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By: Andrea Sears
PHILADELPHIA — Faith leaders from Pennsylvania and around the country are raising their voices to support candidates in this year’s election who believe in the values of love, justice and inclusion.
They call themselves the New Moral Majority, and come from churches of many denominations and from across the country.
Bishop Dwayne Royster, national political director of the group Faith in Action and a native of Philadelphia, said their goal is to deliver a message that offers a different vision of what America and the world could be.
“Really leaning in on the side of compassion, the side of partnership with those that have been marginalized and hurting the deepest, and wanting to see every person in this nation be able to thrive,” Royster explained.
The New Moral Majority is releasing a video it’s calling “A Sermon to Heal America.” Royster emphasized it asks voters to see going to the polls as a sacred act.
Rev. Ryan Eller, founder of the New Moral Majority, believes the fact that some church leaders still support President Donald Trump – despite policies like family separation, and his lies and alleged financial fraud – make this a referendum on true Christian values.
“Many faith leaders recognize the moral crossroads that we are at as a nation,” Eller stressed. “And recognize that this is really a battle for the soul of our nation, and for our very democracy.”
He noted religious leaders who have traditionally been reluctant to express political opinions are now speaking out in record numbers, saying they will vote for change.
And Bishop Royster pointed out those joining the New Moral Majority include evangelicals and Pentecostals, as well as members of more mainstream denominations.
“We cross a variety of different theological spectrums,” Royster observed. “But we’re holding on deeply to this message from the gospel that each of us is created in the image and likeness of God; and that as a result of that, we ought to treat each other with dignity and respect, and see each other as fully valued members of our community.”
This week, another bipartisan group of Christian leaders launched a new political action committee with a similar message in a digital ad called “Not Our Vote, Not Our Faith.”
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