A 1950 statement described gambling as "an unchristian attempt to get something for nothing or at another's expense." Twenty-five years later, a Presbyterian General Assembly adopted a statement calling upon its members "to exert influence on local, state and national legislative bodies to oppose all forms of legalized gambling, e.g., lotteries, bingo, pari-mutuel betting, dog racing, horse racing, betting on sports games, casino games and numbers." A 1992 statement petitioned civic and government leaders to resist state sanctioned gambling and the false promises for fiscal benefits from such and encouraged state councils of churches and related public policy advocacy groups …
As a result of its research and study, the Task Force on Pornography is convinced that pornography is a powerful symptom of injustice and alienation in human society. Through words and images, pornography debases God's intended gifts of love and dignity in human sexuality. Although humankind was created male and female, equally and fully in the image of God, the history of humanity reveals a fundamental pattern of dominance and subjugation. While this historic pattern of systematic oppression has been exposed more fully in our time than ever before, we live in an age also marked by the shattering of …
The church works for changes in society so that violence is not accepted or in any way legitimated by the social and cultural realities. This means working for systemic change to the end that, while immediate needed care is provided to victims and survivors and abusers are held to strict accountability, changes are made in society to prevent future victims of violence and abuse. In addition, the church is responsible to engage in ongoing reflection and repentance regarding its own complicity in violence and to model by its life and witness, a nonviolent and Christ-centered way of relating to one …
This resolution explores what the ministry of caregiving means as an aging population rapidly increases. People of faith and the congregation in which they serve must assess the needs of the aging population in their community and seek ways to support and sustain family caregivers. The church can play a vital role in developing models that provide caregiving to all who are in need.
As our Book of Order states concerning the church's mission, "God's redeeming and reconciling activity in the world continues through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who confronts individuals and societies with Christ's Lordship of life and calls them to repentance and to obedience to the will of God" (G- 3.0103). The sovereign love of God, the gracious lordship of Jesus Christ, and the empowering fellowship of the Holy Spirit ground our lives as Christians; yet we are also rooted in family structures that evidence the corrosive pressures around and within us, as well as the failed relationships …
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is already present in public education through students, educators, and staff. Historically, the church has been a pioneer in the development and support of public education. In recent decades the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been especially concerned about child sexual abuse. "Turn Mourning into Dancing! A Policy Statement on Healing Domestic Violence," approved by the 213th General Assembly (2001), defines child sexual abuse and determines that it "violates God's commandments to love God and love our neighbor." This policy calls for ministering first to victims of abuse and then to the violators.
Our society has something never before seen in human history, aging on a mass scale. This report reaffirms the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s support of policies to assure the coonomic security of older adults, and provide an even broader vision of a just society with prosperity and security for people of all ages.
God's good gift of life does not come without God's guidance, guidance carried in the scriptures of Old and New Testaments and interpreted in our Confessions of Faith. As medical science has reduced pain and permitted longer life through the discovery of countless new therapies and treatments, the duration and enjoyment of human life have been extended for literally billions of people. Our conviction of God's abiding presence has accompanied this process, deepened by our Reformed Christian appreciation for the role of science in healing, and our pastoral sense that our wholeness in Christ co-exists within the- sometimes tragic-- range …
In our time of economic crisis, the churches have an answer, a constructive vision of the directions needed for a fairer society and a healthier world. This non-doctrinal Social Creed is a positive framework for needed new thinking and action by individuals, institutions and government itself, all of which are called to serve the common good. It embodies the prophetic heart for justice, which insists that all persons must be treated equally and that societies are judged by how they treat their weakest members.
In our time of economic crisis, the churches have an answer, a constructive vision of the directions needed for a fairer society and a healthier world. This non-doctrinal Social Creed is a positive framework for needed new thinking and action by individuals, institutions and government itself, all of which are called to serve the common good. It embodies the prophetic heart for justice, which insists that all persons must be treated equally and that societies are judged by how they treat their weakest members.