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Worship Resources on the Death Penalty

by chris

ncchurches.org/2014/03/worship-resources-death-penalty
Date: Good Friday - Apr. 18, 2014
Topic: The Death Penalty
Focus Text: John 18:1-19:42
Because Christians have come to understand the cross as a rich symbol of all that God has accomplished in Jesus it is sometimes easy to forget that the symbol of our faith is (or was) also an instrument of torture and execution (it is certainly more than that, but not less). The details of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion are a reminder that Jesus did in fact receive a form of capital punishment. As ethicist Glen Stassen writes, “Christians who remember that their Lord was unjustly and cruelly given the death penalty have a hard time being enthusiastic about imposing the death penalty on others.”

Race and the Death Penalty In NC

by chris

ncchurches.org/2001/04/race-and-the-death-penalty-in-nc
This is a preliminary report concerning a new study of capital punishment in the State of North Carolina that has been undertaken during the past nine months – the North Carolina Death Penalty Study 2001. It is the first major social scientific study of the death penalty conducted in North Carolina in over 20 years, and the first systematic look for patterns of racial discrimination in capital sentencing in the South employing data more recent than 1984. The report has been prepared by Dr. Robert Unah of the Department of Political Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with the assistance of Professor John Charles Boger of the UNC School of Law.

As we will elaborate below, the preliminary findings present clear and disturbing evidence that North Carolina’s capital system in the 1990s continues to exhibit patterns of racial discrimination that cannot be explained by any of the legitimate sentencing considerations that have been sanctioned by North Carolina’s legislative and judicial branches.

Economic Justice Way of the Cross

by Aleta Payne, Former Deputy Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2012/04/economic-justice-way-of-the-cross
On April 6, state religious leaders and activists will remember Jesus Christ’s suffering and death and the suffering and death of immigrants coming to this country in an “Economic Justice Way of the Cross.” The North Carolina Council of Churches is a co-sponsor of the event which takes place from noon to 2 p.m. at the N.C. State Capitol.

The Good Friday commemoration of Jesus’ suffering and death will be linked with the need for justice, immigration reform, a change in US trade policies, and an end to US support for the war in Afghanistan and Colombia. Money needs to be spent on food and economic development instead of war, according to Gail Phares, director of Witness for Peace Southeast, the event’s primary organizer.

Racial Justice Act Supporters Push to Sustain Veto of New Bill

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ncchurches.org/2012/07/racial-justice-act-supporters-push-to-sustain-veto-of-new-bill
The News & Observer

Death penalty opponents and advocates of the state’s Racial Justice Act have embarked on an intense petition drive, letter-writing and email campaign, targeting five Democrats in the state House of Representatives. The goal is to persuade the representatives to sustain the governor’s Thursday veto of the legislature’s overhaul of the Racial Justice Act.

Raleigh Report – June 1, 2012

by Rose Gurkin, Former Program Associate for Administration

ncchurches.org/2012/06/raleigh-report-june-1-2012
The General Assembly leadership is committed to having this short session truly be short, and there’s talk of adjourning by early July. In fact, an adjournment resolution was introduced yesterday with a target date of June 19. This session, which starts in May of even-numbered years, is primarily to tweak the second year of the budget adopted the year before. In addition, certain bills which were introduced last year (mostly ones which passed in one house) can be considered. For a new bill to be introduced this year, it must fit into one of a few specific categories, with most new bills having to do with budgetary matters or coming from a study commission which met during the interim. Finally, pending veto overrides are also thought by the House and Senate leadership to be eligible for consideration.

Also in this Raleigh Report: Guns in Church, Gambling, Death Penalty, Boards and Commissions and more.

Underage Drinking

by North Carolina Council of Churches

ncchurches.org/2002/11/underage-drinking
Because early use of alcohol is such a causal factor in teen death and injury, there is reason for the faith community’s involvement in this issue. All faiths recognize the importance of one generation training and seeing to the needs of the next.  Whether it is through the family or the “village,” the care of children and youth is a universal responsibility. The Hebrew Scriptures (for example, Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalm 78:1-8; Proverbs 22:6) reflect the importance of the older generation teaching the younger. Jesus’ words also reflect the importance of parents caring for their children. When he was looking for a stark example of God’s care for God’s children, Jesus asked, “If your child asks for bread, will you give a stone? If your child asks for a fish, will you give a snake?” (Matthew 7:9-10). Reducing underage drinking is consistent with the faith community’s long-standing concern for the well-being and full development of children and youth.

Jesus, Martin, and Gilles

by Mary Elizabeth Hanchey, Program Associate for Legislative Advocacy and Interfaith Outreach

ncchurches.org/2018/01/jesus-martin-gilles
A reflection on Jesus of Nazareth (out of which nothing good comes)¹, the life and death of Martin Luther King Jr., and the detention of Gilles Bikindou. Jesus. Martin. Gilles. […]

Concrete Problems, Concrete Solutions

by Lee Foster, Former Duke Divinity School Intern

ncchurches.org/2011/08/concrete-problems-concrete-solutions
While it is true that central to Christian theology is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it would be erroneous to reduce the whole of Christian theology to a set of beliefs. If one surveys the gospels, then a person will find Jesus both expounding upon theology and liberating people. For those who were sick, he cured them of their sickness. For those who were blind, he gave them sight. For those who were saddened, he comforted them. Jesus gave concrete solutions to the problems that people faced in the 1st century and did not merely offer them a set of beliefs.

