wfn.org | Global economic justice likely to get UCC approval

[powellb@ucc.org]

United Church of Christ
Newsroom
Friday, July 10, 2003
newsroom@ucc.org
http://www.ucc.org

By Martin Bailey

MINNEAPOLIS?The UCC General Synod appears likely to approve a sweeping
pronouncement on global economic justice this week, if an initial hearing
held on Friday afternoon is any indication.

The pronouncement called "A Faithful Response Calling for a More Just,
Humane Direction for Economic Globalization" includes biblical and
theological perspectives on injustices related to increasing economic
globalization, detailed economic analysis, and recommended actions for
individuals, local churches and the denomination as a whole.

Speaking forcefully for its adoption was Darius Jonathan, a UCC layperson
from Williamstown, Mass., who is a former government official in the Sudan.
Describing himself as an African who has been supportive of World Bank
lending programs, Jonathan said, "The American advisors came, brought heavy
equipment that we couldn't afford to maintain, and left our schools,
hospitals and infrastructure in shambles."

"African children are dying," he said, "because the money borrowed in good
faith came directly back to the United States. Today, the Sudan can't even
afford to pay the interest on that debt without taking food from the mouths
of children."

A pronouncement, much like a resolution, can address issues of moral or
ethical concern; however, a pronouncement is considered to be a more
weighty statement that calls the church to its highest levels of
conversation, action, and implementation.

Even before General Synod 24 began, the proposed pronouncement had been
studied in congregations across the country. The first speaker at Friday's
hearing told how he had submitted suggestions to the proposal's drafting
team. John Ellis, a UCC layperson from Washington D.C., applauded the
denomination for addressing international justice and global economics.

Ellis called attention to the fact that the United States has the lowest
per capita commitment of any nation in the world to development assistance.
He also urged that the draft pronouncement be strengthened with a stronger
section on the impact of U.S. agricultural subsidies on farmers in the
third world.

In response, one of the drafters of the pronouncement, Edith Rassell,
Ph.D., an economist who serves as the UCC's minister for labor relations
and community economic development, explained that the goal of the writing
team was to provide a document that would furnish guidance to the UCC for a
decade. "Perhaps the pronouncement is too vague," she acknowledged. "We
seek to avoid being outdated in two years."

The pronouncement will be reviewed by the Synod committee on Saturday, and
eventually, it will be put to a vote before the full body, perhaps on
Monday.

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