From BJC Staff Reports
WASHINGTON — A diverse group of religious leaders sent President Barack Obama a letter Nov. 13 congratulating him on his re-election and pledging to work with the administration “during the next four years to help our nation live up to the promise of liberty and justice for all.”
Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director J. Brent Walker, American Baptist Churches USA General Secretary A. Roy Medley, American Baptist Home Mission Societies Executive Director Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III and Progressive National Baptist Convention Interim General Secretary Ralph W. Canty Sr., were among the more than 30 leaders who signed the letter.
“As people of faith, we are mindful that all are called to active concern for all human beings and to respect and care for all of creation,” the leaders wrote. “Our faith inspires us with hope as we join with you in seeking a world envisioned by the prophet Micah, in which ‘They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.’ (Micah 4:4).”
They continued, “Our nation will grapple with challenging domestic and global issues during the next four years, including rising inequality, economic injustice, violations of human rights and freedom of religion, environmental degradation, and peacemaking in a divided world. We commit ourselves to supporting initiatives to enact just and compassionate policies that will serve the common good, strengthen our commitments to care for each other, and ensure that there is enough for everyone.”
Other leaders signing the letter include Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, A Catholic Social Justice Lobby; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; the Rev. Geoffrey Black, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ; and Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
The full text of the letter is available online at BJConline.org. Click here to download it as a pdf document.
From the November/December 2012 Report from the Capital. Click here for the next article.
