Taking Stands for Restoring Justice

We believe that the future belongs to God and that the promise of God’s kingdom shall be fulfilled. We have a vision of that kingdom where Jesus Christ is truly honored, where God’s will is done on earth, where the hungry are fed, poverty alleviated, sinners are repentant, and sin is forgiven. We believe that love is the proper foundation of our relationship with others, that opportunity to grow in the likeness of Christ should be fostered, and that the resources of the world can be managed to respect and preserve their creation and purpose. We dream of a time when all evil is overcome and peace prevails.

We will be an international community of prophetic vision, faithful to the risen Christ, empowered by hope, spending ourselves courageously in the pursuit of peace and justice.

(Vision statement, Community of Christ)

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Church members are increasingly identifying with and supporting causes on behalf of the poor, oppressed, and victims of violence. This is in harmony with the church’s present vision statement given above. It is also a faithful response to the prophetic spirit exemplified in Amos and Isaiah, embodied in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ, and expressed through the founding scriptures of the Restoration. Standing for justice is also a discipline of the path of the disciple. However, it needs to be stated very clearly at the outset that the following guidelines should in no way be interpreted in any circumstances as advocating violence in the pursuit of justice.

Action taken by church members can be personal and institutional.

The church has long taught the importance of respecting each person’s individual agency. In individual witness a person simply represents themselves rather than the church in an official way. This can include for example

• writing a letter to a congressperson or participating in a protest march
• meeting with a group of church members and friends who together agree that something be done (forming or joining an Amnesty International group, interfaith peace group, etc.)

Institutional

This form of witness does represent the church in some way and thus requires careful consultation. Institutional action can be congregational, jurisdictional, and at World Conference. This can include for example

• a congregational action (taking part in a local protest march, special offering of letters to congress/parliament advocating for the poor and hungry or human rights victims)
• an action taken by mission centers in similar ways as listed above
• an action of the World Conference adopting a resolution against the death penalty, in support of campaigning for debt relief in the Third World, gun control, etc.

In discussions at these different levels it might at times be helpful to call the Conflict Resolution Specialist for determining if assistance through facilitated dialogue would be helpful in making decisions.

Wisdom is needed in terms of how one witnesses against injustice and advocates for change. The church has consistently taught the importance of obeying the law of the land.1 It is important that church members think through issues before they take any action. It is vital that their witness is consistent with the church’s mission, has integrity, is effective, does not bring the church into ethical disrepute, and enables church members to be aware of possible legal issues. To this end the following is offered as guidance:

1. The worth of all persons should be honored at all times in goals, methods, and motives. This would include honoring perpetrators as persons.

2. It is important to carefully find out and verify that an injustice is happening or has occurred before any action is taken, otherwise one’s witness can be discredited for future occasions.

3. Any action taking a stand for restoring justice should be non-violent physically, psychologically, and emotionally. This is in the spirit of the gospel, the teaching and example of Jesus, and the witness of the early Christian church. This fully preserves the right of the opponent(s) to argue their perspective in continuing dialogue and thus strengthens civility.

4. The kind of justice that should be worked for is restorative justice, that is the restoration of broken relationships. Thus the pursuit of justice should also be accompanied with work for reconciliation of all involved if at all possible.

5. In addition to the above, if an individual seeks to represent the church or have church sponsorship of a cause, then it is important to do the following before taking action

a) Choose issues for collective action that are clear and have broad support within the jurisdiction of the church being represented.

b) Move forward at a slower, more deliberate pace with issues that are divisive and controversial to give everyone time to think carefully through the issues.

c) Listen to members who are opposed. Considering support and action for a particular justice issue by a congregation or jurisdiction will require patience, careful presentation, genuine dialogue, and respect for those who may not be supportive. Consensus building is very important for it reduces alienation, enables positions to be thought through, and creates support that can include people, finances, and prayer. It should be recognized that this will often take some time to develop. An agreed initial time line, with checking in points, helps keep the process going. This may still be revised later by mutual agreement.

