KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on Assault Weapons
Adopted at the 42nd Annual Assembly, October, 1989

As Christians we are called by our Lord to be Peacemakers, to settle our personal and interpersonal conflicts by non-violent means.

As Christians we are called by our Lord to respect the rights and opinions of others. However, we are concerned about the easy access to and abuse of those guns whose purpose far exceeds a hunting or sporting use (i.e. AK 47 and MC II).

Assault weapons are being used to commit crimes and to attack police and other citizens. Assault weapons have become instruments by which ordinary people act out their aggressions.

On September 14, 1989, at Standard-Gravure in Louisville, an AK 47 was used to kill 9 people and seriously wound 12 more. We seek to make a healthy and constructive response.

As people of faith we stand with the victims of violence. We seek an end to the senseless suffering and death resulting from the availability of assault weapons. We urge our elected representatives to exert moral leadership by making every effort to protect society from these dangerous weapons.

We seek to challenge the existing situation of easy access to assault weapons in our communities and across state lines.

We recognize that legislation will not solve the underlying moral, social and economic conditions that create a climate where these weapons are used. But such action will promote public safety. Therefore, we call for effective legislation and regulations to ban the production, sale and possession of assault weapons.

The Kentucky Council of Churches urges the United States Congress to adopt legislation which will ban the import, domestic production, sale and possession of such weapons.

The Kentucky Council of Churches urges all church leaders to communicate this resolution in such a way that local churches and governing bodies can more effectively study and address this grave moral issue.

The Kentucky Council of Churches encourages all person who support this resolution to communicate their views to the media and their elected officials.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on AIDS
Adopted by the 43rd Annual Assembly, October 24, 1990

The AIDS/HIV epidemic has polarized our society and broken the church, the Body of Christ. Deep-rooted fear and prejudice have exploited this tragedy and caused painful alienation for those who have the virus. Some in the church have deepened this pain by asserting that HIV is God's judgment upon homosexuals and drug users.

It is the responsibility of the church to respond in compassion to those who have AIDS or carry the HIV, as well as their families and friends. Throughout his ministry, Jesus reached out to the lepers, those first-century outcasts who were discarded from society because of a disease. Today, Aids is our leprosy. Leprosy is not easily transmitted while AIDS is even more difficult to transmit. And yet society continues to discriminate against those who have AIDS and those who test HIV positive.

The Kentucky Council of Churches does not seek to pass judgment upon those with the virus. If the church is to be faithful to our calling to be followers of Christ, we must seek ways to promote reconciliation and healing for our society. We are not allowed the luxury of ignoring this epidemic, for to do so would be to allow injustice to breed and grow. The purpose of the church is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all people. In today's world, this cannot exclude those with AIDS/HIV.

THE KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES calls upon all Christians to learn the facts about AIDS/HIV. Education programs in the local congregation for the wider community can prevent the spread of the disease and alleviate some of the unfounded fears and prejudices that surround this disease and those who carry the virus. In addition we call for the discipline of constant prayer for the control of this devastating disease and for the spiritual wholeness of those whose lives are affected by it.

We exhort ministers and other church leaders to implement caring and compassionate ministries with those carrying the virus, their friends and family members. Ministers are encouraged to proclaim the church's responsibility to all who suffer and to call attention to the alienation being borne by those with AIDS/HIV. A congregation which welcomes those with this virus provides a strong witness to the rest of the community that God does not abandon those who suffer with AIDS/HIV.

We call upon legislators to enact legislation which prohibits discrimination against those with AIDS/HIV in housing, medical benefits, and other rights to which all citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States of America are entitled. In addition, we support education for the public and programs to make available affordable medical treatment and custodial care where it is needed.

We celebrate a God who reaches out to all those who suffer and are burdened by injustice, and we pray that we may be faithful in our attempts to be like Jesus in ministering to those who society has ignored and rejected.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES A CALL TO ACTION ON AFRICA
Program Unit on Peacemaking/Racism
Adopted by the 47th Annual Assembly, October 20 - 21, 1994

BACKGROUND

The continent of Africa continues to be in transition. Colonization has given way to new problems under self- rule of civil unrest, internal strife, famine, disease, and oppression. Africa, three times the size of the United States with twice the population deserves the world's attention not only because of the vastness of its area and the magnitude of its need, but because of its potential impact on the Christian world.

In the past two years, despite tremendous human suffering the Christian Church has seen unparalleled growth. In spite of massive external debt, the continuing wars and the growing number of refugees in Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Liberia, and the uncertainty of the sometimes violent movement toward democracy in Zaire, Cameroon, Togo, Kenya, and Nigeria the Church continues to grow in numbers and maturity.

Kentucky Christians have responded to Africa's needs through their communities' relief agencies in these terrible times and will continue to do so. But an increasing number of African Christian voices are calling to us to come and learn with them what God's Spirit is teaching them about faithfulness, community, and commitment. By the year 2000 there will be more Christians in Africa than on any other continent. What factors has the Spirit used to bring African Churches to such growth and maturity over the past century of life and witness? Our own churches have much to learn from African Christians who continue to serve God despite the powerful forces of injustice, poverty and despair.

CALL TO ACTION

THEREFORE the Kentucky Council of Churches calls upon its member churches to:

* express through regular prayer, study, relief aid, and dialogue, their solidarity with African Christian, during these times of massive change and great suffering and confess our complicity in the past sins of economic exploitation and colonialism;

* increase their understanding of Africa and African Christianity by identifying and implementing ways to listen to the African churches, including support for missionaries from Africa to the United States;

* increase each church's understanding of the Churches of Africa through existing programs and resources;

* encourage our national leaders to support preventative actions with those African nations experiencing famine or internal conflict in order to prevent future massacres and refugee problems such as those that have occurred in Rwanda in 1994;

* encourage our State Department to develop pro-active foreign relations with African nations with a strong focus on supporting and promoting long-term economic development efforts which focus on the real needs of the people.

SOME AGENCIES WHICH ARE SENDING RELIEF TO RWANDA:

Adventist Development and Relief Agency, PO Box 4289, Silver Spring, MD 20914; (800) 424-2372
American Red Cross, Rwanda Relief, PO Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013; (800) 842-2200
Care, 151 Ellis Street, Atlanta, GA 30303; (800) 842-CARE
Catholic Relief Services, PO Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21203-7090; (800) SEND-HOPE
Church World Service, Arm: Rwanda Emergency, PO Box 968, EUdon, IN 46515; (800) 762-0968, (219) 264-3102 (information)
Doctors Without Borders, USA, Inc., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Suite 5425, New York, NY 10112; (212) 649-5961
International Rescue Committee, 122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168-1289; (212) 532-5411
Lutheran World Relief, 390 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 101 1 6; (212) 532-6350
Mennonite Central Committee, Attn. Rwandan Relief, 21 South Street, PO Box 500, Akron, PA 17501; (717) 859-1151
Oxfam America, 26 West Street, Boston, MA 02111-1206; (617) 482-12 11
Presbyterian World Service, Attn. Rwandan Relief, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115; (800) 554-8583
United Methodist Committee on Relief, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 101 15; (800) 554-8583
World Relief, Dept. 8, PO Box WRC, Wheaton, IL 60189; (708) 665-0236
World Vision, 919 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016; (818) 357-7879

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
COMMISSION ON JUSTICE MINISTRIES
Statement on Campaign Ethics
Approved by the 48th Annual Assembly, October 27, 1995

Exodus 20:16....."You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

Exodus 23:1-2...."You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a
malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice..."

As citizens and as persons of religious conviction, we believe that we are an important voice to identify,
reflect on, and to share ethical concerns about the common good in our civic and political life. In recent years
we have become increasingly concerned about the tenor and content of political campaigns, whether for elected
office or oriented around a ballot issue. It is apparent to us that a fresh and continuing commitment to ethical
principles in political life and to truth in campaign advertising is an urgent necessity in America's civic life.
Our goal, therefore, is to suggest some basic guidelines for all participants in the political processes and
elections as a standard for fairness and decency.

WE CALL FOR CANDIDATES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT TO:

• demonstrate personal conviction and integrity;
• be as straightforward, simple, and clear about their own position;
• be willing to admit indecision on a matter, or to a change of opinion based on new information, experience,
  and reflection;
• identify the issues which the candidate believes need attention;
• address the issues clearly;
• avoid the use of racial, regional, and class conflicts or antagonisms;
• meet in public forums with their opponents;
• quote their opponent's views fairly and accurately;
• disapprove of personal attacks in campaign advertising;
• speak directly and honestly to questions asked by citizens;
• make known the persons and organizations contributing financially to their campaigns.

WE CALL THE MEDIA TO:

• assist the electorate in identifying the substantive and critical issues;
• promote forums and debates through the media;
• report polls and other measures of public opinion in an objective manner;
• recognize that endorsement of particular candidates is an editorial privilege and should be done with great care;
• be vigilant about differentiating between "paid political advertisements" and editorial comment, perhaps by running a constant "crawl" throughout political commercial advertising, or, in other media, by making it clear that the material being presented is advertising, not news, nor the editorial policy of the media being utilized;
• report responsibly all campaign contributions;
• avoid undue polarization in reporting information about candidates and issues.

