Dear Friend,

I’m writing to you today because you’re a Sojourners reader in the DC area, and I wanted to make you aware of an exciting opportunity this winter and spring. Every year for the past several years, I have taught a course at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy on some aspect of the intersection of faith and politics. It meets on Thursday afternoons from January to the end of April, and it’s always one of the highlights of my week.  This year's course is focused on "The Politics of Jesus: for students of all faiths and none," and if you're local to the Washington, DC area, I want to invite you to consider joining us.

Here's how I have described the course to the Georgetown student community:

In an intensely divided and polarized America, we may find hope and direction from an often forgotten, silenced, and even sabotaged or politically hijacked leader: Jesus. Jesus seems to have survived all of us Christians and is even attracting interest in his teachings from people of all faiths and no faith at all. Some of the big questions Jesus asked or prompted will be applied to our politics, such as “Who is my neighbor?” and “Who is included in those made ‘in the image of God’?” as well as encouraging words such as “Be not afraid” and “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

This course examines the ways in which faith, including the teachings of Jesus, speak to political engagement across history and in our current political crisis. Especially with the upcoming 2020 election, which is likely to further highlight political polarization, social injustice, and religious hypocrisy, how might returning to Jesus’ questions and perspectives create a more hopeful and challenging path forward that is deeper than just politics—regardless of our different religious beliefs?

The course will focus on the political applications of the teachings of Jesus, which are timeless and very timely in this crisis. Both democracy and faith will be tested in this election season. Throughout the course, we will ask ourselves, “How do we not just go left or right—but go deeper?”

If this sounds like the kind of conversation you want to be a part of on Thursday afternoons, please visit this link for more information on the course, and if you’re a senior citizen I’d encourage you to learn about auditing courses at Georgetown.

Blessings,

Jim Wallis