My partner and I met at a global poverty conference. We bonded initially over our love of ancient Toyota Camry’s and how high school cross country had been the perfect venue for our compulsive nerdiness.
But, during our first date, I had a revelation. On a gorgeous hike in mid-fall, we talked about the roots of our moral drive to create social impact. She shared that she was part of the founding team of an evangelical Christian church in the Tenderloin District in San Francisco. After having been raised in the church, her faith manifested in her commitment to addressing poverty and equity issues in her faith community and career. Not having been raised in a faith community myself and having an aversion to it, I found comfort in her “progressive” Christianity.
As she discussed why she saw Jesus as a moral leader in her life, I asked myself who the primary moral leader was for my work. That’s when the revelation happened.
Since September 12th, 2001 I’d been reading everything I could find related to Dr. King. I’d read biographies, his writings, and some of the authors who influenced him most. His thoughts, philosophies, and actions shaped my thinking about social justice and how I could contribute to it. Dr. King was my Jesus. Imagine my shock when I suddenly realized the obvious next conclusion: Dr. King’s Jesus was Jesus.