WE CALL THE CITIZENS TO:

• recognize that voting is a right and a responsibility in a free democracy;
• register to vote and keep their registration current;
• vote in every election;
• help each other to understand the unique value of each vote;
• try to be as informed as possible prior to voting in any election;
• avoid making political decisions based on single-issues, seeing that many complex matters may be at stake;
• avoid making a judgment about a candidate based solely on the candidate's public image;
• seek out a variety of sources of information about the issues and the candidates to heighten objectivity and balanced decision making regarding for whom and for what they will vote;
• seek a larger view of what actions will benefit the common good, not allowing self-interest alone to obliterate a responsibility for the well-being of all;
• broaden their understanding of "self-interest" to include the welfare of our neighbors;
• be aware of the affiliations of contributors to political campaigns, and their particular aims in providing such financial backing.

WE CALL UPON ALL CHURCH LEADERS AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS TO:

• help their members understand the relationship between faith and participation in civic life;
• encourage members to see that voting is an act of discipleship similar to regular attendance at worship and stewardship of one's finances, by asssiting in voter registration and election participation;
• facilitate voter education through provision of materials such as candidate statements, voting records, questionaire responses, instructions for voting machines and voter regisrtraion and making space available in religious facilities for public meetings;
• encourage fair and balanced presentations of all candidates and issues;
• encourage their members to be intentional in using the resources of faith in building a society which is respectful of creation and human dignity.

WE CALL LEGISLATIVE BODIES AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO:

• enforce existing legislative ethics and ethical campaign laws;
• continue efforts to develop legislation which will bring fairness and honesty to campaign financing;
• require that candidates publish a list of their contributors;
• consider placing time limits on campaign periods prior to elections.

WE CALL ON ALL SECTORS OF OUR CIVIC LIFE TO WORK TOGETHER TO:

• refuse to tolerate the use of innuendo and lies of omission in campaign activity and rhetoric;
• keep the focus on the public policy issues and the candidates' positions on these issues. The candidates' promises, opinions, and past record are more important than their personal lives.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
POLICY STATEMENT: CHILDREN IN CRISIS
Program Unit on Peacemaking/Racism
Adopted by the 47th Annual Assembly, October 20-21, 1994

THE CURRENT PROBLEM

In our time, many children in our own Commonwealth of Kentucky, in the United States, and around the globe are in dire shape; some suffer from poverty, disease, malnourishment, random violence and political upheavals, family abuse, racism and sexism. One of every four children in Kentucky lives in a household whose income falls below the poverty line. Other children whose families appear to be financially stable or even wealthy suffer from parental neglect and abuse, lack of direction and encouragement, and some have too much freedom.

The following facts of one day in the lives of children in the U.S.A. are cited in the excellent resource book, Welcome The Child: A Child Advocacy Guide For Churches:

* 17,373 women get pregnant
* 2,781 of them are teenagers
* 1,115 teenagers have abortions
* 329 teenagers miscarry
* 1,340 teenagers give birth
* 636 babies are born to women who have had inadequate prenatal care
* 145 babies are born at very low birthweight (less than 3 1/4 pounds)
* 63 babies die before one month of life
* 101 babies die before their first birthday
* 27 babies die from poverty
* 3 children die from child abuse
* 14 children die from guns
* 135,000 children bring guns to school
* 6 teenagers commit suicide
* 8,400 teens become sexually active
* 480 get syphilis or gonorrhea
* 202 children are arrested for drug offenses
* 340 children are arrested for drinking or drunken driving
* 2,255 teenagers drop out of school
* 7,945 children are reported abused or neglected
* 1,234 children run away from home
* 2,350 children are in adult jails
* 3,325 children are born to unmarried women
* 2,860 children see their parents divorce
* 100,000 children are homeless

In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky Youth Advocates reports the following facts about Kentucky's children, drawn from the 1990 census data and 1992 vital statistics data:

* 25% of Kentucky's children live at or below the poverty level of family income
* 18.8% of Kentucky's children live in single parent families, compared with 14.3% in 1980
* 28.2% of Kentucky's youth did not graduate from high school
* 3,300 babies were born to mothers under age 18, in 1992
* 16,821 children were reported abused in 1992
* 5,730 children were reported to have experienced sexual abuse
* 43.3% of Kentucky's children received free or reduced price school lunches

"It is a human and moral travesty," says Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund writing in the preface to Welcome The Child (Friendship Press, 1994). "that more than 14.6 million U.S. children are poor and 8 million lack health insurance in a nation blessed by such abundance and riches. What are the true values of a wealthy, democratic nation that lets infants and toddlers be the poorest group of citizens? We know that poverty makes children more likely to be born too
small, to die, be sick, hungry and malnourished, to fall behind in school and drop out, and to cost
their families immeasurable suffering and taxpayers billions in later remedial costs and lost productivity.
How do we reconcile rampant national child neglect and preventable suffering with the biblical warning that from those to whom much is given, much is expected?" (Edelman, Preface, Welcome The Child, p.v)

THEOLOGICAL BASIS

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven?" He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you
change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever
becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes
one such child in my name welcomes me. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of
these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened
around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of
stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!
--Matthew 18:1-7

Scripture and Tradition admonish the faithful that one of their responsibilities to God is the care and nurture of children, just as God has cared for and nurtured human beings as our Holy Parent. The Bible proclaims through story, poetry, liturgical words, and history the belief that God is our loving parent. As Christians, we affirm that in the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus, God's promise became even more personal, so that we feel ourselves to be joint heirs with Christ, the adopted brothers and
sisters of the Word made flesh in the Son of God.

We trifle with God's love for us as God's children when we neglect to make the health, growth, nurture, and education of all children a priority. It is God's intention that all children should, like our brother Christ, "increase in wisdom and in years, and in divine human favor." (Luke 2:52 NRSV) Christ himself said that as we welcome children we welcome him (allow him a kindly reception in our lives).

The Kentucky Council of Churches was born from ecumenical roots established in the American Sunday School movement. The Sunday School movement had its genesis in Great Britain in the 1780s as an effort by churches and Christian people to give aid, life opportunities, and nurture in Christian beliefs and values to the orphans and child-workers employed for long hours in slave-like conditions in
sweat-shop factories during the Industrial Revolution. The Sunday School movement affirmed the worth of children for their own sake, not as an additional worker in the family business or on the farm. It
encouraged the development of public education in America. In America, the Sunday School movement was one of the first ecumenical projects and provided much impetus for later ecumenical developments.

The nature and quality of children's lives indicates the health and strength of a community or society. How we value children reflects our stewardship of God's manifold gifts in creation and our faithfulness to God's covenant with us. Jesus clearly told his followers to welcome children and warned those who caused children to "stumble". In our time, we need to hear Christ's instruction about children in fresh ways. The condition of the world's children confronts us with a pressing need to refocus our attention on children and their needs in our public programs for the common good, in our churches, and in our families.

Declaring that "the United States is afflicted by a poverty of riches unleavened by enough justice", Marion Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund asserts that "the religious community must take the lead in guiding the nation away from the sin of child abuse and neglect and toward God's intended creation of compassion and justice. The religious community must renew and deepen its own commitment to faithful child advocacy. ...Every person of faith has a special obligation to help the poor and the powerless and to seek justice. ...The deepest and most enduring truth is that we must take
better care of all children because it is the right and moral thing to do. Just as Christ's model of ministry sought justice for the most vulnerable and marginalized, so too must we minister with compassion and seek justice for the most vulnerable and marginalized children, until each has the opportunity to develop to her or his God-given potential." (Edelman, Preface, Welcome The Child, pp. v-vi)

RESOLUTION

THEREFORE, believing that children, their lives, welfare and nurture are a priority concern for our
churches] it shall be the policy of the Kentucky Council of Churches:

1. To make the well-being of children a high priority on its legislative and public policy advocacy agenda. The Council will support legislation which aims to alleviate the suffering of children caused by poverty, disease, abuse, racism, sexism, lack of provision of adequate medical treatment and inadequate educational opportunities. The Council will oppose public policies and legislation which will result in more suffering or create more problems for children and youth.

2. To encourage its member communions and their churches in every community across the commonwealth of Kentucky to embrace all children of their community as their own. We challenge churches and individual Christians to find at least one project in the coming year (1994-1995) which will benefit the children of their community. We further challenge the churches of our member communions to undertake a survey of the problems and needs of children in their communities, and to become politically active on behalf of children and youth.

3. To encourage the congregations of our member communions to participate in the nationwide celebrations of Children's Sabbaths, which are held annually in mid-October during the national "Peace With Justice" week.

4. To challenge the churches of the member communions of the Kentucky Council of Churches to develop programs of character education for all age groups in their congregations and family life education for the children of their church and community before they drift into paths where pregnancy and parenthood, drug use, and dropping out of school "just happen."

5. To challenge one another within the Kentucky Council of Churches to renew, strengthen, and develop programs in their communities which will better educate children youth and adults, on matters of violence prevention, conflict resolution, and social and economic justice. We encourage churches to provide formative experiences to deepen Christian values and Christian character as a leaven for justice in our nation with its "poverty of riches unleavened by enough justice."

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
COMMISSION ON JUSTICE MINISTRIES
Christian Principles in an Election Year
Approved by the 57th Annual Assembly, October 29, 2004

Our Christian faith compels us to address the world through the lens of our relationship to God and to one another. Public discourse is enhanced as we engage civic leaders on the values and ethics affirmed by our faith. At the same time, religious liberty and the integrity of our democracy will be protected as candidates refrain from using faith-based organizations and institutions for partisan gain. We offer these ten principles to those seeking to accept the responsibility that comes with holding public office.

