Living Through Economic Crisis: The Church’s Witness in Troubled Times

This social involvement report, approved by the 219th General Assembly (2010), summarizes the wealth of moral resources we have available to draw upon in confronting the current economic crisis. It then proposes basic ways we may support the re-balancing of the economy for fairness. This resolution lifts up five key values: human rights, a covenantal approach to mutual responsibility, engagement with the public order, work in service of vocation, and sustainability.

In a time of continuing, deep economic recession, our faith gives us strength to face unemployment, poverty, and anxiety - not simply as individuals, but as a community with an ethical memory rooted in the Gospel. Understanding the economy as a servant of creation's flourishing enables us to question the necessity of widening inequality and continued poverty, to look at the moral consequences of these trends on society and the church, and to propose greater democratic accountability for financial institutions that are called to serve the common good and depend ultimately on public funds and confidence. Informed by the historical balancing process between the public good and private enterprise, this resolution proposes measures to advance the values of cooperation, social protection, and equal opportunity while restraining those of greed, speculation, and inherited privilege.