Churches Join Occupy Movement

Written by Sean Shealy

But in every age, too, there have been those principled voices within the church who speak up against these abuses, whether it be Martin Luther nailing his objections to the door of the Roman church, or Martin Luther King, Jr., marching in Selma. Today, this moral minority can be found in the Faithful Budget Campaign (FBC), and in the churches that have opened their doors to the Occupy Movement.

“We urge you to ensure that people who are impoverished, hungry, homeless, disabled, and elderly, both in the United States and abroad, are not asked to sacrifice what little they have,” wrote the FBC to members of the Congressional deficit-reduction ‘Supercommittee.’ “We urge policymakers to look with fairness at potential avenues toward fiscal health, with a focus on job creation, revenue, and reducing unnecessary and duplicative military spending.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a similar statement.

Eleven members of the FBC recently went farther, occupying the Capitol Rotunda for a half hour with prayers and song before being arrested.  Those arrested included clergy and executive directors from the Methodist, Presbyterian and United Churches of Christ denominations.

Seventy representatives of Ohio’s Catholic Church signed a letter to House Speaker John Beohner – a Catholic from Ohio – starkly challenging the Speaker to adhere to principle over political gain: “You are now faced with a monumental choice. You can heed to the consistent moral calls from Catholics who have urged lawmakers to decrease our debt fairly and protect the most vulnerable, or you can heed to growing political pressure from Tea Party Republicans."

The Rev. Jim Wallace, former adviser to the White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships – and reportedly a long-time friend to President Obama – recently penned a piece asking that churches open up their doors to the Occupy Movement.

“Our faith communities and organizations should swing their doors wide and greet the Occupiers with open arms,” he writes, “Offering them a feast to say ‘thank you’ for having the courage to raise the very religious and biblical issue of growing inequality in our society. … Concentrations of wealth and power, unfairness in our political process, the loss of opportunity – especially for the next generation – and the alarming rise of poverty in the world's richest nation are all fundamental concerns for people of faith.”

Some churches, such as the Middle Collegiate Church in New York’s West Village, weren’t waiting for the suggestion; they opened the doors to house Occupy Wall Street protestors who had been kicked out of Zuccotti Park on a recent night. "We're going to try to recharge their batteries," said senior minister Jacqui Lewis.  "The Gospels have such a clear mandate for how we’re supposed to treat one another."  A website, occupyfaithnyc.org, coordinates efforts between the local churches and the Occupy Movement.

The Rev. Michael Ellick, spiritual leader of the Judson Memorial Church in New York, writes, “We have sent a message to the whole country that we are behind this movement, and that we have no intention of seeing it fade.”

When asked about His views on the nonviolent movement in support of social justice, Jesus Christ, the founder of the church, released a statement through a spokesman: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

You can write to Sean Shealy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it