A vet of peace-making

By Alexander Carpenter

William Sloan Coffin, who once said:

"Many of us are eager to respond to injustice, as long as we can do so without having to confront the causes of it. There's the great pitfall of charity. Handouts to needy individuals are genuine, necessary responses to injustice, but they do not necessarily face the reason for injustice. And that is why so many business and governmental leaders today are promoting charity; it is desperately needed in an economy whose prosperity is based on growing inequality.

First these leaders proclaim themselves experts on matters economic, and prove it by taking the most out of the economy! Then they promote charity as if it were the work of the church, finally telling us troubled clergy to shut up and bless the economy as once we blessed the battleships."

Comments

[Dr. Thomas J. Zwemer]

If America Had a hero during the 60's and 70's It was William Sloane Coffin. His book Credo is a mostfor any Christian ethetist. He put his life were his mouth was. Tom

[Jared Wright]

The same might be said about discussing issues, it seems. Many of us are eager to discuss the issues of our day, race, environment, politics, ethics, as long as discussing is all that we're asked to do. Once we cross a line between discussion and praxis, it seems as though many would be disciples leave saying, "This is too hard a teaching, who can abide by this stuff?"

An ounce of action is worth more than 1000 words coupled with inaction.

[Pat Travis]

Jared,

Go for it as an individual... just keep my church out of it and don't presume to speak for it.

pt