NYTS Joins Faith Leaders in Taking the Matthew 25 Pledge
“I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.”
At a time when our country and our churches are ever more divided by politics and partisan rancor, we as faith leaders must return to the truth of the gospel. That is why we root ourselves in the text of Matthew 25: 31-46. Jesus says clearly, “As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.” Based on those words, the pledge is short, simple, and rooted in the Mt. 25 text: “I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus.” The strength of the Matthew 25 pledge is that it roots us in a biblical response to protecting vulnerable people instead of a political one. We are facing distinct threats to individual human rights and religious liberties in this country. We cannot remain silent. We have all devoted our lives’ work for faith and justice to prepare for such a time as this. It is important that people across this country see that the church is unified against racist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, and Islamaphobic policies. We must remember that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, political darkness, and spiritual forces of evil. The pledge has been endorsed by a broad and diverse group of over one hundred faith leaders.
People are feeling a need to act. Matthew 25 can lead us in what to do. And so the Matthew 25 Pledge was created — just one sentence which simply says: I pledge to protect and defend vulnerable people in the name of Jesus. Clearly, many people in America are feeling quite vulnerable right now, but the Matthew 25 Movement — a broad collection of national faith-based groups, grassroots activists, heads of denominations and more — is focusing on three groups of people who are especially at risk under a Trump administration. So here we offer our starting point, pledging to:
- Support undocumented immigrants threatened with mass deportation; and advocate on behalf of refugees who are being banned from coming to America.
- Stand with African Americans and other people of color threatened by racial policing.
- In line with our commitment to religious liberty we will defend the lives and religious liberty of Muslims, threatened with “banning,” monitoring, and even registration.
This is the beginning. This is where to start now. But if and when other groups of people are targeted by government decisions or by hateful cultural responses, we who sign the Matthew 25 Pledge will also seek to surround and protect them. Rather than just watching, grieving, and feeling sorry for what is happening to the most marginalized, who are named in the 25th chapter of Matthew, we can pledge to join together in circles of support in the name of Jesus.
For additional information, please visit matthew25pledge.com.
Endorser List:
| Bishop Claude Alexander, Jr. | The Park Church |
| Onleilove Alston | Faith in New York |
| Rev. Dr. David Anderson | Bridgeway Community Church |
| Bishop Carroll A. Baltimore | Global Alliance Interfaith Networks |
| Pastor Kip Banks, Sr. | East Washington Heights Baptist Church |
| Rev. William Barber | President, Repairers of the Breach |
| M. Craig Barnes, president | Princeton Theological Seminary |
| Jay Barnes | Bethel University |
| Rev. David Beckmann | Bread for the World |
| Ruth Lewis Bentley, Ph.D. | National Black Evangelical Association |
| Carol Bremer-Bennett, Executive Director | World Renew |
| Rev. Dr. Timothy Boddie | PNBC |
| Rev. Dr. Peter Borgdorff – Executive Director Emeritus | Christian Reformed Church in North America |
| The Rev. Chloe Breyer | The Interfaith Center of New York |
| Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS | NETWORK, Lobby for Catholic Social Justice |
| Dr. Tony Campolo | Red Letter Christians |
| Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon | Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) |
| Rev. Dr. Michael Carrion, Senior Pastor | Promised Land Covenant Church |
| Dr. Iva Carruthers | Proctor Conference |
| Bishop Kenneth H. Carter, Jr. | Florida Area, United Methodist Church |
| Rev. Dr. Shawn Casselberry | Mission Year |
| Noel Castellanos | CCDA |
| Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN | Pax Christi USA |
| Rev. Dr. Rich Cizik | President and Founder, New Evangelical Partnership |
| Shane Claiborne | Red Letter Christians |
| Rev. Walter Contreras | Pasadena Presbyterian Church |
| Rev. Dr. Thomas R. De Vries, General Secretary | Reformed Church in America |
| Joshua DuBois | Values Partnerships |
| Erin Dufault-Hunter | Fuller Theological Seminary |
| Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Durley | Pastor Emeritus Providence Church |
| Dr. Michael Emerson | North Park University |
| Cynthia B. Eriksson, PhD | Fuller Theological Seminary, Graduate School of Psychology |
