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Ecumenical
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Ecumenical
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Are you trying to understand the global debt crisis, explain it to others or advocate for debt relief for the world’s poorest countries? Here’s help!
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This
page includes links to helpful resources on the National Council of Churches and other Web
sites along with a bibliography of NCC fact sheets, books and videos. They’ll help
you understand the crisis from both an economics and a faith perspective, and make the
bridge to advocacy. The ecumenical community has identified Jubilee 2000/Debt Relief as one of its top advocacy priorities. Please join us in ending the debilitating cycle of debt! Debt forgiveness is right – and smart!
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Resources on the Web |
Home Page of Jubilee 2000/USA, part
of a worldwide movement to cancel the crushing international debt of impoverished
countries by the new millennium. Includes information on "National
Chain-In Week April 1-7"
News Media Coverage of the April 9, 2000 Jubilee 2000 Rally in Washington, D.C.
Presidential Message in Celebration of Jubilee 2000
Action Gram on the Jubilee 2000 Campaign, along with On-Line Order Form for the Jubilee 2000 Lapel Pin. Church World Service offers the "Break the Chains of Debt" lapel chain in support of the Jubilee 2000/USA Campaign, which challenges rich nations to cancel the unpayable debt owed by the most impoverished countries. The lapel chains also may be ordered for $2.50 each, with bulk discounts available, from Church World Service, 28606 Phillips St., P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515, specify #ED 9920. Orders of $10 or more can be called in to 800-297-1516 ext. 222. See also NCC News Release 6/15/99
News Story on the National Council of Churches Resolution Supporting the Jubilee 2000 Campaign
Forgiving the Debt of Honduras and Nicaragua: You Can Help
"Africa: In Bondage to Debt." A study/action guide in the "Facts Have Faces" series. It explores the crushing impact of foreign debts on Africa’s poorest nations. Many spend more each year on debt repayment than on primary education and health care combined. The guide profiles faith communities and other caring persons around the world who have joined in a vigorous Jubilee 2000 campaign to forgive the debt, and offers concrete ways to support the campaign.
Effective and Compassionate Foreign Assistance. Testimony March 4, 1999, before the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee by Faith Action for People-Centered Development Policy, a broad group of churches and other religious organizations whose multi-faceted platform includes canceling the crushing debt of impoverished countries.
President Clinton's Thanksgiving 1999 Letter to Faith Community Leaders on Debt Relief
Jubilee! Theme of the National Council of Churches’ 1996-1999 Quadrennium
World Council of
Churches "Jubilee Call to End the Stranglehold of Debt on Impoverished Peoples."
Adopted by the WCC’s Eighth Assembly, meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, in December 1998
Home Page of Bread for the World, a
nationwide Christian movement that seeks justice for the world's hungry people by lobbying
our nation's decision makers. Site offers many resources to enable your
advocacy for debt relief.
See also Ecumenical Resources for the Year 2000. While not "debt forgiveness specific," the page includes links to other ecumenical and denominational Web sites whose Year 2000 resources include debt forgiveness resources.
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Resources to Order from Church World Service |
To order resources listed in this section, send an e-mail to hattier@cws.ncccusa.org or write NCC/Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. Phone 1-800-297-1516 or (219) 264-3102. Fax (219) 262-0966.
"Development: Seeking Abundant Life for All" …
… looks at how U.S. churches and their worldwide partners confront injustices that
lead to poverty and powerlessness. ED 9557.
"Hunger: Causes and Solutions" …
… explores some of our misconceptions about hunger and celebrates successful efforts
to overcome human need. ED 9658 REV.
All "Facts Have Faces" cost $.30 each; 4/$1. Please prepay. For bulk prices, call 1-800-297-1516.
Many more global education resources are available. Request the Resource Sheet -- ED 9802 Rev.
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Resources to Order from Friendship Press |
To order any of the following resources, which include debt-specific materials along with some on the broader subject of global economics, e-mail dglover@ncccusa.org or phone 1-800-889-5733 or 212-870-2496.
Click here to see the entire Friendship Press Catalog on-line.
The Debt Crisis
An Unnatural Disaster
Video, 28 minutes
Using animation, skits, music, interviews, and film footage from across the
Caribbean, this lively video shows the origins and growth of the region's debt. It reveals
basic weaknesses in local economies and the links between international financial
institutions and burdens on the Caribbean people: high prices, low wages, few jobs, poor
housing, declining health and education systems. It offers no ready-made solutions, but
encourages discussion about the debt problem. Study guide included. FP 58366-2 / $39.95
A Matter of Interest
Video, 13 minutes
This delightful animated video explains why, despite a dramatic increase in the world's
money supply, the international debt just keeps on piling up. Study guide included. FP
58364-9 / $19.95
Ethics in the Present Tense:
Readings from Christianity and Crisis, 1966-1991
Leon Howell and Vivian Lindermayer, editors
A fascinating collection of articles that appeared in Christianity and Crisis
over a 25-year period. This book reflects the dramatic shift in the number and variety of
voices that now contribute to debates on important political, social, and cultural issues
from a Christian ethical perspective. Includes articles on feminist and womanist theology,
AIDS, abortion, homosexuality, race relations, the Gulf War, and more. Open this book for
a look at a generation of world leaders, 25 years of modern history, and commitment to God
and humanity.
"[This] one-volume primer on what's happening in modern liberal and liberation theology . . . shows that theology is not divorced from ordinary lives."-Publishers Weekly. "The variety of voices is breathtaking."-William Sloane Coffin. ISBN 0-377-00239-9 / cloth, $21.95 ISBN 0-377-00230-5 / paper, $12.95
Global Economics
Seeking a Christian Ethic
A Workbook for Beginners
Ian McCrae
Stories and exercises, augmented with biblical and ethical reflections,
illustrate the economic interdependence of the nations and peoples of our world.
Bibliography and filmography included. ISBN 0-377-00253-4 / $7.95
Partners with the Poor
An Emerging Approach to Relief and Development
Jerry Aaker
From war-torn Vietnam to the urban slums of Peru, Jerry Aaker has witnessed life
in desperate circumstances. In this book he shares some of his experiences, acknowledging
the failures as well as successes of the relief and development projects in which he has
participated. But more than simply describe what is and has been, Jerry Aaker sees a new
approach emerging out of relief and development work. ISBN 0-377-00252-6 / $12.95
Hope and Justice for All in the Americas: Discerning God's Mission
Oscar L. Bolioli, editor
These remarkable essays by theologians and pastors from Latin America, the Caribbean and
North America discuss North-South relations; effects of global market economics on the
poor and excluded, the burgeoning of Pentecostalism; indigenous religious expression; and
the need for involvement in these issues in newly creative and sensitive ways. These
papers were presented at a major missiology conference in Costa Rica in 1997. ISBN
0-377-00325-5 / $7.95
Caribbean Money-Go-Round:
A Simulation Game
Patricia Brady
Learning about global economics can be fun with this game to show you the ropes
using the Caribbean economy as a model. FP 58363-7 / Was $19.95, now $10.95
Globe image courtesy of Graphic Maps
National Council of Churches Resolution Supporting the Jubilee 2000
Campaign to Cancel the Unsustainable International Debt of Highly Indebted Poor Countries.
Adopted by the NCC General Assembly in November 1998