1. War is contrary to the will of God. While the use of violent force may, at times, be a necessity of last resort, Christ pronounces his blessing on the peacemakers. We look for political leaders who will make peace with justice a top priority and who will actively seek nonviolent solutions to conflict.

2. God calls us to live in communities shaped by peace and cooperation. We reject policies that abandon large segments of our inner city and rural populations to hopelessness. We look for political leaders who will re-build our communities and bring an end to the cycles of violence and killing.

3. God created us for each other, and thus our security depends on the well-being of our global neighbors. We look for political leaders for whom a foreign policy based on cooperation and global justice is an urgent concern.

4. God calls us to be advocates for those who are most vulnerable in our society. We look for political leaders who yearn for economic justice and who will seek to reduce the growing disparity between rich and poor.

5. Each human being is created in the image of God and is of infinite worth. We look for political leaders who actively promote racial justice and equal opportunity for everyone.

6. The earth belongs to God and is intrinsically good. We look for political leaders who recognize the earth's goodness, champion environmental justice, and uphold our responsibility to be stewards of God’s creation.

7. Christians have a biblical mandate to welcome strangers. We look for political leaders who will pursue fair immigration policies and speak out against xenophobia.

8. Those who follow Christ are called to heal the sick. We look for political leaders who will support adequate, affordable and accessible health care for all.

9. Because of the transforming power of God’s grace, all humans are called to be in right relationship with each other. We look for political leaders who seek a restorative, not retributive, approach to the criminal justice system and the individuals within it.

10. Providing enriched learning environments for all of God’s children is a moral imperative. We look for political leaders who will advocate for equal educational opportunity and abundant funding for children’s services.

Finally, our religious tradition admonishes us not to bear false witness against our neighbor and to love our enemies. We ask that the campaigns of political candidates and the coverage of the media in this election season be conducted according to principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.

 Kentucky Council of Churches
A Resolution Opposing the Death Penalty
Adopted at the 50th Annual Assembly, October 23-24, 1997

PREAMBLE
Since the slaying of Abel by his brother, Cain, the blood of countless victims and the voices of their families have cried out to God. As Christians we, too, cry out to the creator God, the giver of life. We grieve with the friends and families of victims of violent crime. We seek justice and a just society where all may live without fear, in peace and harmony with their neighbors. We also seek justice for all persons who have been victims of violence and for whom we feel deep compassion. We struggle between our righteous anger at those who harm others or commit terrorist acts that kill and maim large numbers of persons, and our call to believe in the potential for redemption of every human being, no matter what heinous acts he or she may have committed.
All member communions of the Kentucky Council of Churches have, on record at the national level of their denominations, statements opposing the use of, or calling for a moratorium on the implementation of, the death penalty as a method for punishing those convicted of violent crimes. This statement sets forth the grounds on which the Kentucky Council of Churches shall, on behalf of its member communions, oppose the further implementation of capital punishment in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

THE SOCIAL CONTEXT
On July 1, 1997, the Commonwealth of Kentucky reinstated the use of capital punishment, ending a thirty-five year hiatus during which no death-row inmate had been executed in the state.
Despite efforts by states, including the Commonwealth of Kentucky, to comply with the Supreme Court decision of 1972 which outlawed many capital punishment laws because the lack of legal guidelines led to discrimination and inconsistency in the application of the death penalty, there is strong evidence that such discrimination still continues. A study conducted in 1993 at the request of the 1992 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky concluded that Kentucky's revised laws and system of capital sentencing have failed to eliminate race as a factor in this process.

The American Bar Association (ABA), acting at its national convention in 1996, has called upon "each jurisdiction that imposes a capital punishment not to carry out the death penalty until the jurisdiction implements policies and procedures that ... (1) ensure that death penalty cases are administered fairly and impartially, in accordance with due process, and (2) minimize the risk that innocent parties may be executed...." The ABA states that discrimination in capital sentencing continues on the basis of the race of the victim or the defendant, and it argues that we should not execute mentally retarded persons and persons who were under the age of 18 at the time of their offenses."

In 1997, there were 31 inmates on Kentucky's death row. All of them were indigent, and only one was able to afford private legal counsel at any phase during his prosecution. Of the 162 persons executed in Kentucky since 1911, 85, or 52 percent were black, while the proportion of African Americans in the population of the Commonwealth has been less than 10 percent. Of 127 persons whose educational or occupational records were available, 41 had less than an eighth grade education; 17 were illiterate; and no person with a college degree has ever been executed in this Commonwealth. Further examination of records shows evidence that many of the death row inmates had been drinking or using drugs prior to the crime. Many were severely marred and psychologically maladjusted due to horrific social, economic or family influences.
· Social scientists have been unable to prove any deterrent value in the death penalty.
· Further, studies have shown consistently that it is more costly for a state to condemn a criminal to death, due to the constitutional safeguards that must be observed, than it is to imprison that criminal for the entirety of his or her life, without parole until their natural death.
Additionally, some police science professors have begun to argue that the implementation of a capital sentence may, in fact, result in a corresponding rise in the murder rate. The example of the state taking a life, no matter how carefully, apparently desensitizes people to the value of life, and implies that killing another human being is an appropriate solution to a problem. Murder rates tend to rise in the immediate aftermath of an execution.
Even families and friends of victims are of different views on the value of the death penalty and whether it contributes to healing their hurt and loss, and its consequences for the social order and peace.
In summary, the following points have been made by social scientists, legal experts, and social ethicists regarding capital punishment:
· that capital punishment has been proven to be unfairly administered to the poor, the uneducated, those who cannot afford private legal counsel, and on the basis of the race of both the criminal and the victim;
· that the American Bar Association has called for a moratorium on the administration of capital punishment until such inequities can be removed;
· that there is no proven deterrent value to the death penalty;
· that the death penalty is more costly, financially, to the state than incarcerating the prisoner for life;
· that capital punishment is an irremediable punishment;
· and that there may be a concomitant rise in the murder rates of a state in which the death penalty is administered.

Therefore, by these measures alone, capital punishment, as it is currently applied, is not just and equitable, and therefore does not enhance the upbuilding of a just and caring society.

THEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
In making ethical decisions, Christians appeal to the Gospel of God's unconditional love and grace for all of creation, especially as revealed in the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Great Commandment "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself"--found both in Matthew 22:37-39, and in Deuteronomy 6:5 with Leviticus 19:18 is normative for determining social ethics.

As Christians we affirm that violence against persons is also ultimately violence against God, in whose image we are all created and who gives to all of us the gift of life and well-being (as is clearly indicated by such texts as Genesis 4; Exodus 20:13; Psalm 51:4; and Mark 15:13). We suffer deeply with one another and with our neighbors in this Commonwealth when any are victims of violent crimes which assault, maim, and destroy their persons and very lives. We stand with victims and the survivors of those who have been subject to violent crime to do everything we can to bring healing to them and to create a world in which such terrible acts will not happen.

We acknowledge that Christians in good conscience have both affirmed and opposed the death penalty, and we recognize that the issue is not decided by reference to single biblical texts: there are passages throughout Scripture which can be understood to affirm or oppose the death penalty. The "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" of Leviticus 24:20 (also Exodus 21:24 and Deuteronomy 19:21) is an example that requires particular attention. In the society of ancient Israel, the penalty of death could be imposed not only for murder but for a number of other crimes as well, such as adultery, blasphemy, profaning the Sabbath, or dishonoring or striking one's parents. In its context the "eye for an eye" formula (often, slightly misleadingly, designated with the Latin name lex talionis) acted significantly as a guard against personal vengeance and disproportionate retaliation. Moreover, since ancient times, both Jewish and Christian writings have pushed the interpretation of these laws away from their harshest expression. Talmudic texts stressed that payment for crimes was to be restorative and not excessive; exacting a proportionate penalty was the maximum permissible limit of response. The reversal saying of Jesus in Matthew 5:38ff. so repudiates retaliation in favor of love of enemy and non-resistance to evil that most Christian communities have sought to heed its call for generosity to the wrongdoer while avoiding finding in this text a societal or universal prohibition which would call into question any resistance to forcible violation.
Finally, in many parts of Scripture we find a range of responses to serious crimes other than infliction of the death penalty. The law-giver Moses himself as a young man had killed an Egyptian and fled the consequences (Exodus 2:11-14); Jesus refused to join in the stoning of an adulterous woman, but instead offered her mercy and exhortation to amend her life (John 8:1-10). His own life ended as a prisoner under capital sentence, and as he was executed he prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
In considering the whole of Christian witness in all its complexity, we are drawn to hold before us the vision of Amos, for a time when "justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream." In the meantime, as Christians we are committed to seek both the redemption and reconciliation of the wrongdoer and healing for victims, because we affirm the value of every human being as a child of God. Rather than responding to considerations of revenge or assumed efficiency, we seek a justice that is productive of love, one which will honor the capacity of individuals to change, repent, and grow as human beings, made in the image of God for healed relations with one another and our Creator.

