The doctors in the story propose that gun violence be considered a social disease and therefore a public health issue. This makes sense to me. What if we addressed the issue of gun violence with the urgency and priority that we would if there was an outbreak of some new deadly virus that was spreading rapidly? To be sure, such an event would mobilize researchers and public health officials. Public awareness campaigns would gear up rapidly to educate people about the virus, the conditions in which it spreads, and how to avoid contact with the virus. Money would be no object as government and health institutions rushed to find a cure. I realize this is not an “apples to apples” comparison, but it makes me wonder why this issue does not take on more urgency, even as thousands of people are killed each year in the United States by gun violence. Thank God for congregations who are taking this issue seriously, including those mentioned in last month’s reflections whose new ministries to prevent violence in their communities have been seeded by Wheat Ridge Ministries.
I also found another recent headline interesting, especially in light of our continuing efforts to assist congregations and other faith-based organizations that are developing new programs that bring health and healing to others. The headline read, “Now the Presidential Race is about Nonprofit Issues.” This appeared in the online edition of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The author of the article, Mark Rosenman, makes the case that the non-profit sector will be deeply impacted by the results of the upcoming elections, especially as the results influence federal and state budgets. His fear is that funding to provide services to people in need, including children, the frail elderly and those challenged by disabilities, is more at-risk than ever as government officials face difficult choices about where to downsize federal and state budgets and as those advocating for human services struggle to match the influence of advocates for other parts of the budget. He predicts that non-profit organizations will be expected to bear a greater and greater share of the responsibility to fill the service gap.
I suppose it’s natural to assume that the non-profit sector will be able to step it up, as it always has, to provide even more. However, since many non-profit organizations, including most of our Lutheran social service agencies, are able to provide services because they receive government contracts and grants, it’s hard to imagine where they will receive the needed funding if those funds decrease. Add to the equation that fundraising in the human service and religious segments of the not-for-profit sector are recovering slower than other sectors. Last, but not least, leaders of congregations and other faith-based non-profits already seem to have their hands full as more people are in need of the services they offer and as they struggle with capacity issues related to increasing regulations and accountability. To be sure, our elected officials need our prayers as they are faced with extremely difficult decisions related to budget priorities. Hopefully, the current political races will provide an opportunity for meaningful debate and conversation about our priorities as a nation.
May God be with us as we respond to His grace and mercy by sharing the healing touch of Christ through our discernment of political issues, our efforts to save lives, to give voice to the disenfranchised, and to care for all those in need of healing of body, mind and spirit.
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