On January 9-12, Salvationists met at The Salvation Army’s Continuing Education Center in Atlanta for the second bi-annual North American Urban Forum. The forum was hosted by the 614 network of Army corps in partnership with the U.S.A. Southern Territory. Delegates explored the theme of Race and Reconciliation: Melting Pot or Mosaic? through dynamic speakers, insightful presentations, corporate worship and engagement with culture and community. It was a week of learning as some of the Church’s “brightest lights” talked about the challenges of ministry in the “big city.”

Embracing the Poor
Questions about race and social class can cause great discomfort for many Christians. Rather than confronting the problem, we often choose to ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist. But racism and classism are not just matters of personal morality, they are also the result of systemic problems in our society. As a case in point, Robert Lupton, president of FCS Urban Ministries, challenged delegates to consider the effects of gentrification on the poor.

Gentrification is the upgrading of deteriorated urban property by affluent people, often displacing those with lower incomes. Where once our urban landscapes were littered with the effects of neglect and the exodus to the suburbs, many wealthy people are now returning to major urban centres because of the proximity to employment and income opportunity through property “flipping.”

Lupton cautioned that gentrification without justice will result in a “diaspora (scattering) of the poor.” He told the story of a woman in Atlanta whose property value rose as a result of gentrification. Unfortunately so did her taxes-so much so that she could not afford to live in her house of 40 years. Justice prevailed as Lupton’s faith-based ministry lobbied the city to change its policies and establish a baseline income for property tax increases.
At the forum, Lupton called for new relationships to be cultivated between church leaders and gifted community developers, bankers and “deal-makers,” many of whom sit in our own church pews. By aligning “our theology with our geography,” suggested Lupton, we can use their spiritual gifts to mete out justice for the urban poor.
The other big challenge to the church, noted Lupton, is the scattering of the poor. To adjust to this new reality, we must become a mobile church that follows the poor to their new locations. Often that includes the suburbs where rent in 20-year-old buildings is affordable compared to escalating costs in the inner city. Many suburban Salvation Army corps are perfectly positioned to open their doors and invite in the poor who have drifted to the fringes of the city.

At the forum, delegates used Lupton’s journal, For Theirs is the Kingdom, to pray through issues of racism and how they affect communities. Other presenters screened clips from films and music videos to explore the influence of media on race and relationship. Imaginations were also stirred as Canadian officers Major Kevin Metcalf and Major Bruce Power offered papers on race issues.

Passionate about Peace
Keynote speaker Shane Claiborne (see interview on pages 20-21) shared how he left the back hills of Tennessee for the urban environs of north Philadelphia. Claiborne is the founder of The Simple Way, a monastic community of sojourners trying to live like Jesus and bring the Kingdom of God to the inner city. At age 30, Claiborne has already written a bestselling book, visited Calcutta to work with Mother Teresa, started two organizations built on justice and mercy, and been appointed to the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association.

Claiborne lives out his faith in radical and uncompromising ways. He has spent time in jail for publicly protesting the ousting of a single mom and her family from an abandoned church. When his case was heard in a Philadelphia courtroom, he was defended by a homeless man. For Claiborne, standing in solidarity with the poor is the Christian thing to do: “How can we worship with a homeless man on Sunday and kick him out of the church on Monday?”

Claiborne’s presence at the Urban Forum attracted an energetic group of young adults anxious to change the world by working among the marginalized. (I couldn’t help but wonder if some were secretly concealing red guernseys, emblazoned with traditional Army slogans such as “Happy Harry” and “Happy, saved and free.”) Their friends and neighbours are people of various colours, faiths, dietary distinctions and sexual orientations. Their home is a microcosm of diversity, expressing a commitment to respect and encouragement on the faith journey.

Claiborne’s approach to peacemaking doesn’t involve worrying about the risk to property or self. During the recent hostilities in Iraq, Shane spent three weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team (a project of Voices in the Wilderness and Christian Peacemaker Teams) taking daily trips to bomb sites, visiting hospitals and Iraqi families, and attending worship services. At the forum, he challenged Christians to use their own resources to the fullest to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth. “Let’s stop complaining about the church we experienced in the past,” he urged, “and become the church we always dreamed of.”

Preaching Incarnation
Continuing with the theme of race and reconciliation, First Nations speaker Ray Aldred spoke of the difficult history between the Church and Aboriginal peoples. Hailing from Winnipeg, Aldred is a pastor, evangelist and itinerant speaker who teaches at the Army’s William and Catherine Booth College.

With dry humour, Aldred reminded delegates, “Indians cannot resolve the racism problem because it’s not their problem. They’re not the racists.” First Nations are often marginalized in the Church because they are not entrusted with the gospel. They have been taught by the example of missionaries that the gospel is something you do to people, not with people.

“In wanting to uphold the sacredness of the Bible, the Church cut Aboriginal people off, leaving the interpretation of Scripture to experts and angels,” he said. To better relate to First Nations, Aldred noted that we would do well to preach the Incarnation, to emphasize that God came in flesh to relate in story to them. More importantly, we must see First Nations as people made in the image of the Creator, bearing his glory, and trust them to tell the gospel story in their own words. Aldred spurred us on to “make life known to Indians and Indian life known.”

Salvationists have a long history of “doing things for people” rather than empowering people to do things for themselves or others. I remember battling my own convictions when we invited an elder from the Chilcotin First Nation in British Columbia to speak to our congregation. As she told the story of the gospel from a new perspective, I was humbled and God’s Spirit spoke to my spirit.

If we are going to advance the gospel among Aboriginal people we need to rethink our roles and methods. Do we have the courage to trust First Nations to tell the story? Are our corps welcoming places of grace? Do we have the courage to admit that we may sometimes reflect racist attitudes?

A Prophetic Voice
As we consider the ministry of reconciliation, The Salvation Army has a responsibility to be a prophetic voice, calling people to mercy and justice for those living on the margins. We are well positioned to welcome the poor who have been scattered and displaced. We have the opportunity to greet newcomers from a plurality of cultures and faiths who are seeking refuge and hope in our land. Our challenge is to find ways of encouraging open dialogue and fostering graceful relationships outside the walls of our corps buildings.
Consider these four questions:
1. Does my congregation reflect the community profile?
2. How can I be welcoming or remove things that would deter participation?
3. Do my staff and leadership reflect the community?
4. Who do I consider my friends and family in community?

Questions of race and reconciliation are not easily resolved, but we need to start in our own backyards. The Urban Forum provided content and context for the discussion, but these discussions need to take place in all of our communities. True reconciliation will only take place when we reach out in love to our neighbours, learn from each other and put ourselves in the way of God’s abundant grace.

For more on the Urban Forum, visit www.therubicon.org, or see speaker websites: Robert Lupton www.fcsministries.org; Shane Claiborne www.thesimpleway.org, www.relationaltithe.com, www.ccda.org; Ray Aldred www.mypeoplecanada.com

by Captain Rick Zelinsky Director of Field Education, College for Officer Training

Reprinted from Salvationist, June 2007