RESOLUTION
The Kentucky Council of Churches affirmed its belief in reconciliation and restorative justice, as opposed to retributive justice, through a statement adopted at the 49th Annual Assembly, on October 25, 1996. (See the Statement: "Reconciliation: The Christian's Responsibility amid the Violence of our Time", adopted at the 49th Annual Assembly, October 25, 1996.) Ten years ago (40th Annual Assembly, October, 1987), in a study and public policy document entitled "Crime and Criminal Justice", the Kentucky Council officially voted to oppose "the imposition of the death penalty."
Therefore, the Kentucky Council of Churches, acting at its 50th Annual Assembly meeting in Middletown, Kentucky, October 23-24, 1997, does hereby resolve:
· that the Kentucky Council of Churches shall encourage its member churches to stand with the victims of violent crime and their families and to minister to them in their grief and anger, and to foster those attitudes that will lead to peace for victims and their survivors;
· that the Kentucky Council of Churches shall oppose the imposition of a death sentence, by whatever method of implementation that the state shall designate, whether by electrocution or lethal injection, or any other means which may be devised;
· that the Kentucky Council of Churches shall inform legislators about the Council's position on the death penalty, and shall urge the Commonwealth to serve the purposes of justice without resorting to use of the death penalty;
· that, while capital punishment remains legal in Kentucky, the Council shall do all in its power to persuade the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to use the executive power of clemency to commute sentences to life in prison without possibility of parole for those persons on death row facing imminent execution;
· that the Council will affirm the work of people who are employed in the criminal justice system, recognizing the special burdens that accompany such work;
· that the Council shall encourage its member churches to seek further opportunities to serve people caught in cycles of violence; and
· that the Council shall offer a clear voice within the Commonwealth of Kentucky on behalf of restorative justice, peace, order, and reconciliation.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Commission on Justice Ministries (Religion and Public Policy)
INTERIM Policy Statement on Responding to Persons with Disability Concerns
Adopted by the Executive Board, December 3, 1991

The following theological rationale is taken from the booklet, That All May Enter, Responding to People with Disability Concerns, Presbyterian Church, (USA), 1989, from the U.S. Catholic Bishop's 1978 statement on persons with disabilities, and from a letter by Dan Robinson, Office of Social Concerns, Diocese of Owensboro.

The Christian Church is a community of faith responding to God's healing and empowering work in the Christ. This mission of Jesus meant good news for the poor, release for captives, recovering of sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed (Luke 4:18). As signs of his ministry, Jesus pointed to his gifts for persons who were blind, lame, or lepers, physically impaired, the deaf, and even the dead. Christ's followers are called to continue the ministry of reconciliation that God carried out in him (II Cor. 5:18).

Christian faith has always recognized both the glory and frailty of human life. Our glory is that God has created us in the divine image and called us to be ministers. Our frailty is evident in our dependence in infancy and old age and in our vulnerability throughout all of life.

People with disabilities, like everyone else, have normal struggles and hopes. On top of these are added the special challenges of their own conditions. Therefore, their giftedness--having been created in the image of God--sometimes flows from their disabling condition, but sometimes flows from gifts that have nothing to do with that condition. The difficulty comes when they are strictly defined as being equal to their condition. This is sometimes reflected in our language: "He's a paraplegic," or "She's mentally retarded."

Christ addresses us in our strength and in our weakness. He reminds us that we human beings need one another. It is our responsibility and our opportunity to strengthen and to heal one another within the human family, especially one another within the church, where we recognize that, "if one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (I Cor. 12:26). And the church in this respect makes us aware of the kingdom of God, with its claim upon, and its promise for, all humanity.

Within the human society some people are identified, in common language and in public law, as "handicapped." They bear in evident and painful ways the frailty of all life. Many are "handicapped" by the labels and boxes they are pushed into by society, and not by their physical, emotional, or developmental disability. The strongest of human beings is at any moment only a microbe or an accident away from the ailments and disabilities that are conspicuous in others.

Our contemporary society has a special need for the ministry of persons with disabling conditions and to such persons. As the church learns to recognize human weakness-in-strength and strength-in-weakness, it begins to discover the cost and joy of discipleship. It finds that the sharing of burdens is the sharing of opportunities. It
witnesses to God's gracious love.

THEREFORE, THE KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES supports and encourages additional legislation, governmental regulations and programs that protect and clarify rights of persons with disabling conditions and provide necessary action to see persons with disabling conditions can assume their rightful roles in society as functionally independent, self-fulfilling persons contributing to the common good of society. Advocacy in this area shall include but not be limited to measures:

· to eliminate physical barriers;
· to provide employment for persons with disabling conditions;
· to make available a variety of educational and training opportunities;
· to work for the elimination of attitudinal barriers;
· to work toward the goal of transportation in every community that is regularly available and reliable at a
· reasonable cost to riders/passengers with disabling condition; and
· to provide for affordable, accessible housing.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on Domestic Violence
Adopted by the 43rd Annual Assembly, October 24, 1990

It is not enemies who taunt me--
I could bear that:
it is not adversaries who deal
insolently with me--
I could hide from them.
But it is you, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend,
With whom I keep pleasant company.
PS. 55:12-14a, NRSV

The Psalmist captures the feelings of many victims of domestic violence: the pain of being betrayed and injured by a loved one.

Basically, there are three kinds of domestic violence, violence against children, violence against partners, and violence against the elderly. This violence can be physical, sexual, or emotional. Any such violence has long-lasting and devastating effects on the victims; for example, many victims are unable to leave a violent relationship because of their economic dependence upon their batterers.

We, the Kentucky Council of Churches, deplore all kinds of domestic violence, proclaim the worth of each person as a child of God, created in the image of God, and affirm the right of each person to be safe from attacks (verbal and physical) by family members.

In I Cor. 6:19-20, Paul reminds us of the sacredness of the human body:

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body. (NRSV)

The Christian tradition does not advocate or excuse domestic violence. We confess, however, that churches have too often misused scripture to justify, condone, and ignore physical and sexual violence against women and children. Although some men are battered by women and many elderly men are abused, the vast majority of abused adults are women.

One scripture that is commonly used to justify the beating of children is Proverbs 13:24: "Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them." (NRSV) (Often misquoted "Spare the rod and spoil the child.") This verse must not be construed to support beating children; the rod referred to is the rod used by shepherds to guide and direct the sheep and to protect the sheep from wild animals, never to beat the sheep (cf. Psalm 23:4b: "...your rod and your staff--they comfort me" NRSV). The proverb is an exhortation to parents to discipline their children to guide them and lead them in the right way; it does not give parents permission to beat their children.

The writer of Ephesians cautions: "And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (NRSV) Although children who are beaten often feel they have done something to deserve such treatment, certainly few things can anger a child like being abused by a parent.

Perhaps the most commonly cited passage to support wife abuse is Ephesians 5:22-23: "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church..." These verses do not advocate the domination of wives by husbands. Rather they provide a model for the way men are to relate to women; the way Christ relates to the Church, being a servant, giving himself up for his followers, never threatening, abusing, coercing, hitting, or intimidating anyone. The passage goes on: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church..." No man who takes that verse seriously could ever abuse his partner. This is re-emphasized in Col. 3:19: "Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly." (NRSV)

Intimate relationships are intended by God to be mutually responsible and respectful:

The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. (I Cor. 7:3-4, NRSV)

What Paul had in mind was not that one partner forcing the other to engage in sexual activity, but two persons in a mutual relationship of respect, choice, and regard for one another.

The incidence of elder abuse is increasing. Scripture exhorts us to honor our mothers and fathers (Ex. 20:12). Honor does not include physical harm, threats of harm, forced isolation, deprivation of adequate medical attention, over-medication, or financial exploitation. And yet such abuses occur at an alarming rate. In 1986, over one million elderly persons (one of every twenty-five) reported having been abused. [Mary Joy Quinn and Susan Tomita, Elder Abuse and Neglect.]

The responsibility for the elderly does not fall exclusively to the family; in fact, the entire community is warned against abusing those who cannot defend themselves:

You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry..." ( Ex. 22:21-23, NRSV)

THEREFORE, AS THE KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES;

We call on all pastors and other church people to break the silence about domestic violence through preaching, education, and advocacy.

We exhort churches to help break the cycle of abuse by sponsoring self-help groups, opening safe-houses, studying the issues of violence, financially supporting services to families in crisis and agencies which respond to domestic violence, and advocating legislation to prevent abuse and to provide services to victims and rehabilitation to perpetrators. We appeal to church to emphasize a ministry of healing and to work toward a renewal of family life which enhances the value of all family members, especially those most vulnerable (specifically women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

We encourage our legislators and other public officials to initiate and to work for policies which can provide increased economic opportunities which can lead to economic equality for women, adequate funding for shelters and victim assistance, legal protection from batterers, and mandatory treatment for those persons convicted of domestic violence.

We urge all manifestations of the legal system to take this issue seriously and to treat it a violent crime rather than as "a family matter." We encourage families in crisis to seek professional help. We urge all church members to work toward a just society which discourages (1) all types of violence, (2) oppressive institutions, (3) media portrayals which degrade women, and (4) violence in television programming.

