Faith in the Public Square

In response to a letter from several Palestinian Christian leaders to their fellow Christians around the world, the New York State Council of Churches is inviting people to join a “Living Stones” solidarity tour of Palestine and Israel in May.  The tour, May 4 to 16, will be led by Dr. Michael Spath, Executive Director of the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace, who has led multiple trips to Palestine and Israel. In their letter, the Palestine Christian leaders wrote, “We write to you with heavy hearts but steadfast spirits, seeking your solidarity and presence in a time of great need. The land where Jesus once walked, the Holy Land, has been enduring decades of turmoil, displacement, and violence. Our communities are under continuous attack, and our people, though resilient, feel increasingly isolated. We deeply appreciate the prayers offered from afar, but now, more than ever, we need our Christian sisters and brothers to join us here, to pray with ...

City & State magazine , which describes itself as “the premier media organization dedicated to covering New York’s local and state politics and policy,” offers a regular feature called The Power List. In its inaugural Faith Power 100 , which is tilted heavily toward the New York City region, there are three individuals might be familiar to people in the Capital District who are involved in the connection between religion and politics. Their ranking and description are as follows:  48. Rev. Peter Cook Executive Director, New York State Council of Churches The Rev. Peter Cook, who represents 7,000 congregations across the state, has pushed Gov. Kathy Hochul to transfer incarcerated people out of Rikers and rallied with home care workers to boost their wages in the state budget. Cook rose to national prominence by using his platform to drive a wedge between gun ownership and Christianity after a gunman killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket in May. Cook argued for stricte...

On Monday, I got to join Rev. Peter Cook, Executive Director of the New York State Council of Churches , and representatives of various faith communities for one of a series of Zoom meetings to lobby our state legislators ahead of the budget deadline this Friday. As the deadline draws closer, the Council is working diligently to ensure its legislative priorities are presented to the Governor and legislators. These meetings follow the Council’s Virtual Ecumenical and Interfaith Advocacy Day in February, an annual event that draws people from across the state. To my mind, it is one of the most informative and effective advocacy events for people of faith in New York. That may be one reason why Governor Kathy Hochul was willing to address the group. Among the issues of concern to the Council are criminal justice reform, gun violence prevention, economic development, affordable housing, education, wages, our children, environmental justice, health care, immigration, labor rights and voti...