Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Clint Schnekloth

Home
Progressive Christian
A Church Resolution To Divest (Or Conduct Radical Shareholder Advocacy) Against #Trumpcamps And For-Profit Prisons

A Church Resolution To Divest (Or Conduct Radical Shareholder Advocacy) Against #Trumpcamps And For-Profit Prisons

Last updated on: June 29, 2019 at 9:12 am by Clint Schnekloth

A Church Resolution To Divest (Or Conduct Radical Shareholder Advocacy) Against #Trumpcamps And For-Profit Prisons 2019-06-29T09:12:26-05:00 Clint Schnekloth

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A resolution on detention divestiture and shareholder advocacy

Whereas, “Don’t mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself. Remember, you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” (CEV Leviticus 19:33-34);

Whereas, “Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ (NRSVA Matthew 25:45);

Whereas increasing numbers of financial institutions, businesses, and religious organizations are recognizing divestment as a strategy to pressure governments to create a more humane approach to immigration policy;

Whereas, the ELCA social statement on immigration reads, in part, “We advocate for a reliable, consistent, and sensitive implementation of the law governing asylum seekers. We oppose practices that create unreasonable obstacles and unattainable standards of proof for those seeking asylum. We support efforts to ensure that due process is followed and that the conditions of detention are humane. We call upon [government agencies] to recognize the particular vulnerabilities of children by developing child-appropriate standards and procedures. We encourage that agency vigorously to use the channels of communication it has developed with refugee organizations to improve processes and conditions for asylum seekers”;

Whereas, the use of for profit prisons and other detention facilities to house asylum seekers and children falls far short of these standards;

Whereas, the recent ELCA social statement on Criminal Justice states, “this church urges that arbitrary and indefinite detention and dehumanizing isolation of migrants should be discontinued and the use of humane alternatives expanded”;

And whereas, Presiding Bishop Eaton in an interfaith statement on children at the border said, “We urge the Administration to maintain its commitment to international law and defend human rights by implementing safeguards to ensure the safety and health of all of those seeking protection in our land, especially those children who fall under our care.” (Interfaith Statement June 6, 2019); therefore,

Be it resolved the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in America instruct Portico and other affiliate financial organizations not to invest (in any of its funds) in corporations whose business model depends upon operating institutions of human trafficking including for-profit prisons;

Be it further resolved that the ELCA direct Portico to allow an exception to such divestiture only in the instance when a corporation engages in other businesses besides operating for-profit prisons and the Corporate Social Responsibility ministry has active plans in place to “engage in shareholder advocacy in support of human rights, exercising the right of a shareholder to submit resolutions at a corporation’s annual meeting” (Resolution C2, ELCA Churchwide Assembly 2016).

To sign this resolution as a petition, visit the petition at Change.org: http://chng.it/LK2qddJ29x

For background on what is happening at the border and the development of for-profit prisons in relation to mass incarceration , see: https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/capitalizing-on-mass-incarceration-u-s-growth-in-private-prisons/

A Visit To Detention And Unaccompanied Minors Centers At the Arizona-Mexico Border

Previous Post

June 22, 2019

My Church Is Really Small | So What?

Next Post

July 4, 2019 I Do NOT Pledge Allegiance To ANY Flag

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category #blacklivesmatter advocacy Avengers baptisms Capitalism church growth clergy silence corporate ethics Creation Care Donald Trump elections Evangelicals Evangelism Friendship hermeneutics Immigration Intersex introverts Jesus Labor Liturgy Lutheran MLK Jr. New urbanism Pentecost philanthropy Poem political theology Post-program church Prayer private devotion Reformation Refugees sacraments Scripture Secularity Sin small church social media Sovereignty Trauma-Informed Theology travel Trump Uncategorized wealth white supremacy Workers worship Youth

Select a Month January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 January 2016 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 May 2014 March 2014 June 2013 January 2013 December 2011 December 2010 February 2005 February 2004

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who interpreted Pharaoh's dreams in Egypt?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Aaron Joseph David Moses

Books by This Author Books by Clint Schnekloth

See All Titles »