A group of Christian pastors, theologians and scholars has signed a declaration committing the signers to preaching on “moral issues “ ahead of the 2024 election and opposing what the group calls “religious nationalism.”
The document defines religious nationalism as a political movement that it says is exploiting “traditional values” to undermine democracy. “This distorted religious nationalism has persuaded many well-meaning Christians to focus on a narrow set of divisive cultural wedge issues while ignoring the real moral issues that are at the heart of our Scriptures and tradition,” the declaration reads.
The New Haven Declaration of Moral & Spiritual Issues in the 2024 Presidential Election is one of the outcomes of Yale Divinity School’s first Public Theology and Public Policy Conference, which concluded Tuesday.
The declaration states “we love this nation,” before taking on what it describes as a “political movement (that) has co-opted our faith tradition.”
“We repent of not doing more to preach and teach against this misuse of our faith, and we pledge to proclaim in word and deed a public theology that is good news for all people,” it reads.
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Hurt and Healed by the Church” by Ryan George. To donate, haga clic aquí.
The declaration then calls on pastors to launch “a season of preaching the moral issues of living wages and union rights, healthcare and ecological justice,” among other issues.
The Rev. William J. Barber II, the founding director of the Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy, said he hoped the conference helped educate pastors about the issues the Bible prioritizes: societal inequality and injustice.
“The very things that the prophets and that Jesus put at the center as primary are not being heard in the pews in this country,” Barber said. “And that is a deficit that we believe is a form of pastoral malpractice.”
Barber, whom some consider a successor to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for his anti-poverty activism, retirado from the pulpit of his Goldsboro, North Carolina, church last year to devote his time to training future pastors.
He may be best known for organizing the Moral Mondays movement as a protest against cuts to unemployment benefits, health care funding and voting rights in his home state. In February, he met with Vice President Kamala Harris to talk about issues surrounding the plight of the poor.
Among the initial signers of the declaration are the Rev. Jacqui Lewis, pastor of New York City’s historic Middle Church; Shane Claiborne, an activist with the Red Letter Christians; Bishop Yvette Flunder of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries; and Willie James Jennings, a Yale Divinity School professor and theologian.
Another signer, the Rev. Teresa Hord Owens, president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), who attended the conference, said she would encourage pastors in her denomination of 3,000 congregations to sign the declaration as well.
“I think as Christians we have to really understand what the roots of our tradition are and not allow those things to be distorted or misused for purposes that really fly in the face of what we believe,” Owens said.
She said she believed voter apathy is the result of political candidates not addressing the issues that are important to so many people, such as jobs, wages and economic anxiety.
The conference featured a range of academic experts on Christian nationalism, including Philip Gorski and Anthea Butler. Participants also were invited to watch a new documentary on the rise of Christian nationalism called “Bad Faith.”
But the bulk of the conference was devoted to helping pastors and other Christian leaders better understand the issues that Barber cares about most: poverty, racism, voting rights, criminal justice, health care.
“Christian nationalism glorifies hating, almost disdaining, others when our Christian teaching from Scripture calls us to embrace our neighbor and it doesn’t decide who our neighbor is,” Barber said. “It calls us to love everyone with the love of God.”
Yonat Shimron es reportero nacional y editor senior de Religion News Service.
Spanish 
English
27 Respuestas
Immediately as I began reading this, the Holy Spirit whispered in my ears what Judas griped about when the woman poured perfume on Jesus’s feet, that the perfume should have been sold, given to the poor, which he had no intention of doing, just talk. It’s a spirit of jealousy, because Judas is in religion for power. If wealth doesn’t benefit Judas, Judas is against it. That’s exactly what the Lord is having me understand in this moment, how these people are not Jesus People. They are for themselves.
