The United Methodist Church’s public policy arm announced Wednesday its top seven legislative priorities for 2008, saying that it believes the faith community can offer a much needed voice to the debates.
Issues being taken up this year cover a wide spectrum of topics, from health care and poverty to the environment and war. The chosen priorities all support the emphasis of the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) Board of Directors.
“They (priorities) either are objectives that we think can be accomplished this year, or issues that are so important that they need to be emphasized regardless of our hopes to accomplish them this year or not,” explained Mark Harrison, director of GBCS’s Peace with Justice Program.
Among the priorities for this year is the issue of reducing global warming pollution. GBCS says that Congress’ action in 2007 to increase fuel efficiency standards as part of its energy bill is not enough. GBCS urges Congress to pass a comprehensive global warming legislation that reduces emissions and protects the vulnerable from both the result of global warming and the potential price hike from the legislation.
The ministry also expressed support for the bill “Climate Security Act of 2007” (S.2191), a bipartisan effort to reduce U.S. global warming pollution.
Additionally, protecting children’s health is another GBCS top priority this year. The Methodist body will advocate on behalf of children who lack access to healthcare and push for policy to curb the tobacco industry from luring children to be “life-long smokers” and the alcohol industry from encouraging “underage and binge drinkers.”
To combat these problems, GBCS will also urge Congress to support stricter regulation on tobacco by the Food and Drug administration, fund the “STOP Underage Drinking Prevention Act,” and reauthorize the “State Children’s Health Insurance Program.”
Increasing affordable housing in 2008 is another key goal.
“As the housing crisis across the country deepens, GBCS remains committed to passage of the ‘National Housing Trust Fund,’” said John Hill, director of Economic and Environmental Justice.
He explained that the “National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act” (S.2523) provides local communities with resources necessary to increase housing opportunities for people in lower income households.
Other policy priorities include the reauthorization of President Bush’s AIDS funding, which expires at the end of 2008; supporting the “Second Chance Act” for ex-offenders and their families; rallying behind the “Global Poverty Act” to develop a comprehensive strategy to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of reducing global poverty; and ending the war in Iraq.
The General Board of Church and Society is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church. Its primary areas of ministry are Advocacy, Education and Leadership Formation, United Nations and International Affairs, and resourcing these areas for the nearly 35,000 local churches in the denomination.
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Alright, the flagger needs to leave the post. It is so annoying when people flag comments (unless they are blatantly derogoratory, but I have seen very, very few ever to be such on this post)
The General Board of Church and Society and the General Board of Global Ministries, Women’s Division of the United Methodist Church are members of the "Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice." They are radically pro-abortion. The unborn are not merely forgotten; they are abandoned and assaulted under cover of law.
What a great public relations effort by the UMC when so many Christians are unaware of their unbiblical public policy abortion stance.
star2 & john14-6: Give me a break. Jesus is alive and well inside the United Methodist Church. Jesus' priorities are our priorities and we're proving it!
You can keep flagging me all you want. I was attacking no one. I was speaking out, and speaking the truth, about a denomination that has allowed itself to turn from a focus on Christ to become a political entity. Flag this one too. I'll keep reposting it. The truth doesn't change just because you don't want to hear it. You are not the self-appointed censor of this board. Every time you flag me, I'll simply repost it.
The United Methodist Church has become a political entity focused on socially liberal policies and politics. This is of the world and not of God.
I believe attacks on other Christians, individually or collectively, are inappropriate and un-Christlike. Christians can discuss and disagree without attacking the faith of other Christians.
The number one priority of the Church, given to the Church directly by the Lord Jesus Christ, is to go into the world and make disciples. We are also called to help those who can not care for themselves throughout the entire Bible. That means taking action, not politics.
Politics is NOT the way we make disciples and politics will never solve the problem of sinful hearts who need salvation through Jesus.
But I do think we as Christians have the same right as other citizens to speak out on issues that are important to us as Christians. For example, in the article one of the items is stopping children and young people from smoking and drinking. As a Christian, I strongly support that.
I regularly contact my elected officials on such issues relating to Life, Health and Security for those who have no voice or resources - children born and unborn, the poor and hungry, persecuted people in Darfur, China, and Saudi Arabia, and protecting God's creation.
Speaking Biblical truth in the public square does not stop or diminish my preaching and teaching so that people can hear the Good News and become disciples of Christ. It's just one small part of my Christian witness.
I am thankful that I live in a free country where people of faith, individually and through chruch groups, can express opinions in the political process.
Aquila -
Worshipping God IS the business of the church. The problem comes when the church is no longer worshipping God, but has become a political entity. See also articles about Ex-President Carter's political Baptist meeting.
Whatever happened to preaching the gospel and calling people to godly living in Christ Jesus?
Isn't that what Jesus commissioned us to do?
Jesus is not in their priorities and I rather doubt that He is in their Chruch
RBB - this is a list of LEGISLATIVE priorities. You can't legislate worshipping God.
SqueakyWheel - even though the UMC officially recognizes the sanctity of unborn human life and opposes partial-birth abortion, the church agencies could definitely do a better job advocating that position. So the unborn are not forgot, but there also is no pending legislation on abortion to speak out on.
Grace and peace.
So where is worshipping God on this list?
The United Methodist Church forgot about protecting the lives of unborn children, too. If they are not protected from fetal killings via abortions, what's the use of talking about protecting them from smoking and drinking?