Maggie Potthoff is a dual degree master's student in Divinity and Public Policy at the University of Chicago and a PCG summer intern.
Many of us who are part of faith
communities have spent time after worship with our fellow congregants putting
our faith into action --- heading to a soup kitchen to serve people living in
the streets, packing lunches for struggling families in the neighborhood, or
organizing a job-training fair for those out of work.
We are
called to this work – this service – through Scripture. “Go and do likewise,”
Jesus tells the inquiring lawyer after recounting the story of the Good
Samaritan – show mercy and “love your neighbor” (Luke 10:25 – 37). For Jesus
and his followers, loving means taking action, particularly on behalf of the “least
of these.”
Yet "taking action" includes more than just service. Our faith must be put into words. Indeed, we are called to call ----
to advocate (ad+ vocate). Advocacy is
the work of calling for assistance – of speaking out or promoting a particular
issue: in the faith context, the advancement of justice. Jesus said, “God has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed
go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
So advocacy in the Christian tradition
assumes that God through Jesus Christ has something to say about the way
society should be structured and, thus, the way government should relate to
individuals and communities. In seeking to join God’s work in this
world, then, we can live our faith too by not only doing charity,
but by calling for justice. In our country, we can do this by advocating for public policy which embraces the healing of society
and God’s creation. In our country, we must do this now. Too many lives are at stake in budgetary decisions and other legislative concerns every day, and the common good hangs in the balance.
We are hosting an Advocacy Workshop in a
little less than two weeks which will explore this work more deeply. We’ll
rely on Scripture some, but also on your fellowship --- learning from each
other about our faith and its relationship to justice.
If this is the first time you’ve thought
about it terms of “advocacy,” or engaging in discussions about Springfield and
the legislative process sounds daunting – not to fear! We’ll hear from
long-time advocates about best practices and discover how critical one person’s
voice is toward building the common good. Also on the agenda is a discussion of
PCG’s current policy priorities which will include Illinois-specific
legislation on environmental, criminal, and economic justice.