| Rachel Held Evans | rachelheldevans.com |
| Jason Fileta | Micah Challenge USA |
| Rev. Robert Michael Franklin, PhD | Chautauqua Institution |
| Dr. Nicole Baker Fulgham | The Expectations Project |
| Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson | General Secretary Emeritus, Reformed Church in America |
| Joshua Graves | Otter Creek Church of Christ |
| Monica Green | Saint Luke’s Anglican Church Crescenta Valley |
| Rev. Dwight E. Guinn PhD. | National Black Evangelical Association |
| Rev. Dr. David P Gushee | Mercer University |
| Dr. Mimi Haddad, President | Christians for Biblical Equality |
| Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale | Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church, Decatur, GA |
| Rev. Adam Hamilton | The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection |
| Rev. Sekinah Hamlin | Faith and Credit Roundtable of the Center for Responsible Lending |
| Miyoung Yoon Hammer | St. Luke’s Anglican Church & Fuller Theological Seminary |
| Lisa Sharon Harper | Sojourners |
| Rev. Fred Harrell, Sr. Pastor | City Church San Francisco |
| Rev. Blake Hart | Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina |
| Scott Haskins | Immigration Resource Center of San Gabriel Valley |
| Michelle Higgins | Faith for Justice |
| Dr. Albert Y. Hsu | author and editor |
| Hyepin Im | Korean Churches for Community Development (FACE) |
| The Rev. Dale T. Irvin, PhD | President, New York Theological Seminary |
| Tom Jones | Frm Chr Soc Justice and Peacemaking, PC(USA) |
| Sister Carol Keehan, D.C. | CAtholic Health Association of the US |
| Kathy Khang | columnist, Sojourners |
| Rev. Kate Kooyman | Christian Reformed Church in North America |
| Dr. Mark Labberton, President | Fuller Theological Seminary |
| Rev. Doug Leonard | AAI |
| Jo Ann Lyon | The Weslyan Church |
| Rev. Carlos L. Malavé | Christian Churches Together |
| Sister Donna Markham OP, PhD | Catholic Charities USA |
| Dr. Juan Francisco Martinez | Fuller Theological Seminary |
| Rev. Bryan N. Massingale | Fordham University |
| Rev. Michael-Ray Mathews | PICO National Network |
| Rev. Dr. Walter Arthur McCray | National Black Evangelical Association |
| Rev. John L. McCullough | Church World Service |
| Rev. Dr. James L. McDonald | San Francisco Theological Seminary |
| Bishop Vashti McKenzie | 10th District AME |
| Brian D. McLaren | convergenceus.org |
| Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. | Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church – Metro Atlanta |
| Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, III | Trinity United Church of Christ |
| David Neff | Christianity Today (retired) |
| Rev. J. Herbert Nelson II D. Min | Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, PC (USA) |
| Anne Nolty | Fuller Theological Seminary SOP |
| Catherine Orsborn | Shoulder to Shoulder |
| Dr. Suzii Paynter | Cooperative Baptist Fellowship |
| Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts General Secretary Emeritus of the Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc. | Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc, |
| Soong-Chan Rah | Professor, North Park Theological Seminary |
| Diane Randall | Friends Committee on National Legislation |
| Stephen K. Reeves, Associate Coordinator of Partnerships and Advocacy | Cooperative Baptist Fellowship |
| The Rev. Amy Reumann, Advocacy Director | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Rev. Dr. Joshua Rodriguez | The Cityline Church / National Latino Evangelical Coalition |
| Rev. Gabe Salguero | NaLEC |
| Love L. Sechrest, Ph.D. Associate Professor of New Testament | Fuller Theological Seminary |
| Ronald J. Sider | Evangelicals for Social Action |
| Dr. Barbara Williams Skinner | National African American Clergy Network |
| Dr. T. DeWitt Smith, Jr., Co-Chair | National African American Clergy Network |
| Rev. Dr. Ervin R. Stutzman, Executive Director | Mennonite Church USA |
| Rev. Adam Taylor | Chair, Sojourners Board |
| Rev. Dr. Al Tizon | North Park Theological Seminary |
| Rev. Dr. Liz Mosbo VerHage | Quest Church, ECC, Seattle, WA |
| Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera | Drew University Theological School |
| Rev. Jim Wallis | Sojourners |
| Michelle Warren | CCDA |
| Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins | Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) |
| Colin P. Watson, Sr. | Christian Reformed Church in North America |
| Rozella White | Mission Year |
| Rev. Starsky D. Wilson | Deaconess Foundation & Saint John’s Church |
| Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove | School for Conversion |
| Jim Winkler | National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA |
| Ken Wytsma | Antioch Church |
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