Covenant of Caring: Biblical Values and Economic Justice

The Maine Council of Churches believes that the prophetic tradition of our faith provides a framework of ethical values from which to assess contemporary economic issues. We are guided by God's repeated call throughout the Scriptures for a covenant of community based on compassion and right-relationship with all people. The prophet Micah summarized the essentials of this covenant by declaring that God requires us "to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."* We are committed to applying the values of compassion and justice to create and expand a society where the distribution of resources is just and fair.

We acknowledge that the basis of economic injustice is our human selfishness; we are tempted to take and keep in excess of our need without assuring that basic necessities are provided for all. Our vision for a just society includes the principle that while we reward individual and cooperative talent and effort, we also must care for "the least of these" as an expression of our love of God and compassion for those in need.

Within every person lies an unalienable dignity and worth as a gift of God, and each and every person deserves access to the basic requirements for life. It is our moral obligation within the covenant of community to strive for a just system of distribution that assures that the essential needs of all may be met.

The challenge of providing a fair distribution of resources tests the moral strength of a society and serves as a crucial indicator of how well we maintain and regulate the inevitable struggle for justice and power. When we fail to respond to the cry of the poor and do not address the excesses of the privileged and powerful, we undermine the foundations of justice in our society. We therefore oppose efforts to expand the wealth and influence of the powerful at the expense of the less privileged.

The Maine Council of Churches offers a vision of economic justice for all Maine citizens and a plan to expand awareness of our responsibility for the fair distribution of resources. Drawing upon historic, prophetic standards of our tradition, we offer a principled critique of local and state economic custom and law. We work in solidarity will all those who share our vision as we seek justice within the contemporary economic challenges facing the people of Maine.

*Micah 6:8