9. Social action in the 1980s and 1990s

In 1982 we opposed use of the death penalty. The churches said:

“Political attempts to reinstate the death penalty serve only to mislead the public about the real causes of crime and meaningful deterrents to criminal activity. … Social injustice is a major contributor to crime, and social reform, not retribution, will be a major deterrent to violent crime.”

In 1982 we also said:

“As we have supported, and continue to support, the rights of the people of Israel to statehood within secure and defined boundaries, so we support the equal rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and self-government, to live in safety, security, and freedom within the area of their historic homeland.”

In 1984, at the height of the exercise of political power by the Christian Right, the member churches had this to say:

“Political apathy and abstention are alien to the Christian faith. We, therefore, are pleased that more and more Christian churches are accepting their political roles and acting as public advocates. We are troubled, nonetheless, that Christian moral fervor in 1984 is not always matched by a consciousness of the complexity and ambiguity in the political process, nor guided by the moral fullness of the Christian message.”

“As a society, we have developed an idolatrous dependence on the false god of fortune. As with all false gods, this one is unreliable.”

In the very recent past, the Board of Directors spent many months grappling with the question of physician assisted suicide, and reaching the following consensus:

“After careful reflection and prayer, members of the MCC Board of Directors seriously doubt, and some reject categorically, that physician assisted suicide is an ethically responsible option. … Physician assisted suicide is not the answer. A right and good answer is found in the creation of measures that will effectively diminish suffering, so that the terminally ill patient can live and die with a maximum of consciousness and a minimum of pain.”

In 2001, the Council joined with the Rhode Island State Council of Churches in making a public statement on the inclusion of people with disabilities in our churches. This theologically-rich document is proving useful to ecumenical disabilities work far beyond Massachusetts, including in the World Council’s work on the subject.

“In general, individuals who have lived with disability for some time say that the real limitations to living, moving about, working and relating to others are not their particular physical or mental impairments but the barriers they encounter in the social and physical environment.

Much of this environment, whether we are speaking of architecture or attitudes, is a constructed reality; it is something humankind has created. However, if we built it, we can also take it apart and reshape it. … We are being challenged to open up this place we call church, to re-imagine and reconfigure it, to remodel and reshape our worship, our programs, our education, and our buildings.”