Why live in the city? (Part 1)

     What is it about those "why" questions that get you sometimes. I had one of those moments yesterday while at work. It was one of those brief conversations two people try to have while working at a busy coffee shop. I was asked, "So what do you want to do when you grow up?" This is an odd question in the first place because I am grown up. I don't think my co-worker knew how loaded a question it was that she was asking me. I knew what she was getting at so I attempted a short answer. "Well, I want to move into the inner-city and live simply in community with other people. I want to be involved in some type of social work or community development." It's always an enjoyable moment for me to witness the look on someone's face when I give this response. This time was no different. The immediate second question was then posed, "you want to move to the ghetto, why? Is it a church thing?" And this is where the conversation ended because we got busy and I honestly didn't feel like I could give a adequate answer in the short time we had. But I haven't been able to get the question out of my head. It deserves the right answer and that's what you are about to get. 

     I did say briefly that my reasons for moving into the inner-city did not have to do with church. This is a bit misleading. For someone who does not share my beliefs, asking about church can mean a lot of things. I would say that one of the leading reasons does have to do with the man Jesus. It is my faith as a Christian that first motivated me to move into inner-city Philadelphia for two years. And it was those two years in Philly that leads me to pursue a future living and working in the city. You see, one of Jesus' most important and overlooked teachings was directed toward his followers treatment of the "least of these" in society. Because of this teaching my journey to the city began. And the journey continues today where I feel like doing anything else would make me a sellout. 

     I guess it's just that word "church" that makes me hesitate. I do believe the church has a lot to offer the world, and has made significant contributions to many of the major social movements since its inception. I also know the church has often times been co-opted by the powerful and used for greed and self-interest. This also has been the history of the church, especially since the conversion of Constantine in the 4th century. When following Jesus becomes more clearly identified with loyalty to the kingdoms of this world rather than the Kingdom of God the church loses its way. The Kingdoms of this world are driven by power, money, and finishing first. The Kingdom of God, as taught by Jesus, is concerned with sacrifice, loving enemies, giving to the poor, taking in the widows and orphans, and becoming the servant of all. 

      There is a clear difference between the two kingdoms. This is not to say there is no good in the world because I believe there are a lot of good people in the world. In fact, while working with the homeless in Philadelphia I found more non-Christians embodying Jesus' concerns for the "least of these" than I found Christians. The message and purpose of the church is compromised when it resembles the world more than it resembles its founder. But comparing the conflicting kingdoms of this world is a whole separate task and probably handled better by Shane Claiborne in his book, Irresistible Revolution.

     I want to move into the inner-city because I believe the city is a beautiful place.  I want to live in the city so the concerns of my neighbors become my own concerns. I want people to overcome their fears about the city. I want suburbanites and urban dwellers to realize how much they have in common with one another. I want the poor and oppressed to know there is a God who loves them despite how desperate things may appear. I want to move into the inner-city because I believe there is an enormous amount of injustice in the city which must be fought to overcome (not that I think I can do this on my own, but I want to be a part of the fight that is already taking place). I want to live a life committed to the purposes of love, justice and peace. I want to see racial justice, social justice, economic justice, and human dignity upheld.  

       I want to live in the city so I can take public transportation. I want to live in a neighborhood where neighbors know each other and look out for each other. A place where my neighbors say hi to me as I walk to the bus or subway station. I want to live where block parties happen in the summer time. I want to play basketball with the local kids at the community park. I want to live within walking distance of a church committed to its community and the people living there. 

     There is so much more that I could say and I will sometime in the near future. This will have to do for now. Maybe you can understand now why I felt like my co-worker's question was loaded.