The FPL News Reel is a daily round-up of the top faith and politics stories in the news. You can sign up for the email version of the News Reel here, subscribe to the RSS feed here, and follow it on twitter at @FPLNewsreel.
Interfaith groups offer support to Sikh community
By Annysa Johnson — Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Representatives of Milwaukee’s interfaith community issued statements condemning the mass shooting at the Sikh temple in Oak Creek Sunday and offered their support and prayers for the community.
A community mourns a senseless act of violence
By Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Editorial
Out of Sunday’s tragedy, perhaps, can be born a better sense of this community’s richness, its faith and its people.
Trust Act seeks to end trivial immigrant arrests
By Samuel Rodriguez — San Diego Union-Tribune, Opinion
…I am constantly confronted with families that have been torn apart when a parent is deported, often times after minor contact with police. The long-term consequences for the children are devastating.
Rabbis aim to inject more morality into business
By Lauren Markoe — Religion News Service
In an age when the phrase “business ethics” can seem like an oxymoron, a group of rabbis has designed a course to use age-old Jewish teachings to help infuse some morality into economics — from the household budget to the stock market.
This Week in Poverty: ‘Respect the Worker’
By Greg Kaufmann — The Nation
“If we had a medical appointment, we were afraid to take it. If we wanted to set up an interview with a social worker for help, we couldn’t do it because we didn’t want to lose our jobs,” said Maria. “If I did make an appointment they would question what it was about. I always had to bring some kind of proof of what I was doing.” By November 2011, the Palermo workers had had enough.
Education ‘today’s civil-rights issue’
By Bob Allen — Associated Baptist Press
Statistics says half of the 8 million students in urban America will never graduate from high school. The 50 percent who do are on average academically four years behind their suburban peers, and just one in 10 will graduate from college.
Shariah Controversy
By Kim Lawton — Religion & Ethics Newsweekly
There’s been a contentious shariah debate across the country. In 2010, voters in Oklahoma passed an initiative to ban state courts from considering shariah. But a court challenge has so far prevented it from taking effect. Activists are now supporting bills that don’t explicitly mention shariah, but instead ban courts from considering any foreign law. Four states have now enacted such laws, and similar bills have been taken up in more than 20 other states.
AIDS remains an epidemic in US, especially in minority communities
By Paul Jeffrey — Catholic News Service
Miranda explained that the response of HIV workers in the faith community has been challenged by cutbacks in institutional funding as well as a shift in focus among church leaders from social action to orthodoxy. Yet Miranda has found that encouraging exceptions exist, pointing to the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops…
Minors getting life sentences
By Suevon Lee — ProPublica
But Epps’s brother is unlikely going anywhere soon. A few weeks after the ruling, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad announced he would commute the life without parole sentences of 38 juvenile offenders, and make them eligible for parole after 60 years. David Epps would be in his mid-seventies when he could first be released.
Florida Amendment Could Remove Restrictions On Funding Religious Schools
By Casey Michel — Talking Points Memo
Amendment 8 would overwrite the Blaine Amendment, named after a 19th-century Speaker of the House James Blaine, who attempted to pass a federal amendment blocking the use of funds for “sectarian” schools.
Muslim Women Olympians: ‘This Is Legacy’
By Cathleen Falsani — Sojourners, God’s Politics
These women are vanguards, shattering stereotypes, subverting cultural-religious mores, and creating a legacy that will benefit female Olympians of all creeds for years to come.
Mormon a Mormon, Mano a Mano
By Joanna Brooks — Religion Dispatches
Within Mormonism, there are class divides, and status divides, and regional differences, and cultural differences between converts like Reid and elite multi-generational ethnic Mormons like Romney. But rarely have these differences been so heatedly on display.
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The FPL News Reel is a daily round-up of the top faith and politics stories in the news. You can sign up for the email version of the News Reel here, subscribe to the RSS feed here, and follow it on twitter at @FPLNewsreel.
Christian Leaders Blast GOP Tax Bill 
By Chris Lisee — Religion News Service
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has also urged Congress to extend tax credits for the poor.
Republican Budget is an Immoral Document
By Jim Wallis — Sojourners, God’s Politics
In all of our decisions, the poor and vulnerable — the ones Jesus called “the least of these” — should be protected, especially by people of faith, regardless of their party affiliations and political philosophies. It’s time to cut through all the political clutter, ideology, and self-interest.
Health-care lessons from Colorado?
By E.J. Montini — Arizona Republic, Opinion
According to published reports, three of the five hospitals treating those wounded in the Colorado theater shooting have pledged to reduce or eliminate the victims’ medical bills. Not only that, but millions have been donated to defray the costs…It’s a little different for people who have the bad luck simply to get sick.
