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Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, courtesy Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove
Faith, Politics, and Power in 2020: Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s Revolution of Values
August 25, 2020
The story of how a Christian preacher became a social justice activist and is calling for a revolution of values in our nation’s priorities.
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Dr. Rev. William J.Barber II courtesy Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Faith, Politics, and Power in 2020: Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s Revolution of Values August 25, 2020
Wading into the Swamp: Hypocrisy and Power

At 17, an idealistic and devout Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove was excited to serve as a page for the late United States Senator Strom Thurmond. Not long after, things began to shift. Witnessing what he describes as “raw power” left him cynical. And, an unlikely encounter with a homeless man during a lunch break triggered a crisis of faith that led him back to North Carolina. As he wrestled experiences that cast doubt on his purpose, he felt overwhelmed by hypocrisy. That is until he heard a sermon by the Rev. Dr. William Barber in Greensboro, North Carolina. In Search of Meaning:

Finding Faith in New Places

We continue our conversation with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and discuss how the lack of clarity on his purpose led him on a journey into places that were beyond his traditional comfort zones. From living in an intentional community in Philadelphia inspired by Dorothy Day hospitality homes to joining Christian Peacemaking Teams that went to Iraq at the start of the second Gulf War, Wilson-Hartgrove traces how these experiences ultimately led him back to the place he left in disgust..the world of politics.

Faith is Political: Discovering the Power in Organizing

In this final segment of the program, Wilson-Hartgrove describes how he sees the goals of the Poor People’s Campaign as distinct from the Religious Right and how the work of the campaign is not, in his view, replicating the hypocrisy he witnessed working in the nation’s capital. Detailing his belief and experience from the campaign, Wilson-Hartgrove describes his latest book, a Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good as one part of his outreach and mission to reach fellow white Christians.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, preacher, activist, and author most recently of Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Public Good



Revolution of Values, Courtesy Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Revolution of Values
Courtesy Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

 

Learn more about the work of Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, The Poor People's Campaign, and Repairers of the Breach.

You can read the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's recent op-ed "Who Holds the Key to a New America?" in The New York Times.




Our theme music Breath Deep is copyright MC Yogi.

Additional music for this week’s episode: Arbic Tallow, Bsketliner,
Bauxite, Margerie,
and The Trestle by
Blue Dot Sessions;
Luminous Rain
by Kevin/MacLeod/Incompitech
all licensed under
Creative Commons By Attribution 4.0
.