As followers of the Prince of Peace, Christians are not always particularly peaceful people, which is what makes North Carolina’s return to the national stage as a foothold for intolerance both unsurprising and deeply troubling. The ease with which a Christian group would condemn another religion denies our own legacy as well as the work we still need to do. For any Christian who needs help seeing past the plank in their own eye, some of our faithful friends have put together an excellent starting place. In addition, a piece…
Shock Waves from High Court ‘Nuke’
Our national politics are in an ugly place, driven by an accelerating cycle of suspicion, accusation, blame, recrimination and retaliation. The circumstances by which Neil Gorsuch takes office as a justice of the Supreme Court sadly fit the mold – to the U.S. Senate’s discredit and the court’s peril. President Trump, with his reckless disregard for long-established norms of presidential conduct, bears his own share of responsibility for the mess. Senate Democrats could rightly question why Trump’s choice for the court deserved the customary deference – what with investigations under…
2017 Legislative Seminar Check-In Instructions
Thank you to those who have registered for the 2017 Legislative Seminar. We are looking forward to having you join us this Monday, March 27, at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (4801 Six Forks Road, Raleigh). In an effort to get everyone checked-in as efficiently as possible, we have a few suggestions: Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. with a light breakfast provided by Partners in Health and Wholeness. Opening worship will begin at 9:15 a.m. Directions: From I-440 heading north on Six Forks Road turn left onto Northbrook Drive just…
2017 Legislative Seminar: Advocate in NC as well as DC
The political situation at the national level has occupied the time and attention of many faithful progressives. Each day has brought with it more reasons to be concerned for our most vulnerable sisters and brothers as well as for our democratic system of government. Right now, there isn’t much reason to believe things will improve. We must also be mindful of activity underway in the North Carolina General Assembly, where legislation is in the works that would significantly weaken our state’s safety net and would make it harder to right…
Let Loving One Another Become Our Norm
Yesterday morning, the Sandra P. Lerner Jewish Community Day School in Durham received a bomb threat. This was the most recent in recurring waves of bomb threats against Jewish centers over the past two months—69 bomb threats at 54 Jewish community centers in 27 states and a Canadian province, according to the Jewish Community Center Association of North America. That’s a lot of disruption and a lot of fear, which is exactly what the cowards who make such threats are trying to affect. As it turns out, I know a…
Repealing the Johnson Amendment Means Pulpits for Sale
Remarks delivered by Executive Director Jennifer Copeland at HKonJ 2017. Picture this on the marquee in front of your favorite house of worship: Pulpit for Sale! For the right price I will support the Republican candidate for office, but bring me more money next week and I’ll support the Democrat. Perhaps with enough financial incentive, I’ll preach a sermon for the Communist. Makes no difference, it’s all about the money. If the Johnson amendment is repealed, a promise made just weeks ago by the one who is now President, faith…
Speak Against Vitriol; Stand for Values
For more than 80 years the NC Council of Churches has stood for essential human rights and common decency grounded in the Gospel imperative to “love God and love neighbor.” We started with the issue of racial equality in 1935 and forthrightly moved into “migrant labor” and immigration, women’s right, the environment, and health care. Anyone watching the news this week has witnessed the steady unraveling of each of these causes and more. The unraveling goes far beyond taking apart the initiatives of the most recent executive administration; we are…
Getting Back to Our Normal: Some Suggestions for the Long Haul
Our friend Rob Schofield over at Policy Watch wrote a column on Tuesday that was as vitally important in its truth-telling as it was hard to read for the future it forecasts. One of the crucial facts he offered — those of us opposed to the policies, personalities, and vicious rhetoric of the current administration must be prepared for the long haul. The reality is proving to be every bit as damaging as we thought it might. So what now? A couple of thoughts: Don’t accept the lies. Trust your brain,…
Let’s Keep Marching
At another time in my life, I would not have spent most of Saturday occupying my tiny square of personal space in the heart of Washington DC, literally shoulder to shoulder with a half million others. But there I was, pink hat and all. I chose to be there because my grandmother cleaned other people’s homes and worked in food service in the promise that her two daughters, and then her three granddaughters, would all attend college. I chose to be there because I have raised three brown sons to…
A Letter to President Trump
Dear Mr. Trump, You ARE my president. I did not vote for you, but you were elected, and that makes you my president because I am a citizen of these United States. True, my ancestors tried to secede from the union in 1861, but the ancestors of others prevailed against them and kept us together. Not your ancestors, to be sure, because they immigrated long after the colonies declared independence and the southern states rebelled. But my ancestors were here for all of that and I have never lived anywhere…
Update: Save Our Health Care Rallies Statewide on January 15
On Friday, the House of Representatives voted to continue the process that could ultimately repeal the Affordable Care Act. Activists across the nation were already planning Day of Action events for Sunday focused on saving our health care, and several will take place in North Carolina. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard. Nine House Republicans joined Democrats in voting against this next step in the repeal process, and there are enormous questions about how it would even work. There is also growing uneasiness even among those who want…
Thank You for Speaking Love in 2016
We could not begin the new year without acknowledging the volunteers, grassroots advocates, donors, organizational partners, and all others who helped the Council continue to be a faithful, prophetic voice for justice, peace, and unity in 2016. In particular, we would like to recognize faith leaders from across traditions, denominations, and locations statewide who signed their name to our shared call for love and mutual care. Their statement reads: All of our holy texts call us to love one another, to care for each other, and to work for justice. Now more than ever, we pledge to lead by…
Seeds of Change in a Momentous Year
As we watched the egregiously unqualified Donald Trump campaign for and win election to the White House, any good news on the government and politics front was likely to be obscured amid concerns about what Trump’s ascent could bode for the nation’s well-being. Concerns? That’s putting it mildly. Those of us who value our efforts to avoid war, our programs to protect the environment, our democratic institutions and civil public discourse, and our pledge of justice for all under the rule of law can’t be blamed if our hair is…
UPDATE — Urgent Action Required: Let GA Members Hear from You
The NC NAACP has called for a People’s Assembly at 4:30 p.m., today, Thursday, December 15, in the General Assembly building, 16 West Jones Street. Details can be found here. Anyone interested in non-violence and direct action training should gather at 3:30 p.m. and email tyler.swanson@naacpnc.org for more information. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The North Carolina General Assembly’s short session to help hurricane and fire victims has, as predicted, morphed into a power grab by Republican leaders. Those same leaders need to hear from people committed to a fair and equitable society where…
A Troubling Choice, Yet Glimmers of Hope
Those of us aligned with the Council of Churches share a political outlook whose priorities include equal rights, equal opportunity, environmental stewardship, ample investment in public services and fair allocation of that investment’s costs. We believe that the United States must lead by example through sustained efforts to build a just, prosperous and compassionate society, and that those efforts are vital in keeping our nation strong and secure. Judging by those standards and others, the 2016 elections served up a slew of disappointments. Yet in North Carolina the results weren’t…