Official Church Teachings
The Church speaks with one voice:
- in affirming that all that is good comes close to God,
- in finding goodness exemplified in the life and teaching of Jesus
- and in knowing that globally there is a spirited companionship of God with all creation.
The Church also speaks with many voices in that it is fractured into different denominations. There are also variations which reflect local Christian expression in different countries and cultures world-wide.
Official teachings from the churches are a vital indication of the collective mind of Christians on major issues in personal and social ethics. Given these sources of illumination, all the churches uphold the responsibility of individual men and women to discern right and wrong for their own living.
ANGLICAN
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/index.html
This website from Church House in London provides an introduction to the thinking of the Church of England on many social issues. Each topic is covered in three sections:
- first a brief history of the Church of England's debates and publications on the issue in question;
- second the most recent General Synod motions;
- third some recommended reading and where to go for further information
http://www.anglicancommunion.org/commission/index.cfm
Resource materials, including Reports of Lambeth Conferences 1867 - 1998, from Anglican Communion
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/peace-justice/
access to peace and justice activities of American Episcopal Church
FREE CHURCHES
Baptist
http://www.bwanet.org/
World Alliance homepage, inc section on justice and human rights
http://www.bwanet.org/default.aspx?pid=51
Example of global ethics initiatives by the Baptist church
Congregational
http://www.congregational.org.uk/
Congregational Federation homepage, with searchable access to some areas of ethical concern
Friends/Quakers
http://www.quaker.org/
Comprehensive gateway to all aspects of Society of Friends
http://www.afsc.org/
American Friends Service Committee, including peace initiatives
Lutheran
http://www.ekd.de/dialogue/2396.html
English translation section of German Protestant Church website, with archive of discussions on a range of issues in church and society; much fuller site in German.
Methodist
http://www.methodist.org.uk/
Homepage of Methodist Church of Great Britain; index gives access to sections on selected ethical issues
http://www.umc.org/abouttheumc/creed/
Social creed of United Methodist Church
http://www.umc-gbcs.org/
Church and Society Board of United Methodist Church, with search facility on social and ethical issues
Salvation Army
http://www1.salvationarmy.org.uk/uki/www_uki.nsf
Britain and Ireland Homepage, with searchable access to comment on range of current moral and social issues.
http://www1.salvationarmy.org/
Equivalent homepage for Salvationists world-wide, including archived and searchable news reports
Seventh Day Adventist
http://www.adventist.org.uk/
Homepage for Seventh Day Adventist Church of UK and Ireland; searchable access to adventist comment on current concerns.
Unitarian
http://www.unitarian.org.uk/
Main UK headquarters
United Reform
http://www.urc.org.uk/
Homepage, with sections including 'Our work'
http://www.pcusa.org/search/index.htm
Search facility of Presbyterian Church of US covering current concerns (whereas in England - though not elsewhere in UK - the URC was formed from a union of the Congregational and Presbyternian Churches in 1972, in the US they remain separate, with a Presbyternian membership of around 2.5 million)
ORTHODOX
http://home.clara.net/orthodox/
Information site for British Antiochian Orthodox Deanery provided by St Aidan’s Church Manchester, includies teaching section with archive of topics covered
ROMAN CATHOLIC
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm
Catechism of Catholic Church, searchable by word/topic
http://www.newadvent.org/docs/
Official documents, listed alphabetically
http://newadvent.org
Full text of Catholic Encyclopaedia and of Encyclicals on Social Justice
ECUMENICAL
World Council of Churches
http://www.wcc-coe.org/l
Entry point to full range of WCC programmes in areas of major social and ethical concern
National Coucils of Churches
Europe
Conference of European Churches
“CEC is a fellowship of 126 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches along with 43 associated organisations from all countries on the European continent. CEC was founded in 1959 and has offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.” Strong emphasis on peace, justice and reconciliation.
United Kingdom
Churches together in Britain and Ireland
Includes the full range of denominations. One of main areas of focus is international relations and refugees
United States
http://www.ncccusa.org/
“The National Council of Churches, founded in 1950, is the leading force for ecumenical cooperation among Christians in the United States.
The NCC's 36 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox member denominations include more than 50 million persons in 140,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.” Comprehensive and user friendly website covering many fields of social justice, including news sections and archives. Fully searchable.