Craig Greenfield is the founder and director of Alongsiders International and author including The Urban Halo and Subversive Jesus: An Adventure in Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness in a Broken World (Amazon affiliate link). Craig grew up in a home of generous hospitality which shaped his view of what it means to follow Jesus. Instead of merely inviting the poor into his home, Craig and his wife make their home with the poor.
Today, Craig shares the story of how he became convinced the Gospel is for the poor, moving to one of the world’s highest drug dealing neighborhoods, and the “God questions” that led him back to Cambodia to lead a movement of children mentoring children. Craig inspires me to think about the Kingdom of God in new ways and I know his story will do the same for you.
Please listen and share Craig’s story!
- The Alongsiders movement that he leads
Growing up in an affluent neighborhood in New ZealandHis parent’s radical hospitality and the impression it made on himThe spiritual warfare experience that led him to choose JesusWhen the Gospel he shared didn’t sound like good news to the poorHow the Magnificat speaks the Gospel to all aspects of our livesThe beggar’s shirt that challenged how he followed JesusHis battle with claustrophobia and how Jesus’s time in a cave helped himFacing death when he had cancer six years agoHis book The Urban Halo about his first seven years in the slums of CambodiaSubversive Jesus and his time in Vancouver to the Downtown EastsideThe “God-question” that led him to reevaluate his next five yearsHow he worked through ministering to the poor with his wifeWhy North American Christians need to get out of the bubbleWhat the eye has not seen the heart cannot grieve.
When you come face to face with real poverty it rocks your world.
We tend to romanticize those who are far away and marginalize those near us.
People have enough condemnation in life. What we need is more love, more joy, more welcome.
Resources mentioned by Craig:
- The Urban Halo, Craig’s first book
Subversive Jesus: An Adventure in Justice, Mercy, and Faithfulness in a Broken WorldAlongsiders InternationalCraig’s website where you can connect with himBinding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus by Ched MyersChasing the Dragon: One Woman’s Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong’s Drug Dens by Jackie Pullinger Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.
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