Menu
Menu
The AND Campaign believes that politics is a limited, but essential forum for pursuing the well-being of our neighbors. It is limited in both its scope and its effectiveness. Politics can and should only reach so much and so far, and political solutions will never approach the perfect justice that Jesus will bring and is bringing. Our hope in all things is in Him. There is rarely one Christian position on a public policy issue, but every Christian should be thinking Christianly about politics. In the policies The AND Campaign promotes and in the positions we take, we believe social justice (&) moral order are not at odds, but are two sides of the same coin. We seek to act as faithful Christians, applying the timeless values of our faith and Christianity’s true account to the reality we all face, in this political moment. We invite all who affirm our approach to join us in our work to assert a compassionate and convictional witness into the public square.
The AND Campaign supports policies that affirm human dignity and advance justice.
We believe each person is made in the image of God, and that our political decisions need to be made in the light of this fact. Human dignity is implicated by many different political issues, and the AND Campaign seeks to be attentive to upholding human dignity wherever possible.
Redemptive Justice is justice which has its ends in reconciliation, peace, and flourishing for all parties. The “redemption” is not the spiritual redemption which only Christ could achieve on the Cross, but it does take Christ’s sacrifice as its model of self-giving love of neighbor. This understanding of justice differs from the view which says that justice is the overthrowing of all powers or the leveling of all positions. Rather, it acknowledges that power can be used for good or evil. Just as the Roman authorities used their powers to crucify Christ, but Christ used His power to heal, teach, and lead. Redemptive Justice challenges corrupt use of power and calls all people to use the power God has given them stewardship over for good.
We think of human dignity when we consider poverty, and how an inability to provide for oneself and one’s family undermines human dignity. AND Campaign supports a strong social safety net (Medicaid, social security, nutrition aid for children and families, etc.). AND Campaign believes in the dignity of work, and supports a livable wage. AND Campaign also supports public-private partnerships that marshal government resources to empower communities to serve those in need at the local level. We encourage elected officials and candidates to talk proactively about how they plan to address poverty as part of their vision for the future of this country and the communities they serve.
We think of human dignity when we think about the sacredness of human life. The culture wars have raged over the issue of abortion for the past forty years with results that have been at turns life-affirming and toxic. We have no interest in the politicization of abortion for partisan gain. Popular rhetoric that needlessly inflames and offends is unhelpful, as is rhetoric that rationalizes away our responsibility to act. We find that scripture, biology and the demands of human dignity require a societal response to the tragedy of abortion. Towards that end, we believe that abortion must be opposed holistically, from the economic patterns that often drive the practice to the societal values that justify it. We must provide more support for women with crisis pregnancies.
The AND Campaign believes that America’s criminal justice system has too often been unjust. In particular, our criminal justice system has been used to advance the systemic criminalization and mass incarceration of Black and Brown people–this must end. Furthermore, the sentences and treatment of inmates must be humane and should involve mental health considerations. High rates of police brutality and inter-community violence, especially in large urban communities, must end. We do not seek a criminal justice system that is overly lenient, or one that lacks enforcement. We do seek a criminal justice system that is restorative, fair and oriented towards the common good, including the good of the currently and formerly incarcerated.
Central to human dignity and justice is the institution of the family. The AND Campaign believes government has a role to play in supporting the economic security of families. We support expanding the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. We support paid leave policies that acknowledge that Americans are not just workers, but also mothers, fathers, spouses, siblings and children. Public policy ought to accommodate and support commitments to family and community. Economic policies must be attentive to families, in particular, and must ensure that healthy family formation is not disincentivized through marriage penalties or other harmful policy consequences.
In order for our politics to function well, we need to be able to have a basic level of trust in government, and our politics must be inclusive. To this end, the AND Campaign supports policies that reflect a healthy pluralism and thriving democratic institutions.
Voting rights must be protected in this country. Access to the polls is not a privilege, but an essential component of citizenship, and so we should be helping people to vote, not putting up obstacles. AND supports restoring voting rights to criminals who have served their time and paid their debt to society.
We support taking a hard look at election reform, including campaign finance reform, and voting reforms like ranked preference voting, that will help to reinvigorate the public’s confidence in the democratic process.
Central to true pluralism is the continued inclusion of people of faith and religious organizations of various backgrounds and beliefs in the American political community. We believe strongly in religious freedom for all as a bedrock principle that will be essential if we are to build a more inclusive America in this new century. Such freedoms include religious minorities—including Muslims—and religions that hold beliefs that are unpopular. Religious freedom is not absolute, but it should only be infringed upon when absolutely necessary and with the common good in mind. This idea is not new, but reflected in both statutes and our Constitution. Christian institutions deserve full inclusion in American society, and efforts to starve or stigmatize Christian institutions by force of law or government-endorsed marginalization should be opposed.
The AND Campaign supports a healthy political culture, and those who contribute to it.
We believe politics has to be about more than the acquisition and use of power by any means necessary. Good policy does not justify bad or destructive politics. The AND Campaign believes in political engagement that is characterized by earnest conviction, humility and civility, and we encourage politicians and others in politics to reflect these characteristics as well.We believe earnest conviction is important, because a politics of obfuscation and misdirection undermines the functioning of our politics. Politicians should say what they mean and mean what they say, and we will always try to do the same.We believe humility is important, because politics and policy making are complicated, and the history of public policy is full of unintended consequences and misplaced priorities. We refuse to put the stamp of religious authority on prudential policy decisions. We hold convictions about what is best in our politics, but we hold these views with the understanding that we might be wrong. Politicians and others in politics should entertain that notion as well.Finally, we believe that civility reflects a basic recognition of the dignity of our fellow citizens. A politics of contempt and disrespect will never be capable of delivering policies that promote the common good. We commit to respecting the dignity of those we disagree with to the best of our ability.
We invite you to join The AND Campaign in our mission to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement that results in better representation, more just and compassionate policies and a healthier political culture
