* FINAL VERSION - Concurred
Resolution:D018
Title:Address the Global Economic Crisis
Topic:Reconciliation
Committee:10 - Social and Urban Affairs
House of Initial Action:Bishops
Proposer:The Rev. Dr. Ian T. Douglas

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 76th General Convention recognizes the reality of the global economic crisis that has left the human community both in the United States and around the world in dire economic circumstances; and that we in the Episcopal Church are complicit in the crisis in that we have too often embraced an unrestrained free-market form of capitalism that results in predatory practices of lending and income generation divorced from systems of accountability; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention thanks the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. Rowan Williams, for his leadership and teaching offering a Christian response to the global economic crisis including his contributions at this Convention in the Presiding Officer's Forum; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention urges the House of Bishops to extend their teaching in their March 2009 "Pastoral Letter" by developing a "Pastoral Teaching Resource" on God's mission and the global economic crisis as soon as possible in the next triennium; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention invite dioceses and parishes in The Episcopal Church to focus the season of Lent 2010 as a time of penitential reflection on the brokenness of the global economic order and its reformation in light of the Gospel using resources developed by such agencies and organizations as: The House of Bishops Theology Committee, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, the 2010 Trinity Institute "Building an Ethical Economy", and the Episcopal Network of Economic Justice; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention suggest that diocesan deputations to address the global economic crisis in their own contexts utilizing the lessons and methods of the "Public Narrative Project" introduced at this convention, and/or other community organizing principles consistent with the "Public Narrative Project."


EXPLANATION

The global economic crisis is as much a spiritual, moral and ethical crisis as it is a financial crisis. As Christians we are invited to live our economic lives based on the good news of the Gospel. This resolution thanks our Church leaders for helping us to consider the global economic crisis in light of Holy Scripture. It invites us in The Episcopal Church to reflect on and repent of our complicity in the causes of the economic crisis. The resolution seeks to address the realities of the economic crisis by extending the lessons learned at this General Convention through the Presiding Officer's Forum, the "Public Narrative Project," and other related community organizing materials, such as: "Faith in the Balance, A Call to Action" from The Presiding Bishop's Summit on Domestic Poverty, and the "Millennium Development Goals Congregational Campaign" of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota.

The Pastoral Letter from the Bishops of the Episcopal Church is on file in the General Convention Secretariat and posted on the GC2009 website as supporting documents for legislation.

* Note: The final language, as well as the final status of each resolution, is being reviewed by the General Convention office. The Journal of the 76th General Convention and the Constitution and Canons will be published once the review process has been completed.