We celebrate God's gift of intimacy, the image of God in each person, the inherent right of each person to health, wholeness, and safety, and we commit ourselves to working toward the elimination of domestic violence.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on Education and the Churches
Adopted at the 42nd Annual Assembly, October, 1989

The Bible and our faith testify to the worth and dignity of each human being and to God's call to live together in community. As Christians, we believe that all individuals have the right to an education designed to provide the knowledge and skills needed to realize their full potential as human beings created by God ad as responsible members of society. Churches are called to work together with public and private schools to foster educational
programs for each member of the community.

Children are God's gifts entrusted to us all, and quality education for these children throughout their lives is an essential part of God's ongoing creation. People of God need to work actively to improve public and non-public
schools. Our vision is that schools be caring communities where learners are respected and valued as they acquire basic cognitive skills and both personal and social responsibility, and where there is mutual respect between parents and educators.

Because of the pluralistic nature of American society and the diversity of educational needs, there are many models or approaches to providing quality education for all people, and there is a necessity for dialogue between families and educators.

The Kentucky Council of Churches affirms its support for educational models and programs within the Commonwealth which:

1. provide adequate, equitable, and quality educational opportunities for each child, young person, and adult without regard to race/ethnic origin, religion, gender, economic condition, place of residence, or physical or mental capacity;

2. enlarge citizen participation working with school boards and professional educators in determining the goals and objectives of education and provide a larger role for parents, families and guardians in the operations of local and statewide school systems;

3. provide parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff with the resources necessary to nurture learning, and support decisions about school curricula based on professional judgment, scholarship, and effective teaching practices;

4. utilize inclusive educational curricula which avoids stereotypes based on class, race, religion, gender, place of ethnic origin, and physical or mental capacity, and promote justice and dignity for each human being in educational activities, staffing, curricula, sports, and other school-sponsored extra-curricular activities;

5. provide adequate and affordable pre-school care and learning opportunities so that all children can enter school ready and able to learn;

6. focus on raising the educational attainments of students, encouraging learning as a life-long endeavor, and providing each individual with the skills and perspectives necessary to be responsible persons and contributing members of society;

7. uphold academic freedom, including access to ideas and opportunities to consider a broad range of issues and questions;

8. help and encourage individuals to formulate an understanding and appreciation of the role of religion in the life of people in all cultures; and,

9. work in concert with families and churches to develop ethical character and provide opportunities in both school and community for moral learning, family life education and social reflection which celebrate our human worth and dignity and our call to community within and the ethnic richness and religious diversity in the world; and,

10. provide adequate financial support in order to achieve the above goals.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on the Environment
Adopted at the 42nd Annual Assembly, October, 1989

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein;
for the Lord has founded it upon the seas,
and established it upon the rivers.
Psalm 24:1-2

Who really owns the earth, the air, the oceans, the streams? Who owns the soil as it moves from the Kentucky hills down the Ohio River and into the Mississippi Delta? The Psalmist announces in Psalm 24 that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. That theme is repeated throughout scripture from the creation accounts in Genesis through the book of Revelation. God is the creator/owner of the earth. This concept is key to God's covenant relationship with the people of Israel and is key today to our understanding of our identity as a people of God. We are called through our covenant relationship to participate in God's creative work as we are for the earth for our own and future generations and to use wisely the resources of the environment so that all of humankind may live in peace and abundance.

God is the owner but humankind covets that ownership. The earth, the air, the water, our biosphere, are too often regarded as commodities by the human community and as possessions to be bought, sold, and exploited rather than as resources belonging to our Creator God. It is given, in trust, to us to manage wisely for the benefit of all humankind.

The earth, the air, the water exist in an increasing state of crisis. Consumption of products that require the use of limited natural resources is increasing. More products are being produced that lock natural resources into non-biodegradable forms. Toxic and nuclear waste disposal becomes an increasingly critical issue for health and safety with each passing year. Urban areas are turning more and more to less populated rural areas and states such as Kentucky as the solution to their ever-expanding problem of waste disposal, thereby endangering the food and water supply as soil and water quality in rural and agricultural communities continues to deteriorate.

Sound biosphere practices compete in the marketplace with quick profits. We, however, are not unaware of and indeed have compassion for those people who suffer great financial hardship resulting from the increased and necessary protection of the biosphere. They must not be forgotten as they face the burden of unemployment and
the resulting family struggles. Yet our current environmental practices threaten the viability of the earth and of
generations yet to come.

Therefore, the Kentucky Council of Churches embraces the following Policy Statement:

Member churches and other faith groups, at every level of their organizations, are called upon to enable and to encourage their constituents to engage in serious and sustainable study, reflection and appropriate action based upon the theological issues relating to our human responsibility for the biosphere as stewards of God's creation, and further;

Local, state, and federal governments, in their function of providing for the general welfare, are called upon to make and enforce laws that protect the biosphere as a vital resource for life both today and in the future. The short term advantages of legislation must be measured against the long-term costs to the biosphere and to future citizens. Of primary concern in enacting biosphere legislation are the immediate and future impact on health and quality of life and the renewability of natural resources. Government should encourage and promote sound biosphere practices such as:

· the conservation of natural resources;
· the development of processes and methods of reduction of the quantity of waste materials produced;
· the development of products, by-products and packaging which are biodegradable;
· the development and implementation (mandatory where feasible) of safe and effective methods of the recycling, transporting, storage, and disposal of existing waste products;
· the clean-up of existing nuclear and chemical toxic wastes; and
· the development of more realistic regulations to implement the full intent of air pollution laws throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

  KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Resolution Against Gambling Casinos
Adopted at the 46th Annual Assembly, October 14-15, 1993

PREAMBLE

+Because the Kentucky Council of Churches is "...called to work together for justice and peace, through: preserving the dignity of all God's children in a global context; including the pursuit of dialogue and reconciliation; building relationships between races, sexes, and classes; defending the rights of the oppressed; and meeting human needs", we now must address together the matter of gambling casinos. Gambling casinos are increasingly suggested to citizens in state after state as a panacea for civic financial distress.

+Although our member communions hold diverse moral positions on gambling, we are united in our belief that greed for unearned monetary gain destroys individuals and eventually corrodes the fabric of social trust upon which civic life must rely.

+As Christians, we believe that God calls each person to useful work, and provides talents and gifts that may be fruitfully exercised to support the self and family through the exchange of goods, labor, and services. Further, we believe that each person is called to contribute to the well-being of community through their work and their civic participation, including the payment of legitimate taxes to support government services.

+Christian scripture also endorses support for civil authority, and payment of taxes, "rendering to Caesar that which is Caesar's," so that human beings may live together in justice, peace, and harmony. Within the body politic, Christians are committed to building up the common good, because of the commandment that we love God and love our neighbor. For the Christian, the common good, therefore, must be established by just and honest means. In a democratic society, government must persuade its citizens to support with their taxes the programs the citizens believe will be instrumental in nurturing and protecting all members of society and efficacious for productive economy and just relations among all residents of that political entity.

REASONS FOR OPPOSITION TO GAMBLING CASINOS IN KENTUCKY

-Gambling casino supporters claim that gambling helps citizens, municipalities, and states, by providing non-tax generated revenues, encouraging tourism, and creating jobs. Careful legislative controls, they claim, can deal with such issues as organized crime, prostitution, compulsive gambling, and the collection of tax revenue.

-The experience of places like Atlantic City, New Jersey, and small gambling towns such as Deadwood, South Dakota, yields far different results. Earl L. Grinos, writing in the Chicago Sun-Times (Dec. 7, 1991) points out that a "gambling operation is not like a factory or a retail store. There are givers in the world of commerce and there are takers. Gambling is a taker. ...When wages go for gambling instead of the purchase of local goods and services, hoped-for economic spinoffs often fail to materialize. There are fewer restaurants in Atlantic City today, for example, than before the casinos were opened. Gambling attracts gamblers, not tourists. What's more, because of reduced purchases, revenues from sales taxes go down."

-In many states considering gambling casinos, an increase in the state income tax of less than one tenth of one percent can produce the same revenues as 10 riverboat casinos, without creating one new government position or one new agency, according to University of Nevada Professor of Management and Public Administration, William N. Thompson, in testimony given before the Indiana Senate in 1989.

-Other studies suggest that the majority of jobs supposedly created by casinos are low-wage hourly positions, rather than year-round salaried jobs which are often filled by non-residents moving into the state from positions with the casino operation elsewhere.

-Gambling casinos increase the likelihood for addiction to compulsive gambling. A high percentage of
compulsive or problem gamblers, in order to continue their addiction and belief that for a dollar invested they can become a millionaire, engage in tax evasion, domestic theft and abuse, embezzlement, and forgery. Every compulsive gambler negatively impacts on 7 to 17 people. 15% of wives of compulsive gamblers are battered. The suicide rate among compulsive gamblers is 20% With half the population of Illinois, Maryland already has at least 50,000 compulsive gamblers and 80,000 problem gamblers who are annually costing the state $1.5 billion and who have gone into debt $4 billion to finance their habits.

-Despite strict laws prohibiting gambling by teens, a recent study indicated that 64% of New Jersey youths gamble at casinos.

-In the now legalized charitable gambling in Kentucky, overhead is low, and the revenue from charitable games of chance remains in the state to provide needed community services and to support various religious institutions such as parochial schools. With extremely low stakes, such gambling is less likely to lead to family financial distress or other social problems. Casino operations, on the other hand, to be profitable, must allow for much higher stakes, allow people to succumb to gambling more money away than they intended, and the profits, after taxes, are usually taken out of state, and not reinvested in productive ways in the local economy.

