To be a Christian leader in the city and not be impacted by last week’s World Vision controversy was nearly impossible. I fulfill a unique dual role in the world of Christian ministry here in Denver. I co-direct a modest hospitality ministry for the chronically homeless, which allows me to be in close relationship with some of the most vulnerable and poor of our city. I also lead a spiritual formation community made up of young educated middle-class Christian leaders who seek a fresh and prayerful way of connecting and growing with God.
Within my work a clear common thread emerges throughout all people regardless of economic status. Loneliness. My friends who live on the streets are incredibly lonely. In many cases they’ve been rejected by both their family of origin along with the authorities that hold and withhold power. Even though the friends within my prayer community are housed they too often find themselves kicked to the curb by family members and/or religious leaders. It’s as if all of us have or are currently experiencing a spiritual homelessness for the way we believe or live out our faith.
I see this pervasive loneliness in the people I work with as an issue of sin. That’s right it’s a sin issue. But the sin issue isn’t their own. The issue that is creating so much loneliness comes from a pre-occupation with pointing out sin. It seems, in fact, that the Christian obsession with pointing out the sin of the other actually is the root cause of much homelessness.
Recent Comments