty on the outside but inside they are full of dead man's bones.

[Terriergal]

By November they'll have a full-blown social justice agenda that's identical to the Democratic platform.

check this out:

Clergy Group Says It'll Leave Picking Candidates To Voters

Yeah RIGHT! read this excerpt from that story:

Berman is one of 15 We Believe Ohio members who also signed a complaint sent to the Internal Revenue Service in January, accusing two Columbus-area evangelical pastors of endorsing a political candidate -- Blackwell -- in violation of federal tax law for nonprofit churches.

The complaint names the Rev. Rod Parsley's Center for Moral Clarity and Reformation Ohio outreach group, and the Rev. Russell Johnson's Ohio Restoration Project, a voter registration drive.

Parsley, Johnson and Blackwell worked for passage of Ohio's gay marriage ban, which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2004.

Now, I'm not a fan of Rod Parsley, but if they think they can do this, have they ever considered bringing the same complaint against Sojourners, which is a 501c3 organization as well? I'm sure they haven't.

[Terriergal]

exactly.

[WorkingClassFilth]

The only justice these liberation theology toadies will get is a millstone tied around their necks.

[Terriergal]

Amen to that!

[Terriergal]

The only justice these liberation theology toadies will get is a millstone tied around their necks.

I agree!! I hope they take warning, but I'm not optimistic.

Prov 29:1 "A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy."

[attiladhun2]

"Social justice" is nothing more nor less than the kind of Marxist-lite socialism we have seen from Europe and Canada. It is not a Biblical concept, but comes right out of Das Kapital. The Bible enjoins believers to earn their own living. The only "wefare" program was open to widows and orphans. They had the right to glean in someone else's field, but they still had to work for it and it was not handed to them. The Apostle Paul said of one did not work, he should not eat.

[Alex Murphy]

Proverbs 12:10b - the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

[ClaireSolt]

The people of Ohio have my sympathy if they have to put up with Jim Wallis.

[attiladhun2]

Wallis wants to fight poverty using someone else's money. So people like him believe they are doing God's work by backing legislation containing confiscatory taxes. This is not fighting "poverty" so much as it is empowering the government. If he really wanted to fight poverty and hunger he would support organizations like Operation Blessing. He is essentially one who is too cowardly to be a Robin Hood himself, so he advocates using the government to steal for him. I think these Bible-spouting leftwingers are contemptible. They ought to read the Scriptures and find out what they say about these matters and not the DNC.