Few topics are as difficult or complex as the relation of faith and politics. When I took the job at Protestants for the Common Good fifteen years ago, I knew that there would be many people who would not easily engage with us in our mission. What I have been heartened to find is in every congregation, there is a core group who do take on the task… more

The debt crisis looming in Washington makes clear that we are in the midst of a new civil war in this country. The divisions between us are deep, even spiritual. The fight is not really over the size of the deficit, nor even about expenditure cuts. They are about taxes as the lifeblood of government. more

The Fourth of July, a day of pride for all Americans, has special significance for the Tea Party. With the sound of fireworks still ringing in our ears, it is a good time to ask whether their constant invoking of our founders is anything more than political expediency disguised as history. more

Acts of political courage are not all that common these days. That’s why County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s presence at a rally in downtown Chicago last Friday calling for an “End to the War on Drugs” was a singular event. more

The Illinois General Assembly has gone home for the summer, but not before passing a 2012 state budget that drastically cuts services for the neediest and most vulnerable people in our state. The sad and stark truth is that most of the cuts were unnecessary: there were reliable sources of revenue that could been called upon. more

About 70 people gathering in the rain and wind on May 26, 2011 at the State of IL Building (Thompson Center) in Chicago’s Loop to dramatize the plight of the “walking wounded,” those who have no health insurance and who are often turned away by the numerous non-profit hospitals which do not provide an adequate level of charity care despite their tax exemptions. As the campaign for charity care continues, Rev. Al Sharp offered the invocation at this public witness organized by the Fair Care Coalition. more

We invite you to join us on June 8 at Victory Gardens Theater. Friends of PCG will attend The Gospel According to James, which, in the words of the playwright, “is about redemption, forgiveness, and the ferocious power that one’s memory has to protect the individual.” more

We are facing a budget crisis in Illinois. Not like several months ago, before the legislature increased the state income tax. Then we were trying to determine if our state could remain solvent. Now we must decide whether we have a soul. more

The Chicago Sun-Times recently published an editorial by PCG Executive Director Alexander E. Sharp on the importance of balancing the budget in a humane, moral manner. more

It is hard to believe how mindless, even cruel, we can be when it comes to budget cuts in tough times in Illinois. Now being considered: a reduction of nearly $45 million in TANF, the program that provides temporary cash assistance to needy children and their families. Grants are only 25% of the federal poverty level, $474 for a family of four. The number of children served would be reduced by one-third. more