d) Ensure that congregational, mission center leaders, and the field apostle are fully informed. Invite the participation of other potentially interested congregations. Trust is built if leaders are involved in initial conversations and kept up to date with developments. The telephone and email can enable this to be done quickly.

e) Talk through possible issues with a representative of the legal department and the coordinator of peace and justice ministries at the World Church. In addition it may be very helpful to discuss consensus building and dialogue processes with the conflict resolution specialist at the World Church.

f) Check to see if there is World Conference action or a Standing High Council statement or World Church policy that is supportive of the positive position you want to take on a particular issue. Appropriate non-violent action on behalf of the poor and oppressed is deeply rooted in our scriptural tradition and can be pursued if not contrary to specific World Conference action. Institutionally a stand should not be taken that is contrary to World Conference action or Standing High Council policy.

g) Join with other faith communities and non-governmental organizations in building coalitions of support.

h) Keep all stakeholders informed about developments.

i) Evaluate the degree of success at the end of an action in order to provide consistency and enable learning for the future. Share these with participants. The World Church coordinator of peace and justice ministries would especially welcome such reports to share with others. Consider providing a news report for the local or regional newsletter and the Herald.

6. Civil disobedience is a non-violent breaking of the law in an act of ethical witness, either because the law is believed to be unjust or to draw attention to some matter of perceived injustice.2 A Christian precedent for disobeying civil and religious authorities out of conscience is found in the response of Peter and John before the council in Jerusalem: “We must obey God rather than any human authority” Acts 5:29 NRSV.

The church’s position regarding participation by individual members in acts of civil disobedience is raised from time to time. The first thing to be said is that civil disobedience should not be done lightly but with caution and very careful deliberation remembering that the church has consistently taught the importance of obeying the law of the land.

Neither full-time employed staff, volunteers, nor members, are authorized to represent the church in acts of civil disobedience. However, the individual conscience and agency of each church member, including employees and volunteers, is respected as individuals act personally in choosing acts of civil disobedience in well-thought-out, ethical, and non-violent ways. An individual who makes a personal choice to participate in an act of civil disobedience is encouraged to explore first the legal ramifications so that there is a clear awareness of the possible personal and family costs. Experience has shown that any act of civil disobedience needs to be well planned, ably led, and that all participants are fully committed to and trained in non-violent methods. Legal representation needs to be organized ahead of time.

While the church recognizes that civil disobedience is a matter of individual conscience, as a courtesy, church employees are requested to notify their supervisor before carrying out a personal act of civil disobedience. Church employees need to recognize that there may be consequences for which they would be responsible eg costs of legal representation, loss of income. Church employees should also read the Human Resource policy on Civil Disobedience available from the Human Resource Office at World Church Headquarters.

7. Political action under the auspices of the church could in some cases endanger its charitable status. Education on issues with balanced presentation is not considered political. It is very important to check with the World Church legal department to identify concerns in differentiating between educational and political action.

8. The church has a long tradition of affirming the individual’s right to dissent within the fellowship of the church in the exercise of their conscience. On the other hand, however, church discipline has also been important. Members choosing to act against the laws of the church should recognize that the consequences may include silencing of priesthood members and church court action.

9. Prayer as well as study, careful planning, and training is important in any process or action taken.

Contact Information

Karen Minton
Legal Services 
Ext. 2222 or kminton@CofChrist.org

Andrew Bolton,
Peace and Justice Ministries Apostle 
Ext 3025 or abolton@CofChrist.org

Sandee Gamet
Peace Building Specialist 
Ext. 2353 or sgamet@CofChrist.org

Community of Christ World Headquarters
1001 West Walnut,
Independence, MO 64050-3562, USA.
Tel. 1-800/825-2806  or   +1USA (816) 833-1000

1. This goes back to Section 112 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

2. Examples of non-violent civil disobedience include Henry Thoreau protesting the extension of slavery through the US war against Mexico in 1846 by refusing to pay his poll tax. For this he went to jail. Mohandas K. Gandhi illegally collected and sold salt in India in the famous Salt March of 1930 and was imprisoned for breaking the salt tax laws and inciting others to do so. Rosa Parks began the US Civil Rights Movement by unlawfully refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955.