WORLD HUNGER

WHEREAS, due to shifting climates, the infection of Western medicine into traditional societies, and the existence of social structures which distribute food unevenly, there are more starving people alive today than ever before, and

WHEREAS Christians cannot simply turn away from hungry people, and

WHEREAS current efforts of Lutheran bodies have focused on the urgent and visible need to directly relieve the suffering itself, while the causes remain, and

WHEREAS Bread for the World is an ecumenical Christian citizens’ group working through our political system to alleviate hunger and poverty throughout the world;

            BE IT RESOLVED:

1. That the Lutheran Student Movement recognizes that the present Lutheran policy of concentrating on direct relief of hunger is a humane and Christian policy; and

2. That consequently individual Lutheran students b encouraged to actively participate in Bead for the World, and that the LSM Council obtain from Bread for the World and distribute to all LSM members materials on world hunger; and

3. That the LSM also recognizes that to feed the hungry without affecting the causes of hunger only fans the flames and makes the problem larger in the end; and

4. That the LSM accordingly requests Lutheran bodies to carefully examine the logic of their policies towards the problems of world hunger and requests especially that;

a. The officials of each synod insure that Lutheran investments are not supporting production of non-food cash crops when that production denies food to local citizens, whether at home or abroad.

b. The officials of the Lutheran World Federation expand their policy objectives to include population planning aid as well as aid (direct and indirect) aimed at increasing the food supply for growing numbers of hungry people.