Redeemed Bodies and Spaces: ‘Crazy, I know, but I might have seen a little of the Kingdom of Heaven’

It’s Tuesday morning in East Baltimore. More specifically, it’s “Turnaround Tuesday” in East Baltimore. The basement of Zion Baptist Church is crowded with around 60 persons, most of them self-identified as former offenders, sitting in rows of uncomfortable chairs facing a podium, a randomly placed collection of white boards and chalk boards, and a small stage so characteristic of church basement fellowship halls. Many of the seated attendees are beaming. Their joy is obvious. A few others look serious and determined. Moving, smiling, and greeting on the periphery is a team of ten or more volunteers and community organizers from BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, a local affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation or IAF). A police officer, grounded to the edge of the stage by a broken leg, also smiles broadly as the meeting begins very promptly at 9am. The familiarity and strong relational bond between the organizers and participants is readily apparent. These people know each other, respect each other, and are enjoying success in a shared mission — obtaining living wage employment.

After a short time of intermingled Scriptural teaching with life coaching designated as a daily “spiritual vitamin,” the testimonies begin. Simply put, these stories are beautifully amazing. One powerfully built man began with a matter-of-fact declaration of his 33 years of incarceration. When released, his plan was jump through the hoops for a couple weeks, but then he would need to “get a gun” because he knew that he would need to eat. Instead, he found his way into the affirmation, support, and training of Turnaround Tuesdays and weeks later he successfully interviewed for a living wages job. My tears and the tears around the room were flowing freely when he reported the pride he felt in informing family members of his ability to participate in their support.

Later that afternoon, our team of clergy guests from Durham, NC was walking just a few blocks away from Zion Baptist in sea of affordable housing revitalization. As we stood on one corner, we literally could not see a single row-style home that had not been restored by BUILD and its partners for affordable ownership (or lease) or a row of vacants that were not currently owned by BUILD and designated for development.

To put that wonder in some context, during the Great Depression, U.S. unemployment hovered around 25%. In this part of Baltimore, only a short run from the dazzling Inner Harbor, the post-industrial collapse of the city left unemployment at a staggering 55% (see http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/04/29/ the-long-painful-and-repetitive-history-of-how-baltimore-became-baltimore/ for some historical perspective). In this formerly forsaken land of vacant properties and liquor stores with still not a single grocery store or restaurant as far as the eye can see, we were told that the vacants were valued at only $1000-$5000 and occupied homes at $25,000. Now, due to the immense scale of development, working families are living in beautiful homes (pictured above) and building the kind of equity that will allow them to send their kids to college.

I am deeply suspicious about any claims or designations related to ‘the kingdom of heaven or God’, even when they come straight from the lips of Jesus. My work as a pastor or as a researcher constantly brings me face-to-face with injustice, loss, inequity, and pain. In these frequent moments, I don’t see much evidence of a world invaded by the gracious and powerful presence of God. When I study history, I see far too many triumphant claims of Christendom intimately entangled with self-serving theologies that justify the likes of settler colonialism, American exceptionalism, and market-affirmed meritocracy. Triumphant claims of the ‘kingdom of heaven’ by some have often yielded in actuality a nightmarish hell for so many.

Despite these qualms, last month in East Baltimore, I came home feeling like I had seen a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven actualizing and growing like a mustard seed in the ground or leaven in bread. Just days before this visit, I had posted in this space a call to progressive Christians to organize (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/emergentvillage/2015/05/a-call-to-organize/). Days later, I was seeing — once again — the redemptive fruit of organization, transformed lives and transformed geographies.

There are so many opportunities to join in and be trained in organization. The NAACP is doing amazing work here in North Carolina. IAF affiliates can be found in many urban communities. I am looking forward to attending the Transform Network’s “Faith-Rooted Organizing Training” on September 21-24 (http://transformnetwork.org/event/faith-rooted-organizing-training-at-the-highlander-center/). Training is so very important. But, perhaps, believing is even more essential. By “belief” I don’t mean some form of doctrinal assertion, but the simple faith-saturated posture that gives plausibility to the possibility of God’s justice overwhelming this world and motivates our sustained participation in this work.