Progressive United Church of Christ (UCC) Feed by IPC

President Obama will speak at 9:15 am to announce an accommodation that expands contraception access for women and meets the needs of religious employers with objections to offering coverage.  I've been briefed by senior White House officials and the plan is sound.

Religious employers will not be required to offer insurance plans that cover contraception. But those insurance companies will be required to provide free contraception to women.  Insurance companies would prefer to offer free contraception than to cover the costs of an unwanted pregnancy or diseases that contraception can help prevent.  

This is creative thinking by President Obama and his staff.  Sister Carol Keehan, President of the US Catholic Health Association, and Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards support the compromise.

So do I.

Many Christian denominations - the United Church of Christ included - strongly support contraception and have applauded the president's efforts to expand coverage.  

Any opposition to this new proposal will be partisan politics, pure and simple.

Like many religious leaders, I fully support President Obama's recent decision to expand contraception coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act.  That decision, however, has drawn fierce criticism from Roman Catholic leaders.  Is there room for a compromise.  I think so.

Melissa Rogers of Wake Forest Divinity School wrote this past fall that Hawaii might be a model for a federal law:

In terms of its definition of a “religious employer,” the state of Hawaii’s contraceptive coverage law has some of the same defects as the interim federal rule. But it appears to have taken some noteworthy steps to ensure that employees of objecting religious organizations may readily gain access to affordable coverage of contraceptives. Under Hawaii law, religious employers that decline to cover contraceptives must provide written notification to enrollees disclosing that fact and describing alternate ways for enrollees to access coverage for contraceptive services. Hawaii law also requires health insurers to allow enrollees in a health plan of an objecting religious employer to purchase coverage of contraceptive services directly and to do so at a cost that does not exceed “the enrollee’s pro rata share of the price the group purchaser would have paid for such coverage had the group plan not invoked a religious exemption.” A New York law has similar provisions.

Vice-President Biden, a Roman Catholic, said today that he wants a compromise to be worked out.

Some of the criticism of the new rules has been unfortunate and the rhetoric from New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and others has been heated.  It is unclear if Dolan wants a compromise or a fight.  What the American people want, however, is clear: access to contraceptives as part of health care (and this includes a solid majority of Roman Catholics).  

I'd urge the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to stop their nuclear attack on the White House and to work with the President to find a win-win solution.  Anything less than serious good faith negotiations from the Bishops will force a question about motives.

Why is it, for example, President Obama is coming under fire this election year from Dolan when Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, both Roman Catholics, have taken positions in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church on war, immigration, climate change, economics, and aid for those in poverty without as much as a word from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops?

The Oregonian had a good editorial this week on how churches and other faith communities are working to fight homelessness in our community.  I deeply appreciate that the paper's editorial board shared my view in their piece that "this work cannot be outsourced to churches. Far from it. The faith community can only do its share. Every level of government has a role to play. Making the best use of churches and other volunteers requires the city and county to be smart and strategic."  Click here to read the full editorial.  

The courts have ruled - again - that California's Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.  Judges can rule on legality but it is up to people of faith to judge morality within our faith traditions.  Is same sex marriage valid within Christianity?  I'd argue yes.  In fact, I've preached just that.

For The Love Of All Creation: A Sermon On Genesis 1:1-2:4a for Pride Month 2011 from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

I was back with Carl Wolfson and the good folks at KPOJ this morning to talk about Komen, Planned Parenthood and why Mitt Romney should care about those living in poverty. Listen here:

As part of President Obama's commitment to increase health care for women and reduce the need for abortion services, the Affordable Care Act - broadly supported by religious organizations in the United States - will require that most insurance companies cover women's preventative services, including contraception, beginning this August.

Churches and other houses of worship are exempt from being required to provide contraception if they have a religious objection (some do, many don't) but some faith-based groups, such as those that receive federal funding and that hire people from various faith backgrounds, will be required over time to follow the same guidelines as other employers.  For some, this has been understandably controversial.  People of good faith sometimes come to different conclusions on difficult issues and President Obama has always respected even those who might occasionally disagree with him.

