The Bibles are on their way to Washington! Last month we considered what kind of protest Christian Democrats could uniquely hold, that would make a statement to the incoming administration, gain media visibility and speak to the country about where Christian Democrats stand…and that we have a strong voice that needs to be heard! We decided to send Bibles with scriptures about taking care of the poor and the stranger, not abandoning those in need, and the judgment nations face for oppressing “the least of these,” we did a crowd-funding campaign, and thanks to the generous support of hundreds of Christian Democrats, Bibles to the White House and key members of Congress are on their way!
In this initiative we are specifically asking Congress and President Trump to not cut and completely gut the protections for the sick and poor the Affordable Care Act provides, to not cut and dismantle social safety net programs, abandon funding to programs (social security, Medicaid, affordable housing, homeless efforts, etc), AND to treat immigrants and their families with fairness and compassion.
Many newly elected members of Congress and the newly elected President himself, ran in 2016 claiming not only to be “very strong Christians,” but on a platform they claimed broadly was backed by scripture. They won millions of votes within the Evangelical and other Christian voting bases with claims of protecting Christian values and rights. So in this initiative we are reminding them just exactly what the Bible does say about the issues surrounding important decisions facing the country. You cannot claim to follow Jesus and live a holy life yet neglect chapters such as Matthew 25 or Isaiah 58. Maybe some of them forgot these numerous scriptures…so they need reminding.
Here are the scriptures highlighted in every single Bible and we encourage you to read them:
Isaiah 10:1-2
Psalms 72
Jeremiah 22:1-5
Matthew 25:31-46
Isaiah 58
Deuteronomy 24:14
Proverbs 14:31
Proverbs 21:13
Proverbs 22:16
Luke 11:40-42
James 2:1-13
Leviticus 19: 33-34
Deuteronomy 24: 17
Zechariah 7:10
This is a copy of the letter being included with every Bible:
Dear [Member of Congress, President Trump or Trump Administration Cabinet Member],
In this new Administration, we, representing thousands of Christian Democrats, Progressives, Independents and moderate Republicans in your districts in every part of the country, implore you to not forget the Biblical commands to individuals and nations to care for the poor and needy and oppressed. This was the first Mission statement of Jesus: “I came to bring release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18-19) This is not just a call to individuals, but also to Nations. Nations and governments will be judged by how they care for the needy and vulnerable communities, including our immigrant brothers and sisters. We are concerned that Congress, the President, and the incoming administration will be over-awed by the rich (Psalms 49:13) and will not be just and merciful to the poor (Isaiah 10:1-2), the sick, the elderly and the “stranger” in our land.
Specifically, in regards to the following issues….
- The Affordable Care Act
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Social Security
- Affordable Housing and other social safety net programs
- Immigration/Immigrant and refugee families
We ask you, whether you are a Christian or not, to take into consideration the scriptures highlighted and tagged within this Bible (scriptures listed here).
If you are one of the many representatives who specifically made a point of telling the American people about your Christian faith during the 2016 election, but you decide to choose to ignore these highlighted verses in this Bible, then we graciously submit to you the following – “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)
Signed,
Christian Democrats of America
If you like this initiative, we encourage you to feel free to send a highlighted Bible with these scriptures to your Senator, member of Congress and the White House. Contact us if you want to take part of this initiative to let us know where you are sending the Bibles from and who you are sending them to so we can track them to report to the media and use in social media outreach (include a picture if you would like!). We will send you a pdf of our letter with CDA letterhead to include in your package.
