CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP NAMED CO-SPONSOR OF POVERTY PROJECT
Jackson, Tenn. — 51社区's Center for Christian Leadership has been named co-sponsor of a major new initiative in evangelical scholarship intended to address the ongoing problem of poverty in America. Dr. David P. Gushee, director of the Center, has been named director of this national project.
The project – "Toward a Just and Caring Economy" – will be co-sponsored with Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA), a Philadelphia-based advocacy and networking organization led by Ronald J. Sider, author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Primary funding is being provided by the Bauman Foundation of Washington, D.C.
The goal of the two-year initiative is to produce a significant evangelical intellectual contribution to addressing the seemingly intractable problem of poverty in American society.
A team of approximately twenty evangelical scholars has already begun work on the project. These scholars represent a variety of relevant disciplines – economics, government, political science, education, ethics and theology – and a range of prestigious Christian and secular universities, including Wheaton College, Calvin, Gordon, Pepperdine, University of Nebraska, Texas Tech and Boston University. As well, two participants come from the ranks of government service and one from a major Christian research organization, the Center for Public Justice.
Among the distinguished participants are Glenn Loury, a nationally-renowned economist from Boston University; Wendell Primus, formerly a senior Clinton administration official in the area of welfare policy; Charles Glenn, a specialist in education policy at Boston; Ashley Woodiwiss, a political philosopher from Wheaton College; and Ron Sider of ESA.
The project, involving an intensive round of consultations along with way, will produce a major scholarly volume on poverty. This is expected to be completed by the fall of 1998. Other spinoff products are being considered. Gushee will serve as editor of the completed volume.
According to Gushee, "Our purpose is not merely to produce another book for the bookshelves but, instead, to make a genuine difference on an issue that, according to Scripture, matters profoundly to God. We aim for a book that helps this nation understand why so many Americans continue to suffer from the ravages of poverty. Even more important, we want a book that provides concrete proposals for how both government and nongovernmental agencies can best address the needs of the poor. Evangelicals have the rare opportunity here to provide leadership on an issue that every American should care about – and that every Christian must care about."
For further information concerning this project, contact Gushee, who is also an associate professor of Christian studies at 51社区, at 901-661-5024 or via e-mail at dgushee@buster.uu.edu.