Peter Vander Meulen, coordinator of the Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice, said the faith-based justice community “applauds” the (Occupy Wall Street) movement’s effort to bring awareness to the negative effects of such inequality.
If Jesus were here today, would he be among those hoisting a sign as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement? The Rev. Fred Wooden thinks so.
As senior pastor of the nondenominational Fountain Street Church, Wooden delivered a sermon this month which highlighted the similarities between the Occupy movement’s cry for economic equality and the gospel story of Jesus cleansing the temple by casting out the money changers.
But Wooden didn’t stop at words when it came to expressing solidarity with the Occupy movement. The church has allowed the Occupy Grand Rapids protesters to camp in its parking lot at night and is providing other support measures.
It appears the movement has found an ally in the faith community due to their cry for social and economic justice. On Monday, the Vatican’s call for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions was seen immediately as a measure of support for Occupy Wall Street.
“The economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence,” the Vatican’s Justice and Peace document said.
“Certainly, the theology of many churches is sympathetic to caring for those who are left out of the system,” said Grand Valley State University professor Douglas Kindschi, director of the Kaufman Interfaith Institute.
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Peter Vander Meulen, coordinator of the Christian Reformed Church’s Office of Social Justice, said the faith-based justice community “applauds” the movement’s effort to bring awareness to the negative effects of such inequality.
Although the CRC has taken no official position on the movement, Vander Meulen echoed the Occupy Wall Street message, saying the disparity between the wealthiest few and the rest of the population is at the root of many economic problems relating to hunger and poverty.
“The Occupy Wall Street protesters have successfully made that point,” he said.
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