Most of us can agree 2016 has been a testing of our faith, in more ways than one. We can choose now to take our mourning over 2016 and bring a sense of hopelessness into 2017…or we can choose to take action and bring a new sense of community and hope into the new year. We hope you will choose the latter and join with us as we choose prayer and action over mourning and defeat. Now is the time for Christian Democrats to band together more than ever before. We have an opportunity to reach out to those who have been disenfranchised by the church and certain “Christians” and show them that the behavior and hate speech they have seen displayed by some “Christians” does not represent us all. That there are Christians who stand on the very word and directives of Jesus Christ and our voice will no longer be drowned out! Here are our Christian Democrats 2017 goals…
In 2017, our pledge to you…
- When we see bullying, hate speech and oppression, we will call it out and take whatever actions possible against it.
- We will fight the good fight for the least of these and rally our efforts to stopping a complete destruction of our social safety net programs – healthcare, social security, etc.
- We will stand up for immigrant families.
- We will be “wise as a serpent yet harmless as a dove.” When President-elect Trump and Republicans do something awful, we should call them out, however when they do something good, we should use the fact that we have a president-elect who cares more about his own ego than anything else and thank him. Call what is good, good and call what is evil, evil.
- We will become the alternate voice for Christians in the media, politics and culture. This country has heard plenty from conservative white evangelicals and hateful Christian – we are going to be a bigger voice.
- We will continue to speak out loudly that “Hate is not a Christian value” and further the Christians Against Hate movement.
Let us join together and use 2017 as an opportunity for action and getting the right message out instead of defeat and hopelessness. While we are all still on this earth, we have a purpose. This country we live in needs an outpouring of God’s love from His children to infiltrate every square inch of this land. Continue to stand with us as Christians Against Hate and let us be the best representatives for Jesus we can be.
Happy New Year!
Become a member of CDA in 2017
A New Year’s Prayer for 2017
by Michael Ruffin (@ruffinmichael)
O God, As people who care, we might feel despair, but as people of faith, we’re challenged to wait for the ultimate victory of love. In this meantime, when it seems love’s been stymied, we want to show grace, even in the face of obstacles not likely to move. So help us believe, in the midst of our grief, that you’re in control of creation in whole, and are working in our situation. Fill us with hope as the victorious ones gloat, that we can rehearse your kingdom’s reverse, in the coming days of our nation. For the proud will be humbled, from their lofty perch tumble, the poor will ascend, as will the humble ones when you transform the world by your grace. America’s not heaven, but we are your leaven, so guide all our tactics as we struggle to practice faith, hope, and love in this place. We trust you, O Lord, to move all things forward, but in this hard moment, lead us to foment an uprising on behalf of the all. May we remember when rolls ‘round December, that we spent the year not living in fear, and how reaching down, we stood tall. Amen.