There is, however, strong support from religious Americans for contraception.  The Guttmacher Institute notes that 98% of Roman Catholic women have used contraception and just recently the Public Research Institute found that "85% of Catholics support expanding access to birth control for women who cannot afford it."  Many Christian and Jewish bodies have official positions that strongly support contraception to help stop unwanted pregnancies, reduce HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and to lower the overall costs of health care for women. Religious leaders from various traditions have praised the President.

As a minister, a husband and a father, I want to thank President Obama and his administration for making sure that the Affordable Care Act works well for women and families.  This is exactly what so many of us in the faith community hoped for when we called on Congress to pass this important legislation.

When voters in Oregon's First Congressional district decided to keep the seat in Democratic hands on Tuesday during a special election the vote prompted mid-Willamette Valley talk show host Bill Post to tweet: 

"I HATE Portland and everything about it."

Well, I suppose someone should first tell Mr. Post that the district only includes part of Portland, and also the northern Oregon coast along with communities such as Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Beaverton.

But my real response back to Mr. Post is that I love every part of this state - whether or not they vote for Democrats or Republicans.  The people in Greg Walden's conservative district are just as good and decent as anyone in Salem, where I've worked before, or Portland, where I live.

This is a great state with tremendous natural diversity.  We have mountains, and deserts, farmland, forests, rivers and the great Pacific.  We've produced great Republican leaders like Tom McCall and Mark Hatfield and great Democratic leaders like Les AuCoin and Gretchen Kafoury.

In Oregon, progressive Portlanders like Jefferson Smith can still team up with conservative leaders from Pendleton like Bob Jenson to tackle tough issues.

Some of our rural communities might produce politicans more conservative than my liking - more in line with the Tea Party views of Mr. Post - but in all my travels across Oregon (having spent most my life here) I've found the people to be good and kind regardless of politics.  There is something special to love in every part of Oregon and that is one reason I'm so proud to be an Oregonian...even when elections don't go my way (which happens quite a bit, I'm afraid).   

2/3 Breaking Update: Komen has just issued a statement apologizing and saying they will continue to fund Planned Parenthood.  This is the right move and I applaud their decision.

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I have supported the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and urged others to do the same.  But with their 100% political - political, not medical - decision to defund Planned Parenthood because the GOP House is conducting a McCarthy-era like witch hunt of the organization, I can no longer support the organization.

This is not a decision I make lightly as my family, like many, has experienced the painful realities of breast cancer.

But I agree 100% with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who said today: "Politics has no place in health care. Breast cancer screening saves lives and hundreds of thousands of women rely on Planned Parenthood for access to care."

Anti-abortion advocates for years have attempted to force Komen from working with Planned Parenthood.  They've won that battle for now.

I still hope Komen will step back from the politics - fire anti-abortion activist Karen Handel - and get back to medicine.  Click here to send them a message. 

And please join other people of faith at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in continuing the fight for women's health care. 

I still stand with Planned Parenthood:

Portland Stand With Planned Parenthood Rally from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Update:  I'm glad to learn that Komen Oregon has issued a statement opposing their national organization that reads in part:

Komen Oregon is opposed to the new national Komen community grant eligibility policy. Not only will this decision affect Planned Parenthood, but also any other organization under investigation.  The implications will be far reaching, having an adverse effect on numerous grantees.  Ultimately it will compromise our ability to provide life-saving access to breast cancer screening and treatment for the most vulnerable women.

I hope this local leadership has a positive impact on the national organization.

President Obama spoke today about his Christian faith at the National Prayer breakfast.  What made the remarks important was the way in which he linked his concerns over policy - particularly poverty - with his understanding of Christian tradition, an understanding rooted not just in the larger United Church of Christ (his tradition and one shared by other U.S. presidents) and our work from the fight against slavery to the fight against modern day poverty, but within the larger context of progressive Christianity, American pluralism and respect for the separation of church and state.

We face many important moral issues in this nation, and President Obama understands this:

...when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren’t discriminating against those who are already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody.  But I also do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years, and I believe in God’s command to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  I know the version of that Golden Rule is found in every major religion and every set of beliefs -– from Hinduism to Islam to Judaism to the writings of Plato.  

