Rev Jesse Jackson addressed Republican senators on Wednesday, and urged them to follow the teachings of Christ in their political decisions.
Congress will be controlled by the Republican party come January, and Jackson hoped that the Lord would direct their leadership.
"Those who follow Jesus must accept the moral imperatives of feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, clothing the naked and setting the captive free," he told the Greenville News. "The moral compass must not be lost in this change of political leadership."
The Greenville, SC native had "a good meeting" with Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of Seneca last week after they ended up flying on the same plane together. He will meet with other senators on Monday to encourage the dismissal of divisive political agendas.
"We must not allow our political persuasion to take us away from the moral center," Jackson said. "Whether you're in the majority or minority, we are all Americans afforded equal protection under the law."
Jackson criticised off-shore banking accounts and tax shelters, stating that those funds could be used for the greater good.
"There must be some plan to repatriate some of that money back to the American economy to rebuild our infrastructure and to have some money for capital investment," he insisted.
The civil rights leader also encouraged unity and aid for the poor in his remarks.
"Politics is not a religion, it's just a vessel by which you transmit resources," he explained. "We should not make politics a religion.
"When people begin to reject each other out of hand, based upon political affiliation, whether from the left or the right, as Americans we must find common ground.
"Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction" he continued. "We cannot continue to have policies that make the rich rich beyond their needs and make the poor poor without survival.
"The election is over but our challenges are not over," Jackson said.
