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The current economic crisis has affected many Americans and it is feared that the much talked about budget cuts are going to hurt Americans more -- particularly those who need government help the most. Christians, in particular, have been increasingly vocal in condemning the “immorality of extending tax benefits for the wealthy, while programs that help the poor and vulnerable meet their most basic needs are being cut.”...   >>>

The current economic crisis has affected many Americans and it is feared that the much talked about budget cuts are going to hurt Americans more -- particularly those who need government help the most. Christians, in particular, have been increasingly vocal in condemning the “immorality of extending tax benefits for the wealthy, while programs that help the poor and vulnerable meet their most basic needs are being cut.”



In their "An Open Letter to Congress and the President", initiated by a group of pastors two weeks ago, Chiristians talked about the budget debate and how the poorest and most vulnerable are likely to be affected.



The letter, signed by many pastors and clergymen, told political leaders, "We work, pray, and do whatever we can to remain faithful to the responsibility of every Christian to help the poor. Still, we can't meet the crushing needs by ourselves."



Jim Wallis wrote in The HUffington Post that in their letter “the clergy rejected the false choice between moral and fiscal responsibility, and reminded political leaders of the need to get our country's finances in order without making the poor bear the burden of deficit reduction. "This is not about some nameless, faceless 'other.' The choices politicians make about the budget will harm or help our neighbors," said Rev. Derrick Harkins, senior pastor of the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. "We want to serve those who don't have lobbyists on K Street. Our budget is a moral document, and it is either going to reflect the best of who we are, or the worst."