“Any observer would have to say that Christianity is fashionable at present in the United States. This might be a good thing, except that the observer, observing more closely, would have to conclude that, to the extent that Christianity is fashionable, it is loosely fashionable. It seems to have remarkably little to do with the things that Jesus Christ actually taught.

Especially among Christians in positions of great wealth and power, the idea of reading the gospels and keeping Jesus‘s commandments, as stated therein has been replaced by a curious process of logic. According to this process, people first declare themselves to be followers of Christ, and then they assume that whatever they say or do merits the adjective ‘Christian.’”

Wendell Berry
Christianity society social justice christ Belief action wealth power Faith

“Anyone who claims that I am a dreamer who expects to transform hell into heaven is wrong. I have few illusions, but I feel a responsibility to work towards the things I consider good and right. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to change certain things for the better, or not at all. Both outcomes are possible. There is only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive in a good cause.”

Václav Havel
meaning hope action activism dreams hell heaven social change society social justice change challenge

“For me, forgiveness and compassion are always linked: how do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?”

bell hooks
forgiveness compassion accountability humanity transformation change growth action responsibility healing

“What troubles me is what an emphasis on belief does to discipleship. It negates discipleship really. Once I make what I believe the issue, then I’m off the hook.”

Will Campbell
action Faith Belief discipleship

"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."

E.B. White
activism idealism life joy action

“Our choice always is the same: save the world or savor it. And I vote for savoring it. And, just because everything is about something else, if you savor the world, somehow -- go figure -- it’s getting saved.”

Gregory Boyle
activism action joy serve

“Before his death, Rabbi Zusya said, ‘In the coming world, they will not ask me: ‘Why were you not Moses?’ They will ask me: ‘Why were you not Zusya?'”

Martin Buber
heaven self-care action death existence Failure growth

"From this moment despair ends and tactics begin."

Raoul Vaneigem
despair hope action activism revolution

"You can pray until you faint, but if you don't get up and try to do something, God is not gon’ put it in your lap."

Fannie Lou Hamer
prayer activism action

"[The church's task is] not simply to bind the wounds of the victims beneath the wheel, but also to put a spoke in the wheel itself."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Justice social justice society Systems action activism suffering church