RESOLUTION

+We, the delegates to the 46th Annual Assembly of the Kentucky Council of Churches, representing the eleven member communions and individual congregations holding membership in the Kentucky Council of Churches, do make the following resolution of our opposition to the legalization of gambling casinos in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

WHEREAS the legalization of commercial gambling casinos as a means of producing public revenues is being considered in the Commonwealth of Kentucky; and

WHEREAS we are convinced that legalized gambling casinos in Kentucky would create costly economic, social and criminal problems for our citizenry; and

WHEREAS we believe in fair and progressive taxation of all residents by their consent rather than fiscal reliance on a "quick fix: source of revenues garnered from taxes on gambling casino profits, which in the long run may prove more costly and less stable as an economic base for government operations.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT the Kentucky Council of Churches, in coalition with other such religious and civic groups as may share their convictions, do commit ourselves to oppose legalized gambling casinos in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

FURTHER, BE IT RESOLVED, the Kentucky Council of Churches will appoint a special committee to create and build the coalition of opponents of legalized gambling casinos in Kentucky, and will establish a special fund to receive contributions from such opponents to aid in our public relations campaign to prevent gambling casinos in our Commonwealth. The Kentucky Council of Churches will open this special fund with a contribution of $1,000 from its general operating budget, from the line item listed as "program support and development." The Coalition Against Casinos will elect its own officers, designate a treasurer to oversee the funds collected, file all appropriate documents with the state government, and provide for a certified audit at the conclusion of its campaign.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Addendum to the Resolution against Gambling Casinos, adopted October, 1993
Adopted by the Executive Board on March 2, 1999

Whereas the Kentucky General Assembly has adopted legislation which requires that all lottery income now be committed to a scholarship program to help Kentucky high school graduates attend a college or university in the Commonwealth; and

Whereas the Kentucky Lottery is facing increasing competition from Indiana riverboats and other forms of gambling, and current lottery income has been flat or decreasing in recent years; and
Whereas it appears likely that the Kentucky Lottery Corporation will attempt to have legislation enacted in the 2000 regular session of the Kentucky General Assembly to allow the operation of such electronic forms of "convenience gambling" such as video lottery terminals (a euphemism for a lottery-operated slot machine); video poker machines; and video keno, in order to increase revenues to support the now popular idea of scholarships for Kentucky's young people; and

Whereas it has been demonstrated in numerous studies that such electronic gambling is the most addictive form of gambling, and is especially attractive to the young; and

Whereas thoroughbred race tracks are attempting to expand their market and to attract new gamblers through the establishment of off-track-betting parlors without local approval; and

Whereas Keeneland Race Track, Dreamport, Inc. (Harrah's Casinos, which owns the "Glory of Rome" / Caesar's-Indiana riverboat opposite Louisville); and G-Tech (the corporation which has the lottery franchise for the Commonwealth of Kentucky), have formed a partnership to purchase Turfway Race Course, whose previous owner and CEO were among the most vigorous advocates for gambling casinos at race tracks; and

Whereas Keeneland has now softened its position of opposition to gambling casinos, and has stated that Keeneland now believes that "the people of Kentucky" should decide about future gambling; and

Whereas Governor Paul Patton has said that he would support a referendum on this issue;

Therefore, be it hereby resolved, that the Kentucky Council of Churches will oppose the expansion of gambling opportunities in the Commonwealth, whether by the Kentucky Lottery Corporation, or by the thoroughbred racing industry, which will include the use of:
· video lottery terminals (VLTs)
· video keno machines
· video poker machines
· slot machines and other kinds of electronic gambling machines;
· casino style operations;
· off-track betting parlors established without local approval.

Further, the Kentucky Council of Churches shall work vigorously with such other partners in a coalition to oppose enabling legislation for the Lottery Corporation, and/or a state-wide referendum on any gambling expansion as defined above.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on Health Care
Adopted by the 44th Annual Assembly, October 11-12, 1991

HEALTH CARE POLICY STATEMENT
Prologue: Health and Wholeness

Health and healing are central dimensions of the faith we profess. Our Christian heritage teaches us to be concerned for the whole person. We believe that God's purpose is for all people to be recognized as of worth, and; therefore, to be healthy, and to nurture health for one another in community. We are made in God's image and have value, dignity, and integrity in healthful community. A basic theme in Scripture is the intelligent, committed and compassionate stewardship of life as we live in community with one another. Hebrew and Christian scriptures reflect the covenant between God and people in this stewardship of creation and community. Health and healing were central in the work of Jesus and the early
church. The Gospel of Mark demonstrates Jesus' concern for the total well-being of those he met. Lepers and "mad men," outcasts and Samaritans, women and children were restored to health and effective life. The Greek word, sodzo, is translated as "to save", is the same word translated "to heal," and "to make whole." The terms health and holy share a common origin--akin to whole, sound, hale and well. Their relationship in Christian history is exemplified in the life and work of Jesus who went about all Galilee teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and infirmity among the people.

Because all people have been created in the image of God and are called to abundant life, we are called to a ministry of health and wholeness. All aspects of health were of equal concern to Christ who reached out to mend body, mind and spirit to restore wholeness and renewed communion with God and neighbor. Thus, our ministry of healing must attend to physical and emotional needs as well as spiritual needs.

Religious communities have a long tradition of concern for health and wholeness, including their work with others to provide direct health care services. Now we are called to a new level of involvement in health ministry. We must reclaim the promise of God's gifts of wholeness for all people and work in new ways given the current crisis in health and health care in our state and nation. We are called to be instrument of God's creative, redemptive activity intended to bring health and wholeness to all. As a prophetic community, we must
seek a society where all have access to life-giving resources, including health care required to return to wholeness.

"We the people of the United States" are confronted by a growing crisis in health care. As communities of faith, we are called to action in the face of such a challenge. While the United States spends more per person on health care than any other nation in the world, growing numbers of people cannot afford simple basic health care, let alone respond to catastrophic and chronic health needs. More than 13 million live in poverty in the United States, two out of three are completely without medical insurance. Over 15 per cent of our population have no form of health care coverage, 37 million at any one time. In addition, 65 million are under-insured, exposed to out-of-pocket expenses which threaten family economic survival. In Kentucky, 19.9% of the population is living in poverty, 25% or 1 of 4 children live below the poverty level and 350,000 of Kentuckian's, about 1/2 of them employed, do not have health insurance and 23.2% of Kentucky's children are not covered by health insurance. Health care spending is the leading cause of personal bankruptcies in the United States. The
accelerating AIDS crisis is straining health providers to the breaking point. American business is disadvantaged in the world market because of high health care costs.

A broadly shared concern for justice compels us to encourage new health care financing and coordination of delivery systems which better meet the need of all people. Market strategies that serve only those able to pay are consistent with neither our religious principles nor our understanding of commonwealth, as defined in the United States Constitution. Health care for all is ultimately a result of the basic principle of Justice for all, which must be the foundation upon which all attempts at reform are based.

THEREFORE, we seek a state and national health care system that:

o serves everyone living in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States;

o provides for the whole population of the state and the nation comprehensive benefits, including: preventative services and health promotion, primary and acute care, mental health care, and extended care, dental and vision care;

o draws financial support from the broadest resource base;

o guarantees access to care everywhere in this Commonwealth and the nation;

o sets prospective budgets for payment to health care institutions from state and federal funds in a way that assures services;

o is sensitive to the needs of persons working in the various components of the health care system;

o provides quality services and payment processes based on principles of equity and efficiency and cost effectiveness;

o sets a state and national budget for health education and wellness promotion;

o promotes effective and safe innovation and research in medical techniques, research on the delivery of health services, and research on health practices of individuals and families;

o reduces the burden of malpractice litigation;

o significantly reduces the current rapid inflation in the costs of providing health care services;

o provides leadership in health promotion by assessing the health impacts of standard of living issues, housing, nutrition, physical fitness, environmental safety, and sanitation.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Resolution Concerning Jubilee 2000/USA and the Cancellation of the Debt of 41 Heavily Indebted Countries of the World
Approved at the 51st Annual Assembly, October 23, 1998

Whereas the year 2,000 is near at hand,

and whereas we have heard the call of Deuteronomy 15 calling for the Jubilee Year to be one in which unpayable debts of the neighbor be cancelled.

and whereas we have heard Isaiah 61 announce that "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to set captives free, and to proclaim a Jubilee Year",

and whereas we have heard Jesus of Nazareth in Luke 4 make his own those very words of Isaiah 61.

Therefore, be it resolved by this 51st Annual Assembly of the Kentucky Council of Churches, October 22 and 23, 1998, that we add our voice to this Biblical tradition and to those of many other religious bodies of these United States to the efforts of Jubilee 200/USA in demanding that the 41 poorest countries of the world designated by the International Jubilee 2000 have their debts to various world financial institutions cancelled.