After Aurora
By America Magazine, Editorial
Until society’s preference for the unlimited exercise of individual rights over those of the common good is tempered, our nation will remain hostage to the gun lobby. And our politicians will be reduced to offering victims condolences rather than solutions to gun violence. Is this the society we want?
‘Different than other cultures’
By Bill Leonard — Associated Baptist Press, Opinion
Do congregations across the theological and denominational spectrum need to train “911 response teams” to care for families and communities crushed by continuing, often unexpected, firearm violence?…This essential, not incidental, ministry is demanded here and now because firearm-related dangers, whether in mass murders or “domestic disturbances,” will not go away. Indeed, given the realities of our violence-plagued society, every one of us needs a course called Candlelight Vigil 101.
Los Angeles gets innovative on jobs
By Harold Meyerson — Washington Post, Opinion
In a nation wracked by joblessness and poverty, this kind of set-aside — much like the vast construction project in which it is situated — is exactly what America needs.
I Have Photo ID, Therefore I Am
By Brentin Mock — The Nation, Voting Rights Watch
Stones’ inability to get an ID comes through no fault of her own. She just doesn’t exist, according to Virginia. All we know of her reality, is what’s shared in court. At this point, that’s the ID cards in her possession: a check-cashing ID, a food stamp card, her Medicare card and a library card.
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Statement from over 60 Leaders Calls for Tax Fairness in Advance of Vote to Extend Bush-Era Tax Breaks for Wealthiest Americans
More than 60 Christian leaders and prominent theologians released a letter today calling on Congress to extend the improved Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which keep food on the table for millions of families and are among our nation’s most effective anti-poverty policies. The letter, released by faith leaders on Capitol Hill this morning, calls on Congress to put the needs of working families before ideological agendas that favor the wealthiest Americans.
In advance of the U.S. House of Representatives vote to extend the Bush-era tax cuts, faith leaders call on Congress to recognize that the choices they make reflect the values of our nation and have serious consequences for struggling families. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have also previously denounced efforts to dismantle tax credits that keep working families out of poverty.
“The food budget is usually the first thing families cut when times get tough, but tax credits like the EITC and CTC help struggling families put food on the table and make ends meet,” said David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World and World Food Prize laureate. “It is morally unjust that lawmakers consider drastic cuts to tax credits that are vital to hungry families while wealthy people retain reduced rates for their income over $250,000 and estates as large as $10 million are exempt from taxation. We urge Congress to protect programs that help people lift themselves out of poverty, and not balance the budget on the backs of people who were not responsible for our deficit to begin with.”
“A budget is a moral document. That phrase was coined by the faith community and has become a refrain in the ongoing debates over deficits and budgets. But in this week’s House vote on extending the Bush era tax cuts, we see one more example of the priorities and principles of the broader GOP budget and how they apply to the rich and to the poor,’” said Jim Wallis, President and CEO of Sojourners. “Because of this, we must conclude that the Republican budget is an immoral document. I certainly don’t believe that all our Republican lawmakers came to Washington to hurt poor people, but it’s time for some of them to challenge the dominant forces in their party and face the consequences of such indefensible choices.”
“Congress has the ability to enact common-sense legislation that would keep an additional 1.6 million people out of poverty, and it is immoral that they would choose not to do so,” said Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK. “We need Congress to stand up for what’s right, not protect the interests of the wealthiest two percent. As a Catholic sister, I stand with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in calling on Congress to work together and extend the improved tax credits instead of dismantling basic protections for poor and vulnerable people.”
“Everyday, I am amazed by the single mothers and hardworking couples in neighborhoods like North Lawndale in Chicago, or Oak Cliff in Dallas where I was this past week, that are struggling in these tough economic times. Let’s not make their load even heavier by eliminating the important tax credits they receive to help them to keep moving forward.” said Rev. Noel Castellanos, CEO of the Christian Community Development Association.
“As people of faith, we believe that our government should serve its entire people and not just the wealthiest few,” said Rev. Michael Harrison, president of the Ohio Baptist State Convention and chairman of the board of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative, a federation of the PICO National Network. “The bottom line is that failure to extend refundable tax credits will hurt millions of families who rely on credits such as Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit to meet basic needs.”
The full statement from 60 faith leaders is below and online here.
