Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- Nov. 1, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN ISSUES RESOLUTION AGAINST MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
(Nov. 1, 2007) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren General Board has issued a resolution against modern-day slavery, at its fall meeting Oct. 19-22 at the denomination's General Offices in Elgin, Ill. The "Resolution on Modern-Day Slavery: A Call to Awareness, Education, and Action" will be presented to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in July, 2008, for its consideration.
The board issued the resolution after hearing a presentation on "Slavery in the 21st Century" by Phil Jones, director of the Brethren Witness/Washington Office, and by Anna Speicher, editor for the Gather 'Round curriculum jointly published by Brethren Press and Mennonite Publishing Network. Speicher has done doctoral work on the history of chattel slavery and abolitionist efforts.
The resolution notes that slavery is illegal in every nation, but that many forms of slavery continue, such as child labor, sexual slavery, and debt bondage. It references Luke 4:18-19 as a gospel mandate and reaffirms the historic opposition of Brethren to slavery.
The church "has spoken out strongly and repeatedly in opposition to slavery and the slave trade, passing antislavery resolutions in 1797, 1812, 1813, 1837, 1845, 1853, 1854, and 1857," the resolution says, referring to statements by Brethren annual meetings of previous centuries.
The resolution goes on to confess "our complicity in the global network of slavery through consumption of goods and services...produced by slave labor," and makes a commitment to education and action, inviting church of the Brethren organizations and members to join in the work against slavery along with ecumenical and interfaith partners.
The full text of the resolution is posted at
www.brethren.org/genbd/GBResolutions/2007ModernDaySlavery.html .
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts almost 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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