A Sunday morning plenary session featured Shane Claiborne, a poverty activist and new monastic. Claiborne discussed his work as a founding member of “The Simple Way,” an alternative Christian community in urban Philadelphia that ministers to the poor. He stated that he began to live his monastic lifestyle when he decided “I’m going to run after something other than the American dream; I’m going to run after Jesus.” Claiborne, who grew up United Methodist, says that he is “madly in love with Jesus.”
The Philadelphia activist cautioned his audience not to become wrapped up in language, saying: “You can talk about social justice … and still not talk to the poor.… We can still live a very progressive life … and be mean.” Claiborne warned that “if we don’t have joy and we don’t have love, nobody’s going to want the truth we have, even if it is true.”
Read the full article here.
P.S. I am Methodist and share some of the views in this article. Some personal thoughts:
1. We can fund a war, but can't fund health care for the poor or Children
2. We teach that "Jesus loves us", but not those we disagree with.
3. We can talk about societal problems, but can't feed the poor.
4. We can buy a new TV, but not help the family displaced down the street.
5. We can get our neighbors mail, but put build fences to the South.
6. We talk about fair trade, yet buy slave labor products.
Maybe I am being too radical here, if so I am in Good Company: See here.
No comments:
Post a Comment