Given on this day, October 23, 1998, in Frankfort, Kentucky.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
The Nature of the Unity We Seek, Four Assumptions
Adopted at the 44th Annual Assembly, October 11-12, 1991

1) The ultimate goal of the ecumenical movement is not merely tolerance of other theological positions or cooperation with other denominations, but the visible unity of the church of Jesus Christ, a unity of which Paul speaks in his epistles and for which Jesus prayed according to John's gospel (John 17). This unity is a mutual
interdependence as intimate as the members of a single body (I Cor. 12), the branches of a single vine (John 15), the stones of a single house (I Peter 2) -- a unity which yet preserves the dignity of its diverse parts. There is no single commonly-accepted blueprint for such unity, but we, members of the Kentucky Council of Churches, envision it will ultimately enable Christians to confess together the gospel of Jesus Christ, to join in common service and worship, to make decisions together as circumstances require, to recognize one another's members and ministers, and to join in eucharistic fellowship. Such unity is inseparable from the renewal, even transformation, of the existing churches.

2) We believe that the unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolicity of the church shine forth more clearly when churches engage through councils in worship, witness and common service, than when a church attempts to do these things alone. Councils of churches do not claim, however, to be adequate manifestations of Christ's one church. Their "ecclesiological significance" resides in their ability to nurture growing unity among their members and to anticipate that unity, however partially, in their present life.

3) For many people, the most obvious function of councils of churches is to serve as channels for practical cooperation among churches in such fields as disaster relief, development, social justice, public policy advocacy, education, and communications. This work, however, must not be separated from discussion of faith and order or from acts of common worship. Councils, as expressions of the ecumenical movement, should not understand themselves only as service and development agencies but as instruments for promoting unity (described above) and common witness. Thus, while they leave final decisions to the governing bodies of the churches involved, councils can stimulate a growing thrust toward this unity among the churches, build essential trust and foster multi-lateral discussion of divisive theological issues.

4) It follows from what's been said that the ecumenical significance of councils of churches derives from their self-understanding. We believe that councils are not permanent cooperative agencies, structures alongside the churches that only enable the churches to do certain things together. They are not ends of themselves but rather are means to reconciliation, urgently calling the churches to unity. As they see themselves as steps on the way toward deeper communion, councils are invaluable catalysts for ecumenical growth. The following quotation from Lukas Vischer, former Director of the WCC's Faith and Order Commission, expresses the hope of many ecumenists: "Christian councils are, so to speak, the thorn in the flesh of the churches. They are a constant reminder to the churches of the anomalous situation in which they live. They prod the churches to expose themselves continually to the power of the Holy Spirit. They constitute the setting, created by the churches themselves, within which the promise of renewal may be heard, within which the churches can share their experiences and gradually establish a common tradition."

Councils of Churches have authority only to the extent that the churches that compose them are willing to recognize the claim of ecumenical work on their internal lives. We call the churches to respond to the claim and command of greater unity, and realize the true nature and purpose of councils. We challenge the member churches of the Kentucky Council of Churches to take the council seriously as a vehicle for promoting and expressing greater oneness in the body of Christ in this State.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
Policy Statement on Pornography
Adopted at the 42nd Annual Assembly, October, 1989

so God created human beings in the image of god, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. Genesis 1:27

Flee from sexual inmorality.
Do you know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
Therefore honor God with our body.
I Corinthians 6:18a, 19-20 (NIV)

As human beings, our sense of self-worth is rooted in our creation and redemption by God. This understanding of our dignity is borne witness to by the Holy Scriptures, and is powerfully related therein to our particular identity as sexual creatures. God wills that we delight in our sexuality, express it in morally wholesome ways, and continue exploring its awesome meaning for our lives today.

In our contemporary American culture, however, a callous indifference -- if not opposition -- to Christian sexual values prevails. Morally positive images of sexuality are rarely communicated, while many of the media presentations inundate us with all types of sexual innuendo and perversion. Pornography has ecome a major problem nationally. In consideration of all this, the Commission on Religion and Public Policy proposes the following policy statement:

The Kentucky Council of Churches affirms the goodness and beauty of the sexuality with which God created all human beings. Indeed, we sense the need for all churches to take up anew the task of educating persons concerning their sexuality and modeling before the world the highest standards of Christian morality.

Likewise, we acknowledge our pain and grief as we ponder the pervasiveness of pornography in our culture. Therefore, we call upon all levels and branches of government to exercise their constitutional powers in opposing pornography.

We commend our legislative bodies for such effective laws against pornography as exist today. And we ask them to develop and approve stricter laws wherever needed, using the guidelines established by the United States Supreme Court with respect to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. *

We urge those in the executive branch to enforce vigorously all our existing laws concerning pornography. We appreciate the efforts of the personnel in all regulatory agencies whom implement anti-pornography legislation, and encourage them in their work on behalf of all citizens. we ask those at every level of the criminal justice system to enforce anti-pornography laws and prosecute, sentence and rehabilitate offenders to the fullest extent possible.

The Kentucky Council of Churches also encourages persons to stand in vigorous opposition to pornography. Both individual efforts and citizen involvement in anti-pornography organizations are to be commended. Churches themselves, at both judicatory and local congregation or parish levels, can urge their members to share in the struggle against pornography.

The cumulative effect of the activities of our homes, communities, and churches can be powerful, indeed, in and of themselves. The use of letters and phone calls to, and meetings with, government officials, merchants, advertisers, and newspapers is indispensable. Even non-violent public demonstration and boycotts have a legitimate role to play in the sensitizing public opinion and persuading businesses to give up the financial profits which the pornography trade can yield.

As a result of both government action and citizen cooperation, the positive and holistic values of sexual morality can someday be more fully reflected in American culture.

_______
* Roth vs, the United States, 1957, and Miller vs. California, 1973.

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
RESOLUTION ON THE TOBACCO FARM CRISIS IN KENTUCKY
Program Unit on Rural Life Issues
Approved by the Annual Assembly, October 23-24, 1997

BACKGROUND

Increasing public and political pressures to reduce and possibly ban the production and sale of tobacco products are causing difficult issues to arise for many in our Commonwealth, but our tobacco farmers are the most vulnerable. They continue to live on the psychological and economic edge of a potentially disastrous crisis.

Although our farmers and their families are in the forefront of those affected, our churches across the state also continue to experience the impact of this complicated issue. Accumulative stress for churches and people of faith is growing, as the pressure to change or face economic ruin trickles down to local communities.

A recent survey of family farmers in the midwest (the farm crisis continues: Pastoral Leadership in the Rural Church, by Roger T. Williams) finds that "conditions are much worse now than they were during the farm crisis of the 1980's . The reason for this can be found in the concept of 'cumulative stress'".

Kentucky's tobacco farmers, largely sheltered from the 80's crisis in the midwest by the crop that is now under attack, can certainly qualify for "cumulative stress" in the 1990's.

Given the reality of the crisis, the Kentucky Council of Churches' Program Unit on Rural Life Issues encourages churches and all people of faith to recognize the complicated nature of the problem, and to act prayerfully to respond to the needs generated by the crisis. We are called by God "to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with God" (Micah 6:8). We also affirm God's message to us to remain faithful, hopeful, and loving (I Corinthians 13:13).

FACETS OF THE CRISIS

After much prayer, study and consideration the Program Unit on Rural Life Issues identifies the following interrelated facets of the crisis:

1. A way of life in Kentucky is passing away, yet few tobacco farmers would deny that a problem
exists.

2. Some church members are unaware of the problem and fail to see how a Tobacco Farm Crisis
will impact their community and church.

3. Although attitudes about alternative or supplemental crops are improving some farmers
continue to be ambivalent about such crops, and don't believe that alternative crops can
provide viable sources of income. They continue to look for a single alternative crop to
tobacco, rather than diversification with multiple crops.

4. There seems to be no safe place for farmers and other community members to discuss their
fears and anxieties, and to strategize together about solutions.

5. Increasing numbers of farmers are expressing guilt regarding tobacco production and see
themselves being portrayed in the public eye as perpetrators of evil.

6. Despite the growing need there is a demonstrated lack of economic research and marketing
support for growing and marketing alternative and / or supplemental crops.

7. Organized efforts in Kentucky which support family farm advocacy, especially by people of
faith, continue to be minimal.

8. The ethical dilemmas around the production, sale and use of tobacco are immense and need
to be clarified within the framework of the church's faith.

9. Because of the crisis, a critical negative impact on tenant farmers and seasonal laborers is
already a reality.

PROPOSED KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES RESOLUTION

Therefore, in light of the critical nature of the Tobacco Farm Crisis in Kentucky, we, the delegates to the 50th Annual Assembly of the Kentucky Council of Churches, representing the eleven member communions and the individual congregations holding membership in the Council, resolve to be supportive of Kentucky farmers in the following ways:

1. We will avoid blaming the tobacco farmers who are, in many ways, victims of the changes
that occurred in medical science and shifting public attitudes and policies.

2. We especially encourage rural churches to develop a new vision for their community, a vision
in which the community is sustainable, socially responsible and affirms the important role of
family farming.

3. We encourage churches to serve in the role of catalysts to promote safe sharing, discussion,
and visioning for the future of their communities and family farming, in the midst of difficult
times.

4. We urge pastors to hear and share the pain of farmers in pastoral visits to the families in their
homes. While encouraging discussion of the ethical dilemmas surrounding tobacco, we would
discourage confrontation from the pulpit.

5. We believe that churches must increase their assistance to local social service agencies in
serving the increasing basic daily needs of rural families in crisis.

6. We recommend that churches assist in educating community members about why people have
historically grown tobacco and in developing sympathetic ways of dealing realistically with the
crisis.