On Special Provisions in the State Budget

by North Carolina Council of Churches

ncchurches.org/1998/10/on-special-provisions-in-the-state-budget
Recent years have seen a proliferation of "special provisions" in the state budget. While special provisions are not new, their increased use to bypass parts of the legislative process and to weaken the voice of the people is troubling. Special provisions are items included in the state budget that go beyond the mere allocation of state money. Some special provisions are clearly relevant and appropriate in the budget (example: a requirement that certain independent groups receiving state money report back to the General Assembly on how they spend it or a requirement that part of an appropriation be spent in a specific way). Other special provisions have only minimal relationship to the budget (example: increasing the penalties for drug crimes).

Living Out Faith

by chris

ncchurches.org/2010/09/living-out-faith
Rev. Jean Newell, Creighton United Methodist Church (Phoenix, Arizona)

As he wrote his letter, I imagine Paul’s hope and prayer was that Philemon’s life had been so changed . . . so transformed . . . by his faith in Christ that the slave owner would not hand out punishment or death to the returned slave but would, instead, live out his faith and accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ. If there was to be any restitution made, Paul assured Philemon, he—Paul—would gladly be held accountable.

Farmworker Advocacy Network to launch new campaign

by chris

ncchurches.org/2010/09/farmworker-advocacy-network-to-launch-new-campaign
Fifty years after “Harvest of Shame,” not much has changed.  Farm work remains one of the nation’s most dangerous industries.  Here in North Carolina, dangerous conditions in the fields, poverty wages and substandard housing continue to threaten workers’ health and well-being.  For example, workers often put in 14-hour days in bad weather – including extreme heat and rain.  In North Carolina, 7 farmworkers died of heat stroke in a recent five-year span.  They were literally worked to death.  And heat stroke isn't the only problem in the fields.

County clergy meet, talk immigration

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ncchurches.org/2012/05/county-clergy-meet-talk-immigration
Goldsboro News-Argus

Immigration is not just a political issue — it is about life and death, an advocate who works with churches told Wayne County clergy Tuesday. Chris Liu-Beers, program associate with the North Carolina Council of Churches, met with 17 local religious leaders during a special breakfast designed to encourage conversations about the topic and how churches can play a role.

One of those sharing his experiences with the immigrant community was the Rev. John Richardson, a regional minister with the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. He equated the immigration issue to the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible.

Mandela Led the Way

by Steve Ford, Former Volunteer Program Associate

ncchurches.org/2013/12/mandela-led-way
As so often happens, the occasion of a person’s death becomes a time not only for mourning the end of a life but also for celebrating a life well-lived. When […]

Lex, Rufus and Peter

by George Reed, Former Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2014/04/lex-rufus-peter
I recently took a wonderful walk down Memory Lane for me, though it was also poignant at times. On a Saturday, the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina sponsored a remembrance of […]

Easter Greeting

by Aleta Payne, Former Deputy Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2015/04/easter-greeting
Lo, the fair beauty of earth, from the death of the winter arising, every good gift of the year now with its Master returns. Excerpted from Hail Thee, Festival Day, […]

A Voice Was Heard

by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2021/05/a-voice-was-heard
The following remarks were presented by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director, during the public gathering and clergy march in Elizabeth City after the recent death of Andrew Brown, […]

In Mourning

by Aleta Payne, Former Deputy Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2015/02/mourning
The deaths of Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Deah Shaddy Barakat are an unspeakable tragedy. Whether officials eventually decide that they were murdered because they were Muslim, because […]

The Severity of the Flu

by Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy

ncchurches.org/2018/01/the-severity-of-the-flu
This flu season is notably harsh and even deadly in some circumstances. According to North Carolina Health Officials, as of January 25, there have been 21 flu deaths in our […]

Children and Gun Violence

by North Carolina Council of Churches

ncchurches.org/1998/10/children-and-gun-violence
Several times in the past decade, we have spoken out about the proliferation of guns and gun violence. In 1994, we noted why this is of concern to people of faith. Gun violence, especially handgun violence, has increasingly become a cause for alarm in our nation and state. As Christians, we especially are disturbed. The way of Christ is a way of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, and love for enemies. The spirit of Christ is sharply opposed to the spirit of violence and the instruments of violence. It is also opposed to the law of retaliation or responding to injury with injury. Christ rejected the use of violence in the pursuit of his mission, and when one of the disciples drew his sword in defense of Jesus, the Lord said, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:51-53).

Clergy, Laity and Child Abuse

by North Carolina Council of Churches

ncchurches.org/1998/12/clergy-laity-and-child-abuse
Over the past two years, increased attention has been focused on the issue of child abuse, both because of a few highly publicized cases in which children died and because of a bill debated in the General Assembly which would have made it a misdemeanor not to report suspected child abuse. While that bill did not pass, it raised the question of what duty church employees and laity have regarding child abuse. And it raised the issue of whether clergypersons must report information gathered in confessions or other confidential settings.

Workers’ Memorial

by Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director

ncchurches.org/2019/04/workers-memorial
Remarks delivered by the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director of the NC Council of Churches, at the Workers’ Memorial in Raleigh on April 26, 2019. Genesis 5:1-5 This is […]

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ncchurches.org/all-resources
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