Evangelicals for Social Action

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ELECTION NEWS NOW:
Resources for Critical Reflection

Welcome to our collection of resources for Election Year 2008. We hope you are following the candidates carefully and will vote wisely on November 4. These materials, including a few things we have specifically said to the candidates, are available for your study and analysis of this election year. Hopefully, you will find them beneficial.

In Christ,
Ron Sider
President, Evangelicals for Social Action

OPEN LETTERS TO CANDIDATES:

An Open Letter to Senator Obama from Ron Sider* (June 10, 2008)

ePistle ARTICLES:

A Truth and Two Lies about Healthcare Reform by Bret Kincaid (October 8, 2008)
The Candidates Build on No Child Left Behind by Bret Kincaid (September 24, 2008)
Game On! by Bret Kincaid (September 10, 2008)
Sarah Palin!? by Bret Kincaid (September 3, 2008)
Not Blue or Red, but United by Bret Kincaid (August 27, 2008)
Obama on Abortion: Further Info by Ron Sider (August 6, 2008)
Foreign Travels & Policies by Bret Kincaid (July 23, 2008)
Medicare Reform: The Missing Issue by Bret Kincaid (July 23, 2008)
The Third Rail by Bret Kincaid (July 16, 2008)
Obama's Faith-Based Initiative by Bret Kincaid (July 9, 2008)
Gitmo Justice by Bret Kincaid (June 25, 2008)
Meeting with Senator Obama by Ron Sider (June 18, 2008)
Faith-Based Foreign Policy? by Bret Kincaid (June 11, 2008)
An Open Letter to Senator Obama by Ron Sider (May 28, 2008)
Faith Matters for Abortion Policy by Bret Kincaid (May 28, 2008)
The Candidates and Abortion by Bret Kincaid (May 21, 2008)
Capital Punishment and the Candidates by Bret Kincaid (May 14, 2008)
Evangelicals Say Faith Is Now Too Political by Rachel Zoll and Eric Gorski (May 7, 2008)
Race Matters for the Race by Bret Kincaid (April 30, 2008)
Where Faith and Politics Meet: A Sermon by the Reverend Adam Hamilton (April 30, 2008)
The Church's Role in Politics by Jim Harris (April 16, 2008)
In the Voting Booth, We're All Theologians by the Reverend Daniel C. Gunn (April 16, 2008)
Church Meets State in the Oval Office: An Interview with Randall Balmer by Terry Gross for NPR's Fresh Air (1.28.08) (April 16, 2008)
Are Republicans Ready to Elect a Moderate Maverick? (Part 3 of a 3-part series) by Bret Kincaid (March 5, 2008)
Is This Country Ready to Elect a Black President? (Part 2 of a 3-part series) by Bret Kincaid (February 27, 2008)
Going Beyond the Public Toilet by Bret Kincaid (January 23, 2008)
Keying Into Horserace Politics by Bret Kincaid (January 9, 2008)

PRISM ARTICLES:

Choosing a President by Bret Kincaid -- September-October 2008
McCain or Obama? by Ron Sider -- September-October 2008
Wright, Obama, and the Future: We Must Choose by Ron Sider -- July-August 2008
Where's the Beef? by Harold Dean Trulear -- July-August 2008
Lots of Ways to Impact Politics by Ron Sider -- May-June 2008

BOOKS FOR FURTHER READING:

OTHER CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION RESOURCES:

Bread for the World focuses on issues of hunger. Contact: 50 F Street, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20001; 202-639-9400
Justice Fellowship deals with crime and prison reform. Contact: 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176; 877-478-0100
Center for Public Justice is engaged in foundational reflection on politics. Contact: PO Box 48368, Washington, DC 20002; 410-571-6300

OTHER RESOURCES FOR ASSESSING CANDIDATES:

Comparing the Platforms -- Christianity Today magazine (posted August 27, 2008)
Project Vote Smart is a comprehensive resource for citizens seeking reliable and nonpartisan information about candidates. Their nonprofit voters' information center can give you: profiles of candidates and elected officials; voting records and promises on key issues; campaign finance data; performance evaluations by every competing conservative and liberal interest group that does them; issue briefs from interest groups and the media; and key contacts to put you in touch with whatever information they do not have themselves. Contact: One Common Ground, Philipsburg, MT 59858; 888-868-3762
The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) administers and enforces the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - the statute that governs the financing of federal elections. The duties of the FEC, which is an independent regulatory agency, are to disclose campaign finance information, to enforce the provisions of the law such as the limits and prohibitions on contributions, and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. Contact: 999 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20463, 800-424-9530.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest. Contact: 1133 19th Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036; 202-833-1200

*Note: On June 10, Dr. Ron Sider met with about thirty other religious leaders for a two-hour conversation with Senator Obama. At that meeting, Dr. Sider gave him this memo. Senator Obama thanked him and said he would read it.