NEW YORK  The National Council of Churches USA has released 10 principles for evaluating candidates that it hopes all Christians  from liberals to conservatives  will study and apply in this election year.
According to a NCC news release, these "Christian Principles in an Election Year" apply well-established ecumenical principles to both domestic and foreign policy issues, and address issues of war, poverty, immigration, education, health care, racial justice, distress in U.S. inner cities and rural communities, the environment and the criminal justice system. They urge domestic policies that build "communities shaped by peace and cooperation" and a foreign policy "based on cooperation and global justice."
"This is an important voice in the public conversation about where this nation should be headed," said the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, who chairs the NCC's Justice and Advocacy Commission. That multi-denominational Commission developed the principles, which then were affirmed by the NCC's Executive Committee. "The principles are not intended to be partisan, but rather to lift up common principles that have been affirmed ecumenically and that can provide guidance in this election season."
Neither are these principles meant to be exhaustive of all concerns, Dr. Kinnamon said. "There are other issues on which some Justice and Advocacy Commission members wanted to speak and that Roman Catholics and conservative evangelical Christians might add, but on which churches aren't united - among them, abortion and gay marriage. For us, the issue is how to begin a conversation in the pews. We proclaim with a bold humility that this is where we stand right now, even as we invite others into the conversation."
A number of the principles have roots in ecumenical agreements that date back more than 50 years, noted Dr. Kinnamon, a Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister and professor at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. For example, the first principle, "War is contrary to the will of God," was affirmed at the World Council of Churches' founding assembly in 1948. "It's not a pacifist position," he said, "but it says ‘no' to crusade. It acknowledges that ‘while the use of force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers."
Other principles echo such "key principles of the whole ecumenical movement" as the interrelatedness of all people, God's priority concern for the poor, the infinite worth of each person as created in the image of God, and the God-given responsibility to be stewards of God's creation, Dr. Kinnamon said.
Commented the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, a United Methodist minister and former member of the U.S. Congress who is NCC General Secretary, "Elections are an opportunity for education of voters, communities and churches around what civic responsibility is. We believe in the separation of church and state, but not in the separation of people of faith from institutions of government. We believe people of faith need to be involved in the political process, be registered, and vote with a sense of empowerment and conscience. We hope these principles will help them."
Said the Rev. Dr. Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr., of Shreveport, La., Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church's Fourth District and NCC President, "We hope churches will post these principles on bulletin boards, include them in the church bulletin, and use them in Bible study groups, young people's forums and senior citizen meetings. We hope the principles will help people enter into dialogue and be ‘Spirit-filled voters' who don't just get stirred up about emotional hot-button issues but also keep sight of all the other issues like racism, poverty and issues of peace and justice," Dr. Hoyt said.
The principles address not only the issues but also the conduct of campaigns, asking candidates to "refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain" and urging that "the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity."
The full text of "Christian Principles in an Election Year" is available on the NCC Web site: www.ncccusa.org/.
