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Imagining a Future Where Faith is the Fuel in the Fight Against Poverty
LVN ConversationSynthesis

Imagining a Future Where Faith is the Fuel in the Fight Against Poverty

By August 12, 2021August 16th, 2021No Comments

Introducing the 2021 Micah Fellows Cohort

From September to May, The Micah Fellows Program will build the capacity of this powerful group of faith practitioners to catalyze economic justice and anti-poverty efforts in their communities. The Program is devoted to nurturing moral leadership around anti-poverty work in Arkansas, where nearly 1 out of every two households struggles to make ends meet.

View Cohort

Everywhere I go, Lord, I’m gonna let it shine ☊
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

The following was synthesized from The Greatest of These Faith Conversation Series hosted by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, which led to the launch of the Micah Fellows Program.

13

Faith + Public Leaders

3

Conversations
The following contains interactive audio elements.
How to Listen:

Move your cursor over the underlined, highlighted words and click to hear that particular piece of audio and to read the broader context of the speaker’s quote.

How to Listen:

Move your cursor or finger over the underlined, highlighted words and click to hear that particular piece of audio and to read the broader context of the speaker’s quote.

Since the days of Moses ☊, faith has been a powerful catalyst in the fight for justice. From the giants ☊that came before us to the lesser-known pioneers ☊ in our backyards, our history is replete with examples of men and women ☊ using the crux of faith to improve the lives of the “least of these.”

 

To learn about these faith-filled change agents, their common focus on unfair systems ☊ and the deep well of biblical theology ☊ that inspired them, is to reimagine how to harness our own faiths to build a more equitable, prosperous Arkansas.

In this masterclass ☊ of thoughtfulness, Rev. Ryan Davis and Rev. Shantell Hinton Hill sat down with several faith leaders around the region to explore the role of faith movements in the South as part of the Micah Fellows Program “Greatest of These” series.

 

According to panel participants, Jesus is the ultimate model ☊ serving those on the margins of society, and He calls Christians to full-time justice work ☊. Our relationship ☊ to each other makes it impossible to untether our faith ☊ from activism or to be complacent ☊ in the suffering or oppression of others.

In this masterclass ☊ of thoughtfulness, Rev. Ryan Davis and Rev. Shantell Hinton Hill sat down with several faith leaders around the region to explore the role of faith movements in the South as part of the Micah Fellows Program “Greatest of These” series.

 

According to panel participants, Jesus is the ultimate model ☊ serving those on the margins of society, and He calls Christians to full-time justice work ☊. Our relationship ☊ to each other makes it impossible to untether our faith ☊ from activism or to be complacent ☊ in the suffering or oppression of others.

If we are to build moral leadership around economic justice, we need to position the voice ☊ of the oppressed and bend the wisdom ☊ to the most vulnerable. Guided by an understanding of a chaotic love ☊ that is about action and others ☊, panelists imagine a future where faith-inspired action is the radical solution to ending poverty and injustice in Arkansas.

 

They invite you to imagine it, too.

Artwork by Kahlief Steele

Artist Statement
Too many times Christians (myself included) forget that we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Not the conqueror. Not a recluse. But a servant.
Hearing actionable ways that church leaders are living out true servant leadership encourages me beyond measure. The panel challenged me to dive into that further, and I hope that the work I created causes others to reimagine their relationship with faith as well.
Dismembered hands create an elegant portrait of a harsh truth: if hands are detached from the body, they’re useless. Framing imagery in geometric objects and textures ranging from gold foil to alabaster, I show that there is reverence to our journey – this is valuable work. A simple challenge remains – are we, as Christians, truly striving to be like Jesus? Or are we just an distorted echo?
If Christians’ goal is to truly model Jesus, we should seek to serve the “least of these” in all we do.

The Greatest of These Video Series

Building a more equitable Arkansas through the lens of faith.

Reimagine Arkansas

Because the future belongs to all of us.

info@reimaginearkansas.com