GA resolutions embolden national and global advocacy

MILWAUKEE — The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins told viewers of “GA Daily” on Wednesday that actions taken by the 227th General Assembly are giving Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national advocacy offices new clarity and urgency on issues ranging from Christian nationalism to Gaza, gun violence and poverty.

Hawkins, advocacy director for Presbyterian Life & Witness which includes the Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, spoke with host Fred Tangeman about how recent assembly decisions will shape the church’s public voice in Washington, D.C., New York City and on the world stage.

On Christian nationalism, Hawkins said a newly adopted assembly stance in RUS-01 and RUS-07 will strengthen the church’s ability to collaborate with ecumenical partners who have been out front on the issue.

“It will definitely give us a cutting edge on talking about it,” he said, noting prior work with the United Methodist Church and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

Tangeman announced that Hawkins has a forthcoming book on Christian nationalism, to be published Sept. 1 by Friendship Press. Unlike many existing titles, Hawkins said, his book traces Christian nationalism across civilizations — from the ancient Near East and the Roman Empire to Europe, Africa and the United States — and examines how it appears in multiple denominations, including Presbyterians 

Hawkins linked that long view to Assembly action “Standing up to Christian nationalism” and “establishing guard rails” on generative artificial intelligence (RUS-08), measures he said will help his offices interpret and advance General Assembly policy in rapidly changing political and technological landscapes.

On Gaza and Israel-Palestine, Hawkins praised the assembly’s recognition that Israel has violated international law prohibiting genocide and its call to alleviate Palestinian suffering (RIW-04).

“We do not harbor any anti-Semitic thoughts against the people of Israel,” he said, while criticizing “the ways in which the state of Israel is controlling and dictating Palestinian life right now.”

For Hawkins, that action continues a trajectory of action taken by the General Assembly over many decades that includes divestment from companies such as Motorola, Caterpillar and Hewlitt-Packard, and it will guide future advocacy on cease-fire and humanitarian issues.

Hawkins also lifted up the assembly-related witness on gun violence, including the “Healing, Not Harm” public action and march organized with the Presbytery of Milwaukee. He described the event as “a wonderful witness” to Presbyterians’ determination “to do something against gun violence.”

Turning to poverty, Hawkins called for the church to move from charity alone to structural advocacy for living wages, healthcare and affordable housing, arguing that Christians must be willing to “critique capitalism” in light of the gospel. General Assembly policies on economic justice and hunger, he noted, undergird this work.

Throughout the episode, Hawkins pointed viewers to tools such as action alerts, Presbyterian Advocacy Hour and the Jesus and Justice Young Adult Advocacy Conference, saying this election year is “a very fertile time” for Presbyterians to press lawmakers on the church’s newly reaffirmed priorities.