As Christian leaders, we believe that our nation’s tax policies are fundamentally about values and priorities. Our religious tradition provides a vision for responsible government that serves the common good, not simply the privileged few. This requires those who have succeeded the most to pay their fair share of taxes. It also requires our commitment to public education, quality health care, vital infrastructure investments and programs that protect poor and vulnerable people. Congress will soon vote on tax measures that will have a profound impact on working families and the poor.
We are deeply opposed to any proposal that fails to extend the crucial improvements made in 2009 to refundable tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit. These tax credits help families meet basic needs, reduce poverty, and remove barriers to work. It is hypocritical for lawmakers who talk about family values to abandon improvements in these effective, family-supporting programs. Failing to extend the improved tax credits would jeopardize the economic security and well-being of more than 15 million families and more than 36 million children within those families. This is simply unconscionable.
We are also deeply concerned that some leaders in Washington who oppose extending these improved tax credits are at the same time calling for an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest few. Favoring the wealthiest 2% over working families is irresponsible public policy that fails a basic moral test. We are not economists or tax experts. But this debate is about more than dry statistics or competing fiscal theories. Ultimately, these choices reflect our values and reveal our priorities as a nation. We urge Members of Congress to put families and workers before ideological agendas that favor the powerful.
Mark J. Allman, Religious Theological Studies Department, Merrimack College
David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
Gerald J. Beyer, Associate Professor of Theology, Saint Joseph’s University
Joanna Brooks, Progressive Mormon author
Bishop John R. Bryant, African Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director, Faith in Public Life
Nicholas P. Cafardi, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law, Duquesne University School of Law
Sr. Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Tony Campolo, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Eastern University
Patrick Carolan, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network
Rev. Noel Castellanos, Chief Executive Officer, Christian Community Development Association
Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J., Editor in Chief, America Magazine
Richard Cizik, President, New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
Rev. John A. Coleman, S.J., Associate Pastor, St. Ignatius Parish, San Francisco
M. Shawn Copeland, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College
Rev. Chuck Currie, Minister, Sunnyside Church and University Park Church, Portland, Oregon
Nancy Dallavalle, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Department of Religious Studies, Fairfield University
Paula Clayton Dempsey, Minister for Partnership Relations, Alliance for Baptists
Marie Dennis, Co-President, Pax Christi International
Sr. Pat Farrell, OSF, President, Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Stillman Professor for Roman Catholic Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School
Rev. Michael Harrison, President, Ohio Baptist State Convention
Rev. Dr. Peter Heltzel, Micah Institute at New York Theological Seminary
Sr. Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Boston College
Joel C. Hunter, Senior Pastor, Northland, A Church Distributed
John Inglis, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Cross-appointed to Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
Paul Lakeland, Aloysius P. Kelly, S.J. Professor of Catholic Studies, Fairfield University
Rev. Michael Livingston, Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative
Sr. Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, RGS, National Coordinator, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Kathleen Maas Weigert, Assistant to the Provost for Social Justice Initiatives, Loyola University, Chicago
Rev. Steven D. Martin, Executive Director, New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
Rev. Bryan N. Massingale, Professor of Theological Ethics, Marquette University
Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews, PICO National Network
Gene McCarraher, Associate Professor of Humanities, Villanova University
Sr. Patricia McDermott, RSM, President, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Rev. Brian McLaren, Evangelical writer and speaker
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, General Secretary, American Baptist Churches, USA
Alex Mikulich, Assistant Professor, Jesuit Social Research Institute, Loyola University, New Orleans
Vincent J. Miller, Gudorf Chair in Catholic Theology and Culture, Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III, Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago
Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, Washington, DC
David O’Brien, University Professor of Faith and Culture, University of Dayton
William L. Portier, Chair of Catholic Theology, University of Dayton
Christopher Pramuk, Associate Professor of Theology, Xavier University, Cincinnati
Rev. Thomas J. Reese, S.J., Senior Fellow, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University
Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition
Stephen F. Schneck, Director, Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies, The Catholic University of America
Ron Sider, President, Evangelicals for Social Action
Anthony B. Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of Dayton
John Sniegocki, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, Xavier University, Cincinnati
Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology and former President, Chicago Theological Seminary
Terrence W. Tilley, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology and Chair, Theology Department, Fordham University, Bronx
Bishop Edgar L. Vann, Second Ebeneezer Church, Detroit
Rev. Jim Wallis, President and CEO, Sojourners
Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins, General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the U.S. and Canada
Todd Whitmore, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics, University of Notre Dame
Barbara Williams-Skinner, Founder, Skinner Leadership Institute
Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church & Society of the United Methodist Church
Tobias Winright, Associate Professor of Theological Ethics, Saint Louis University
Aidsand Wright-Riggins, III, Executive Director, American Baptist Home Mission Societies
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