Christian Social Teaching 

There are many good places to go to for resources on Christian (and especially Catholic) Social teachings. This one, done by the folks at justpeace.org, is one of my favorites, because of its simplicity. The Office for Social Justice in St. Paul Minnesota has a more comprehensive list that also manages to remain user friendly. 

Some of the most interesting documents among the cannon of Christian social teaching include the Development of Peoples written by Pope Paul VI in 1967. In it, Paul VI claims that “private property does not constitute for anyone an absolute and unconditioned right”, and that “the right to property must never be exercised to the detriment of the common good” (para 23). These principles, which are shown to have a solid basis in Christian teaching, are completely at odds with the modern international economic system.  

Other documents definitely worth checking out include Peace on Earth (1963, on peace and militarism), Justice in the World (1971, on the connections between poverty and violence), Economic Justice For All (1986, U.S. Bishops call for economic dignity), and Strangers no Longer (2003, joint statement of U.S. and Mexican bishops on migration related issues). 

For a more detailed reference guide, make sure to check out the Center of Concern’s Election 2008 materials. And the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns has its own election toolkit that's also worth checking out.

Some Links to Other Resources on the Issues 

On migration, the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is a network of grassroots organizations struggling for equity and justice in U.S. migration policy and foreign policy (such as trade policy) that relates to migration. Their website is definitely worth looking through, especially their 2003 toolkit, Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy (BRIDGE).  

The Alliance for Responsible Trade is a coalition of U.S. organizations working towards a more just and sustainable trade paradigm. A good resource on trade is the American Friends Service Committee’s Trade Matters web page also has a lot of excellent resources on migration. 

The U.S. arm of the international campaign for debt cancellation is Jubilee USA and they have a lot of great resources on their website, including materials from a faith perspective. Other resources for debt and economic justice more broadly include the Grassroots Guide to the IMF and World Bank (by 50 Years Is Enough, 2006), the Scorecard on Development: 25 Years of Diminished Progress (Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2005), and, especially on trade hypocrisy, anything written by Ha-Joon Chang.  

United for Peace and Justice is the U.S. branch of the global peace movement. They have members all over the country including some faith-based groups. One great resource especially on ongoing violence in the Middle East is the work of Phyllis Bennis which can generally be found on the website of the Institute for Policy Studies. Pax Christi’s website is another good resource, especially for reflecting on these issues from a faith based perspective.