Recently, it’s everywhere, atheists quietly mumbling how they prefer governments and countries that are Judaeo-Christian focused, why? Christ is king. Only when a person lives a Christ-like, perfection seeking life is there confidence. Sinful people are bi-polar, up & down, covered in guilt. Atheists want the benefits of people who worship God, who spend their lives seeking and honoring God with their talents to make the world a better place. What you see about Judas-people, compared to the other disciples, is his inability to be successful in anything else. Peter, married and small business owner. James & John, also hard-workers. Look at Mary & Martha, great in the home, took care of their brother, supported the ministry. Matthew, brilliant accountant, Luke – a physician UNDER 20 years old, all these hard workers with amazing intellects, CONQUERORS AND PRIESTS.
It’s important that darkness like this increases, and a majority of the population loving this darkness more than light, proving that God is true to his word. Increasingly, I treat people with night-blindness, God reminding me, “Look how their body is matching their soul; they are succumbing, giving into deception rather than standing-out, standing-up and being the light.” – Yale must revert to it’s founding
You do realize that there are many (if not most) successful people who work to make the world a better place are not Christians? Bill Gates and Warren Buffett come to mind. Matthew was not an accountant, as accounting did not exist until medieval Venice created double entry bookkeeping. He was a tax collector. A bookkeeper at best. No different than the city clerk who collects your water bill payment. Peter was a fisherman which in the those days was a trade, just like farming, or blacksmithing. Like all trades, it requires skills. Again, the concept of a business did not exist in the first century.
Your efforts to shoehorn advancements like accounting into a 1st century narrative is based on a flawed premise.
The concept of business did exist in the first century:
Trade and Commerce: The Roman Empire, which dominated much of the first century, had a vast network of trade routes. People bought and sold goods, provided services, and bartered for necessities.
Entrepreneurial Activities: There were individuals who organized these activities, taking risks and aiming to make a profit. Craftspeople produced goods, farmers sold their crops, and merchants transported items over long distances.
Limited Business Structure: The concept of a corporation or limited liability company wouldn’t be developed for centuries. Businesses were likely smaller and more family-run.
While the term “business” might not have been used in the same way, the basic idea of providing goods and services for profit definitely existed in the first century.
In which case they are sole proprietorships, not even LLCs or Chapter S corporations. They did not have any sort of licensing, or incorporation articles, etc. Bookkeepers (not accountants) have been around for thousands of years. To call Matthew a brilliant accountant would be to say my elementary school nephew who is good at t-ball, is an awesome baseball player. Accounting did not develop until the use of double-entry bookkeeping centuries later and the adoption Indo-Arabic numerals (including the zero).
But then it was also more of a barter economy than it is today. Ironically you can thank the Godless, pagan, polytheistic Romans for much of the commerce, trade, and transportation infrastructure that 1st Century AD peoples enjoyed.
Charles Mallet,
Don’t forget Lydia, a seller of purple mentioned in Acts. She apparently ran a business.
All truth is God’s truth, and every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. Yes, there are many people who are not believers striving to make the world a better place.
This does not mean they will share heaven with believers. Good works won’t get you there.
“They are for themselves” at best is an assumption. Surely, there are some people within this body who have genuine faith in the risen Christ and are motivated by their relationship with Jesus who modeled – at great expense to himself – love and support for the less fortunate.
As for the emphasis on the ‘lifters’ and ‘leaners’ in our communities. Such thinking can gravitate towards viewing and treating people who are made in the image of God, with contempt.
“The very things that the prophets and that Jesus put at the center as primary are not being heard in the pews in this country….”
1000 likes for this bit. Anyone who has read an iota of scripture simply cannot omit this fact that the GOD of the bible is concerned about social justice, equity and equality. To ignore this, is to deny, & reject a huge chunk of scripture. It’s spiritual suicide. Quite frankly.
And, yes, & yes. Infinitely affirmative. Social issues/injustices were chief complaints from the prophets; and one of the major indictments against ancient Israel apart from wholesale idolatry. There are just too many scripture references to list. Just read the books of the prophets. Can begin with the shorter books (minor) prophets like Amos.
