Upside Down Kingdom Tour helps believers live out the gospel
OTTAWA, ON—A well-known Christian social justice activist is bringing his message to Canada.
"Faith is not just an escape out of the world," says author and The Simple Way founder Shane Claiborne. "Karl Barth said, 'hold the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.' We were made to live with others in community."
Launched in Winnipeg March 12, The Upside Down Kingdom Tour seeks to realign believers with Jesus' teaching of loving your neighbour as yourself.
Sponsored by World Vision, the tour will reach eight Canadian cities by May 10. Sessions include an afternoon discussion for local pastors, led by Claiborne, and an evening concert featuring Christian musician Jason Gray. The concert is open to the public and ends with a message from Claiborne and a short discussion time.
Claiborne describes Canadians as often suspicious of Christianity because of the "health and wealth gospel" they have heard from televangelists, and the attitude they see in many evangelicals.
"A study by the Barna Group said the three top perceptions of the Church are: anti-gay, judgemental and hypocritical," Claiborne says. "A lot of times, we've been told, 'blessed are those who wait on the Lord,' but sometimes God is waiting on us, that we might become the answer to our prayer."
The tour is geared to help Christians recognize suffering around them and start to engage their neighbours with the hope and love of the gospel.
"Canadians have free health care, but they don't have someone holding their hand when they die," Claiborne says. "The richest countries in the world have the highest rates of loneliness and suicide. We must make a connection between our life and our neighbours' lives."
Claiborne emphasizes that the conference is not about bringing guilt, but rather inspiring Christians to seek out the brokenhearted and the downtrodden.
"At the end of the meeting, I usually have everyone turn and face the walls. I tell them, 'it's not about what happens in the meeting, it's about what we do when we leave the meeting. To love Jesus is to love others.'"
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