7. We believe that rural people particularly need to hear and see a spoken and lived gospel of
hope.

8. We recommend that people of faith become advocates for research and support for alternative
and supplemental crops to tobacco.

9. Churches, both rural and urban, are encouraged to provide marketing opportunities for locally
grown produce. This could include farmer's markets in church parking lots and the promotion
of "community supported agriculture."

10.We encourage all churches, rural and urban, to celebrate the gifts of farmers and God's
creation in workshop and other events in the life of the church community.

11.We believe that people of faith, both in urban and rural areas, must join together to
dialogue about critical agricultural and land use issues that affect all citizens of the
commonwealth.

12.We encourage all people of faith, but especially people living in urban areas, to become better
educated about the Tobacco Farm Crisis.

13.We call upon all people of faith to be in prayer about the crisis, both corporately and
individually, in order that we can discern God's will in this unsettling time.

Resources:

Conflict Resolution Packet from the Program Unit on Peacemaking / Racism

"The Tobacco Church" and "The Tobacco Church, II", edited by Ben Poage

 KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
STATEMENT ON VIOLENCE IN SOCIETY
Program Unit on Peacemaking/Racism
Approved by the Annual Assembly, October 24-25, 1996

RECONCILIATION: THE CHRISTIAN'S RESPONSIBILITY AMID THE VIOLENCE OF OUR TIME
"Blessed are the merciful for they will receive mercy...
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God." Matthew 5:7, 10
"Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding." -- Romans 14:19
"...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us." -- 2 Corinthians 5:19

The escalation of violence and acts of vengeance in our time, in American society and across the globe compels the member churches of the Kentucky Council of Churches to renew their commitment to the ways of peace. As churches who make up a "household of faith, a family of God's children, living in this Commonwealth", we "believe ourselves to be called together to live out our hope, to bear witness to the work of Christ in our presence, and in the world, and to seek justice, peace and reconciliation." [From the Statement of Vision of the Kentucky Council of Churches]. We are churches gathered by the story that is good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ! Not only did Jesus teach us to love our enemies, he himself prayed for his enemies even as he experienced the violence of crucifixion, confirming God's peacemaking and reconciling nature: "...for while we were enemies, we were reconciled through the death of his Son" [Romans 5:10].

Violence multiplies across many dimensions of our lives. A Federal Building in Oklahoma City is bombed. Militia groups are proliferating, and members are practicing for armed combat within our own nation. Churches are burned and places of worship and cemeteries desecrated. Gun related deaths are one of the highest causes of death among teenagers. More and more citizens believe they need to own and to carry handguns in concealment.

Violence does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, creed, income, or place of residence. The public's sense of safety and security has eroded from the exposure to real and fictionalized crime, murder, assault, and vengeance that make up the "news" and "media presentations" on any given day in America. Despite the fact that violent crime rates have been dropping in the mid-1990s, the perception that violent crime is increasing leads many people to call for the expansion of the death penalty and excessive prison sentences, extending these even to children in their early teens. At the same time, the continued racism of our culture has been proven to play a significant role in the uneven application of these punishments.

Violence is simple and brutal, yet its roots are complex. Persons who are subject to arbitrary or abusive authority seem particularly vulnerable to violence. Abuse of drugs and alcohol may provoke violence. Violence may be exacerbated by the prominence given to violence in films, television, and even children's games. We must also recognize that physical violence may erupt as a result of verbal abuse, and may be aggravated by inflammatory political rhetoric. Poverty wreaks its own violence upon the lives of the innocent, spawning anger, and providing an environment in which hatred and a desire for vengeance may develop.

Violence--whether physical, or verbal, whether oppressive or lethal--cannot be reduced to one cause. Vengeance taken for perceived hurts, slights, neglect, or overt acts of physical violence rarely ends the violent impulse. Violence induces only more violence, spawning an ever growing spiral of fear, animosity, hostility, and aggression.

However, just as violence is a learned behavior, the attitudes and actions of non-violence and peacemaking, of self control, can be taught. Violence can be unlearned. The things that make for harmony and good will among people can be inculcated, instilled, practiced, and be made habitual.

As Christians, we must acknowledge our complicity in the currents of violence which can be found throughout our society, especially if we do not work to counteract these things which initiate or add to the climate of fear and aggression which leads to violence. We cannot be blind to the incidents of violence which we think will not affect us. We cannot ignore the continued racism in our culture. We must hear and respond to the hurt and anger of people who believe they have suffered injustice and prejudice. We must be the balm in Gilead to heal the ruptured and broken lives in our society.

Therefore, be it resolved:

The Kentucky Council of Churches calls upon Churches and Christians throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky to give witness through their words and actions to the power of Christ's way of reconciliation.

We call upon families, churches, schools, communities, public officials and molders of public opinion to teach and learn together new ways of handling conflict, resolving disputes, and acknowledging mistakes and offenses against others.

We urge churches to offer specific classes for children, youth, and adults in the management of conflict and handling of angry emotions. If "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control; against which there is no law", then we must help our members develop these gifts, and empower them to share these behaviors with others.

We call upon ministerial associations to work to establish mediation centers in their communities where individual conflicts, domestic quarrels, business disputes, and interpersonal conflicts may be worked out in a spirit of mercy, forgiveness, peacemaking, and reconciliation. If a wrong has been done, we urge such centers to develop principles of restitution, rather than inflicting punishment upon the wrong-doer. We urge Christian attorneys to facilitate the development of these mediation centers, and to encourage their use by their clients.

The Kentucky Council of Churches endorses the gun control measures of waiting periods for purchase and the licensing of persons who own or wish to purchase hand-guns. We will continue our opposition to assault weapons. The Council opposes legislation to permit the carrying of concealed weapons, with or without licenses. When such legislation has been enacted, we will work to make it as strict as possible and to make serious penalties for carrying concealed deadly weapons into places where they are expressly prohibited.

The Kentucky Council of Churches deplores and condemns those acts which inflict injury and death upon innocent people and destroy their property. Particularly heinous is the wanton destruction of property dedicated to the good of all people and the desecration of houses of worship. The Christian response to the perpetrators of the crime should be redemptive rather than punitive. And so we recommend that the judicial consequences as a minimum should include restitution and mandatory community service, directly benefiting those who have suffered the harm. At the same time, in the case of arson or desecration of houses of worship, we would encourage that a portion of the punishment be restitution and community service alongside the people whose worship home may have been destroyed.

In an effort to limit the violence we urge all families to supervise the television shows, films, and video games that their children watch or play, to limit their exposure to violence. In particularly crude displays of violence or disrespect of persons in the media, we encourage people to protest to the network, and the commercial sponsors of the particular offending show. Further, we suggest that parents and churches present their children with heroes and heroines whose lives are worthy of emulation, and to avoid toys, books, and games which encourage adulation of those whose chief characteristic is fighting or violence.

God calls the churches to intervene in this spiral of fear, violence, and aggression. The Kentucky Council of Churches, through its Program Unit on Racism and Peacemaking, pledges its ongoing efforts to provide resources for community and church programs which share these convictions. We will continue to monitor those resources which we believe will be helpful to parents, churches, and community groups whose aim is to reduce the violence in our world, and to establish peaceful communities of care and opportunity for all citizens.

KENTUCKY COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
POLICY STATEMENT ON WELFARE REFORM
Commission on Justice Ministries
Adopted by the 47th Annual Assembly, October 20-21, 1994
 

The Kentucky Council of Churches will engage in advocacy within religious, political and economic arenas to achieve true welfare reforms.

1. The badly needed reform of the current welfare system requires us to give close attention to current
legislative efforts, at both the state and national levels, to insure that any such reforms will not be punitive and will allow the system to be more effective in its efforts to relieve the many causes of poverty and suffering.

2. We believe that there will always be a need for some form of public assistance. As long as there is an inequitable distribution of wealth and opportunity, there will be individuals and families who cannot support themselves, even with full-time jobs.

3. We will work for welfare reform that encourages the creation of jobs that will pay a just wage and that have the prospect of stable, long-term employment.

4. We will work for expanded funding for childcare so that low-income persons who are working or going to school can retain more of their benefits.

5. We will endorse welfare reform which will create a system that will allow those who cannot work outside the home to live in dignity and decency.

6. Because each family's situation is different, and, to be successful at helping people become self-supporting and interdependent members of the society, we advocate a welfare system flexible enough to allow them to meet their family needs.

7. We will continue to work for universal health care access and health care coverage, believing that universal health care coverage should be one of the essential components of welfare reform.

8. We will encourage efforts to end the current bias against two-parent families. Moreover, we affirm that both parents have responsibility for their children and agree that changes in child support enforcement laws are necessary, although we are troubled by absolutist requirements to establish paternity in order for a mother to receive Aid To Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) support.

As churches we commit ourselves to support efforts consistent with church teachings to prevent teen
pregnancy through educational programs which encourage the abstinence from sexual intercourse until
marriage and which would lift up the sanctity of sexuality and marriage.

As churches, we will engage in more programs within our own congregations, and support programs sponsored by other groups within our commonwealth (so long as these programs do not violate our religious convictions) which enable persons to form and develop character and personal values of self-reliance, honesty, compassion, respect for others, personal integrity, tolerance of diversity, self-control, non-violence, justice, and commitment to the value of work.