Truth be told, ancient Israel leaders neglect of social concerns that plagued the common persons, their exploitation & oppression of the poor, the strangers etc. were in fact, a major contributory factor for their demise as their judgement.
In fact, the law of Moses (Torah) actually contains various laws specifically designed for wealth re-distribution and to minimize poverty among the people. The very laws that most right leaning politicians and their entitled constituents today would cringe at, ban, cancel, reject, veto.
Ah….but mind you, says the LORD: “Woe to you who write unrighteous decrees of oppression; to turn aside the needy; deny justice to the poor, take away the rights of the poor…….for what will they do in the day of their visitation (judgement)?” Yeshayahu (Isa)10:1-3.
Equality lies, Christ never spoke
The parable of the talents, one given 5, one give 2, one only given 1. My Neighbor said this evening, “Anybody with half a brain knows Jesus never said people were equal. He pointedly showed that some are given 5 times as much as others, then because of their faithfulness, they now have 10 times as much as the 1 talent person. His focus was what they did with there talent. The poor & irresponsible lose what they have, and GOD (HE) gives it to the rich. Lazarus did his job as a poor, responsible beggar, and he went to heaven.” What did the apostles warn about? Stop looking to the rich, because you are the ones who gave them your wealth. Look to God.
And I could go on and on about the lies S. E. is telling, finding translations to fit her narrative, things the Hebrew never says. Christ promised a reward for giving a cup of water to the needy? No, to the least of the BRETHREN OF MINE. There was no reward for Eve listening to Satan, her enemy, and no reward today, either.
Christ was clear why people don’t know the truth, because it only comes after following him and discipline. People without discipline never budget, never have enough, and the truth always alludes them to their own demise.
Deuteronomy 28:20 shares how the disobedient, God confuses. So, every person confused, nothing we can do. Because of their disobedience, God is confusing them, and their suffering is their reward. All we offer them is to repent if they want the confusion to come off them. God is in charge of all that.
Alternate headlines:
“Liberal Christians oppose conservative Christians’ worldview.”
O
“Sexuality, marriage, family, and gender called, ‘narrow set of divisive cultural wedge issues.’”
One Olsen, you are absolutely correct.
Amen! It is time we have some strong voices stand up to this unbiblical movement!
Where can I sign!
Satan loves it when a so called pastor teacher teaches morals and social issues instead of preaching on the death , burial and resurrection of Christ for the forgiveness of sins and repentance from sin. Being morally upright is good but one who is can still be hell bound.
Jesus himself taught that you could be morally upright and still be hellbound.
In Matthew 25 he taught:
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
So in Jesus’ own words, if you don’t meet the physical needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger and the prisoner, you’re going to hell even if you claim to be a follower of Jesus.
I assume that’s what you meant…
Looks like that 40 billion federal funding Yale got recently was put to good work cranking out Christian propaganda like this article to further divide and confuse the masses. The founders of Yale would probably either laugh historically or die of shock at the bulk content (America a democracy…yikes).
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/wealthy-elite-universities-like-harvard
Incorrect. $40 Billion is the size of the Yale Endowment according to the article in the link you provided. For starters, much of the billions given by FedGov to Yale and other schools are in the form of research grants, as the article you linked clearly points out. Something that has gone on since the beginning of WWII. A tiny percentage of that would have gone to their Divinity School (if any at all).
Thanks for pointing out my numerical error, Charles. Was a long day and I was tired, but the takeaway remains the same. The Fed funds injected into local sheriffs offices, health care, colleges, churches, etc. is a strategic way of control, and is ultimately destructive in so many ways. Thanks for pointing out the fact it has been happening for a very long time.
https://www.americaoutloud.news/us-government-coerced-leaders-of-faith-to-push-covid-19-vaccines-on-americans/
“This distorted religious nationalism has persuaded many well-meaning Christians to focus on a narrow set of divisive cultural wedge issues while ignoring the real moral issues that are at the heart of our Scriptures and tradition,” the declaration reads.
