Loving our neighbor through witness to government

Many of you are energized by following Jesus call to love our neighbors.  There are many ways that you can do this and I would encourage you to think creatively with others about how this might look in your community.

One way to love our neighbours, both near and far, is through political advocacy.

When we claim that Jesus is Lord we are claiming that (as the early church and as many Anabaptist communities have done for 500 years) our political leaders and structures are not Lord. This doesn’t mean that we call for anarchy and disregard order.  But it means we must be willing to speak out (even to our government representatives) when our convictions as Christians come face to face with injustice.

Good thing we don’t have to go it alone…there are people that can guide us along the way.  To get you started, check out these helpful sites:

Advocating for a Poverty Free Ontario

MCC Advocacy Webpage

And read over the helpful info below on advocacy.

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The following has been copied from a brochure that MCC advocacy offices created and distributed.

Advocacy: Loving our Neighbour

Christian political advocacy is a form of public witness and a tangible way of loving our neighbor. The advocacy offices of Mennonite Central Committee—in Ottawa, Washington and New York City—follow Christ’s call to engage, encourage and challenge government officials. Loving our neighbor may mean practicing simple acts of kindness. It also may mean helping them to shed light on an unjust situation, or taking nonviolent steps to transform injustice to justice. As Anabaptists, we believe that Christ walked in love and peace on this earth and that the mission of the church is to demonstrate this love. The church has a role in promoting the reign of God while holding governments accountable to their God-given task to provide a just, peaceful and sustainable order for society. The biblical concept of witness means telling the truth as it has been revealed by God, as we understand it and have experienced it. People who advocate to government officials hope that by sharing their beliefs, values and experiences on an issue, their perspective will be heard and applied to policy.

Rooted in the Bible

MCC’s advocacy offices are motivated by the biblical commands to:

• love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:34–40) and

• show the way of Christ in all aspects of life (Matthew 28:19–20 and Acts 1:8).

The prophets of the Old Testament spoke of God’s vision for nations to beat their swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:2–4) and called for people of faith to uphold righteousness and justice (Amos 5:21–24). The book of Revelation concludes with a vision of the nations being healed by the leaves of the tree of life (22:1–2). Many individuals in the Bible, such as Moses, Esther and John the Baptist, challenged public officials on issues of justice and faith.

Reflecting our Anabaptist values

Anabaptist experience offers ideas for the best ways to practice advocacy:

• based in humility and love for others

• appreciating the complexity of government while caring for involved individuals

• growing from relationships as an expression of caring and faith in practice

• shaped by church and faith experiences

• communicating principles, not partisan

Statements

As part of our Christian life, advocacy takes many forms:

• praying for government officials

• writing letters to policymakers

• meeting with legislators

• raising awareness of issues through the media

• participating in public events

The MCC Canada Ottawa Office is a conduit of information and bridge for relationships between the federal government of Canada and MCC Canada’s diverse constituency. It witnesses to government on issues of peace, justice and human dignity that arise out of MCC ministry at home and around the world. The Ottawa Office works with a number of coalitions while trying to bring a unique, Anabaptist perspective to the work of political engagement.

The MCC U.S. Washington Office is a Mennonite and Brethren in Christ presence on Capitol Hill that provides and encourages prophetic witness to the way of Christ on matters of U.S. public policy. To fulfill this mission, the office monitors and analyzes U.S. public policy, facilitates MCC’s peace and justice advocacy, and informs, listens to and encourages the church in its witness to the government. The Washington Office is guided by the biblical vision of being restored to right relationship with God, each other and the whole of creation.

The MCC United Nations Liaison Office is a voice for MCC’s global partners and the worldwide Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches. The office promotes an Anabaptist vision of peace and justice in international affairs while monitoring international issues that relate to areas of conflict where MCC has staff working in relief, development or peacebuilding. The office communicates relevant MCC activities to U.N. agencies and shares U.N. activities and priorities with MCC and its constituency.