Faith for Just Lending, a new coalition of Christian groups representing different parts of the political spectrum, was formed to advocate for the elimination of unjust lending practices that hurt the poor. “Payday lending is a form of economic predation and grinds the faces of the poor into the ground,” said Russell Moore, president of…
OZARK, Mo. — Pastor Chuck Greenaway is joining a small group of faith leaders from other states with lax “payday loan” regulations to call for action in Washington on Wednesday, by sharing the stories of local families who struggle with short-term lending practices. “It’s very much a Wild West situation,” Chuck Greenaway said. Greenaway is…
by Tom Strode, posted Friday, May 15, 2015 WASHINGTON (BP) — The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has helped launch a religious coalition seeking an end to the predatory loan industry. The ERLC joined with other religious organizations Thursday (May 14) to announce the Faith for Just Lending Coalition at a Capitol Hill…
Known more for their differences than what they hold in common, Cooperative and Southern Baptists have found a common cause in regulating abusive lending practices that prey upon the poor. By Bob Allen The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission joined other faith groups May 14 in announcing a…
May 16, 2016 Faith for Just Lending sponsors express thanks, concerns and hopes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director, Richard Cordray as the CFPB nears its final stages of drafting a payday lending rule. Read the letter from Faith for Just lending sponsors here.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 14, 2015 CONTACT: Elizabeth Bristow, press@erlc.com (Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission) Sarah Kropp Brown, skropp@nae.net (National Association of Evangelicals) Aaron Weaver, aweaver@cbf.net (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) Katie Thompson, katie.thompson@cpjustice.org (Center for Public Justice) Jerlen Young-Nelson, mediarelations@nationalbaptist.com (National Baptist Convention, USA) Kawana Lloyd, klloyd@piconetwork.org (PICO National Network) Religious groups announce coalition to combat…
Jesus begins his public ministry by going to synagogue and reading from the prophet Isaiah. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the…
During President Barack Obama’s visit to Birmingham last month, he highlighted the problem of personal debt and how payday lending contributes to it. Obama pointed to the work done by the Rev. Shannon Webster, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, to bring attention to the issue. Read more here at AL.com.
Last week, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) joined a list of religious groups that are speaking out about the dangers of payday loans, and in some cases getting into the lending business to give their followers another option. “The Bible speaks strongly against unjust lending and taking advantage of the poor,” said Leith Anderson,…
When Pastor Chad Chaddick was ordained, he expected to be a teacher, a caretaker of the sick and elderly, a counselor and an evangelist to his community. But a phone call four years ago about a financially desperate church member unexpectedly propelled Chaddick to add political activist to his list of pastoral duties. Read the…