What “divisive cultural wedge issues” would those be? Transgenderism? Homosexuality? Abortion?
Sin has always been a “divisive cultural wedge issue.” If Christians love Jesus and live by his precepts as outlined in the Bible, they will automatically serve those in need. Led by the Holy Spirit, they will seek the best for all people.
This article provided a great example of “social gospel” proponents seeking to co-opt the underlying message of the Bible: We need a Savior, not a better job or home or salary. Absent a personal relationship with Jesus, all of life’s trials and tribulations will be analyzed through the lens of envy.
And sin will have the upper hand.
These condemn something worthy of being condemned only to bring out there own political agenda and stick it inside of Jesus’ mouth and claim He preached it. Jesus is King. He is not for any of our political agendas, but for His own. His own He preached which anyone can read. You do not need a celebrity pastor, book writer or theologian to tell you what it was. Just follow the King. When I did, I saw that those leveraging His name and power are in great sin. God does not give power to others. He gives grace to the humble. His Kingdom is not of this world.
Did Jesus Christ un-oppress the oppressed or a marginalized community? Social justice/reparations are a proxy for satanic influence that has infiltrated government/media/institutions. Thus, redefining truth as hate speech. Abortion as “healthcare.” Mutilating a child’s genitals is “gender affirming care.” Some aspects of the Christian Nationalism needs biblical scaffolding. The alternative has satanically desensitized our culture that sinful behavior is affirming false narratives. Blurring clarity is an indication of compromising truth. The hope is Jesus Christ not Trump. However if you believe in scripture. List what makes Biden a godly choice for president. List what he stands for that aligns with the Bible. Biden should be impeached. He won’t because they all are corrupt. More importantly, many people need to get saved from the wrath of God through Christ.
Amen. Faith is a personal choice, not something to be mandated by government. Our country was founded on religious freedom, and giving preferential treatment to a particular faith – even our own – goes against our Constitution. Even scripture calls for personal decisions to follow Christ, not laws. And we see Christ taking Pharisees to task for their legalism, including how they enforced, judged, criticized and mandated people practice religion as they saw fit.
Christian nationalists are modern day Pharisees who also need to be taken to task.
I thought conservatism is all about small government; then why are conservatives fighting for a government that tells people what to believe (and what we can or cannot read), and mandates people to demonstrate that belief a specific way?
And what does it say about us as Christians if we need the government to “enforce” and “uphold” our faith? Shouldn’t we be winning people to our faith by how we live?
“the issues the Bible prioritizes: societal inequality and injustice.”
The Bible prioritizes recognizing/following God’s authority/Laws, Jesus ministry/sacrifice/resurrection, for our salvation and how we are to conduct ourselves. It is funny how when claims like this about what the scriptures say, they never include the passages that are relevant to their outrage.
“We repent of not doing more to preach and teach against this misuse of our faith, and we pledge to proclaim in word and deed a public theology that is good news for all people.”
In other words “we have been hypocrites, but have seen the error of our ways. Therefore we have the moral high ground, so we can tell you how to act. Expecting you to do all of the work, and possession sacrifice.”
Since most of these folks appear to have means above their needs, they need to put their money where their mouth is, and lead by example. They can start by selling what possessions they have that are unnecessary & give the money to the poor, bring the homeless into their houses, clothe/feed families that cannot afford to eat, pay for their medical care, etc … . Once their actions match their words, then they can lecture us on how we are deficient on serving God, but we are not to hold ourselves to the standards of men/women, only God.
If all Christians (especially pastors) and especially those in affluent countries followed the lead of John Wesley, then much of the poverty, homelessness, etc. would not be an issue. This applies to “conservative” and Trump-supporting theologians and pastors as well. But then many of those prominent Trump-supporting “pastors” are your Prosperity Gospel crooks like Paula White, Kenneth Copeland and others.
“If all Christians (especially pastors) and especially those in affluent countries followed the lead of John Wesley, then much of the poverty, homelessness, etc. would not be an issue.”