And when I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income, or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone.  And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.

But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that “for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.”  It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who’ve been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others. 

When I talk about giving every American a fair shot at opportunity, it’s because I believe that when a young person can afford a college education, or someone who’s been unemployed suddenly has a chance to retrain for a job and regain that sense of dignity and pride, and contributing to the community as well as supporting their families -- that helps us all prosper. 

It means maybe that research lab on the cusp of a lifesaving discovery, or the company looking for skilled workers is going to do a little bit better, and we’ll all do better as a consequence.  It makes economic sense.  But part of that belief comes from my faith in the idea that I am my brother’s keeper and I am my sister’s keeper; that as a country, we rise and fall together.  I’m not an island.  I’m not alone in my success.  I succeed because others succeed with me.

And when I decide to stand up for foreign aid, or prevent atrocities in places like Uganda, or take on issues like human trafficking, it’s not just about strengthening alliances, or promoting democratic values, or projecting American leadership around the world, although it does all those things and it will make us safer and more secure.  It’s also about the biblical call to care for the least of these –- for the poor; for those at the margins of our society.  

To answer the responsibility we’re given in Proverbs to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”  And for others, it may reflect the Jewish belief that the highest form of charity is to do our part to help others stand on their own.  

Treating others as you want to be treated.  Requiring much from those who have been given so much.  Living by the principle that we are our brother’s keeper.  Caring for the poor and those in need.  These values are old.  They can be found in many denominations and many faiths, among many believers and among many non-believers.  And they are values that have always made this country great -- when we live up to them; when we don’t just give lip service to them; when we don’t just talk about them one day a year.  And they’re the ones that have defined my own faith journey.  

And today, with as many challenges as we face, these are the values I believe we’re going to have to return to in the hopes that God will buttress our efforts.

There are times when I find fault with political tactics or matters of policy.  This speech, however, reminded me of why I have so deeply respected Barack Obama since 2004:  he is a person of deep faith who despite the political winds attempts to live out that faith even in these extreme times.  His policies, shaped sometimes by the imperfect times in which we live, reflect the values he articluated today.  

It is hard to imagine another politican of this age being able to deleiver a speech like this.

Mitt Romney told CNN this morning that "I'm not concerned with the very poor. We have a safety net there." He'll probably want to bet $10,000 to prove me wrong, but we aren't doing enough to fight poverty.

My latest piece in The Huffington Post.

If you want to see the nation nearly completely abandon our solemn commitment to children, seniors and those forced into poverty during difficult economic times then a Mitt Romney presidency is just what you're waiting for.  The non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports:

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's proposals to cap total spending, boost defense spending, cut taxes, and balance the budget would require extraordinarily large cuts in nondefense programs.  If policymakers cut all nondefense programs by the same percentage, the cuts would measure 21 percent in 2016 and 36 percent in 2021.  If policymakers exempted Social Security from the cuts and then cut all other nondefense programs by the same percentage, the cuts would rise to 30 percent in 2016 and 54 percent in 2021. 

For nondefense discretionary programs, these cuts would comeon top of the 17-percent cut already in law due to the discretionary funding caps of the Budget Control Act that Congress enacted last August and the automatic cuts (or "sequestration") scheduled to start in January 2013.  Our estimates of the depth of cuts that the Romney proposals would require are consistent with what Governor Romney himself has said about the required cuts.

These cuts are far deeper than those that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's (R-WI) austere budget plan would require.  They would shrink nondefense discretionary spending — which, over the past 30 years, has averaged 3.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and never fallen below 3.2 percent  — to just 1.7 percent of GDP by 2021.

What we need right now are public investments - like President Obama's American Jobs Act - and economic policies and programs that help people lift themselves out of poverty.

But, as the Occupy Wall Street movement has helped to clearly demonstrate, it will take a lot of work to reverse the growing economic inequality in our nation that continues to force families in poverty, homelessness and hunger.

People of faith can continue to press both political parties to address these important moral issues by joining the Circle of Protection, a campaign by religious groups to protect America's most vulnerable.