The Abandoned Places of Empire

This is a repost of my essay for our Faith in Action ministry.

Our home – San Francisco and the Bay Area – has become an unsavory blend of paradoxes.

On its polished surface, San Francisco is considered one of the richest cities in the world, thanks to its affiliation with Silicon Valley. It is seen as a major center of culture, food, art, and music. It is known for its progressive atmosphere, accepting of various minority groups. A prime vacation spot for international tourists.

And yet, below that polished surface lies its ill underbelly. There is a growing wealth inequality that is affecting many residents. High housing prices and the lack of affordable housing (in other words, gentrification) are driving residents out of their home. And the homeless crisis continues to plague the city and most importantly, those who suffer from it. All of this has created a detrimental environment for those living below the poverty line, the marginalized, the most vulnerable.

In such a city where wealth divides neighborhoods, it is often easy to look the other way and ignore the plight of the vulnerable, to narrowly focus on ourselves and the things that interest us. However, we refuse to ignore them.

A few years ago, we formed Faith in Action (FIA), a ministry with the intention of reaching out to a certain population of the city. In order to give FIA a direction, we reflected and meditated on the life and teachings of Jesus. What we learned is this: for Jesus, the more excellent mark of discipleship is not the development of a proper systematic theology, but the development of having an eye for the poor. For Jesus, passionate care for the poor displayed the Kingdom more vividly than abstract theology that argues for its existence.

Therefore, we decided to follow our brothers and sisters who have led the way long ago, dedicating their lives to bring the Kingdom to the vulnerable. Our eyes and body are not drawn to the opulent houses of Pacific Heights or the hipster enclaves of the city, but we instead move to the slums, to the “abandoned places of empire.”

The “abandoned places of empire” is one of the “Twelve Marks” of the New Monasticism, a Protestant movement inspired by the various monastics of the past who faithfully followed Jesus. To have this mark means to relocate our lives from a place of comfort to a place of suffering, from the quiet suburbs to the filthy slums. It is to disrupt our complacencies and experience the terror of human agony. Where love is sold and consumed through TV, love is forged and felt in the ghettos. It is to come as servants who proclaim that the Kingdom is here. It is to experience and see restoration of the vulnerable, and of ourselves. It is to emulate the life of Jesus, who move towards the poor, living among and healing and loving them.

It is probably too much for us to enter this reality. The cost too high and the call too lofty. We may make excuses, or even object to such extraordinary reality. At the very least, we can attempt to follow a meager portion of it as Jesus declared, “The greatest among you will be your servant,” “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

The Upside-down Kingdom is established in the abandoned places of empire and it beckons us to enter.