We can do that, but we have to be careful not to place a man above God/HIS Son Jesus as our example, or our foundation is built on sand, not rock. This is the main problem in the modern church, where Paul’s “mystery” gospel is elevated above Jesus’ ministry/words. We can look at J.W. as someone who appeared to live as he preached, but he is not a replacement for ultimate example of a man serving God as Jesus’ did, and how He taught us to conduct ourselves.
“This applies to “conservative” and Trump-supporting theologians and pastors as well. But then many of those prominent Trump-supporting “pastors” are your Prosperity Gospel crooks like Paula White, Kenneth Copeland and others.”
Of course it does, but “Prosperity gospel crooks” are not unique to the Trump supporters. The standard applies to all sides of the aisle, not one political party or another. Either a pastor/church leads by example, following God’s commandments/Jesus’ ministry, or it is spiritually dead, morally corrupt, preaching, and living a false gospel. Obviously no church will be perfect, but it must conduct itself righteously, as servants of God, and hold itself accountable in a way that does not tolerate any shenanigans.
The problem is not the Pauline epistles or Paul (or the Epistles of Peter or the Revelation of John the Apostle), but rather the verses are cherry-picked and used in isolation without regard to context. This is also true of the OT. The cheap grace churches have the same error as the Hebrew Roots Christians who demand Christians follow the Jewish holy days, calendar, etc. Both fail to look at the text through the lens of the person of Christ and what Christ did.
Pt1
“The problem is not the Pauline epistles or Paul (or the Epistles of Peter or the Revelation of John the Apostle), but rather the verses are cherry-picked and used in isolation without regard to context. ”
Exactly, that is why our foundation is God Commandments, and the ministry of Jesus under those Commandments, not words of men/women, or how they live.
“Both fail to look at the text through the lens of the person of Christ and what Christ did.”
Why then are we quoting anyone other than God/Jesus when we seek an answer? If we go into a church to hear a sermon, or ask for an answer about how we are to live, we will get Paul’s words for that answer, not the words of Jesus. Paul has been elevated above Jesus in the church, as the authority we are to follow.
Jesus warns:
Matthew 24:26
23Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25Behold, I have told you before.
26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Paul’s conversion in the wilderness, and sighting in the temple, are perfect examples of what Jesus warns.
The signatories represent a “who’s who” of Progressive, Left-wing, and pro-Democrat luminaries. They feel their cause is worthy enough to align with non-Christians like the Unitarian Universalists. They cloak their true intent using vague references to the Bible and name-dropping Jesus. This statement is hubris of the highest level: “This distorted religious nationalism has persuaded many well-meaning Christians to focus on a narrow set of divisive cultural wedge issues while ignoring the real moral issues that are at the heart of our Scriptures and tradition.” It would take a lengthy dissertation to explain all that’s wrong with this statement. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the Right-wing Trumpsters, Christian Nationalists, jingoists, alt-right, that whole crowd. I want nothing to do them either.
I am fighting with every fiber of my being from succumbing to my unspiritual gift of sarcasm. My mind was exploding with such comments as I dug into the background of Bishop William J. Barber II and his Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. Dr. Philip Gorski is also as biased and as one-sided as they come. I didn’t have time nor the need to look any further.
“The declaration then calls on pastors to launch “a season of preaching the moral issues of living wages and union rights, healthcare and ecological justice,” among other issues…
The forum makes the assertion that “The very things that the prophets and that Jesus put at the center as primary are not being heard in the pews in this country,”. What?!? So the moral issues we should be focusing on as pastors should include union rights and ecological justice????
Instead of what? Trying to unmuddy the waters of basic biology and human sexuality that have been thrust upon us by the likes of “higher” education. Should we spend less time talking about surrendering to God’s Word and more time helping others just be happy?
Having a public forum to lecture US citizens on morality hosted and convened by folks incredibly liberal in their politics and “progressive” in their theology is nothing short of self-serving. Taking up space on this page is nothing short of the same.