As I think about those who recently mocked the term ‘Community Organizer’, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christian Conservative. I apologize in advance if you consider yourself one and are offended (note: I am a believer; a Christian).

I detest the phrase ‘Christian Conservative’. I think it’s an oxymoron and exclusive. Was Jesus Christ a ‘Christian Conservative’? Well, he wasn’t a Christian and I’d argue tooth and nail that he had conservative views. I think we get too caught up in “being” a Christian as opposed to being “Christ-like”. Additionally, conservative is defined as limiting change…hmmmm. If you did not know, Christ came to shake things up!

Jesus Christ was a Community Organizer

Community organizing is a process by which disempowered, disenfranchised people—most often low- and middle-income people—are brought together to act in their common self-interest (i.e, loss of jobs, poor schools, voting discrepancies, etc). Community organizers act as coordinators in an effort to meet community needs for purpose, dignity and prosperity. Didn’t Christ do this?

At the height of his ministry, Jesus Christ attracted huge crowds numbering in the thousands, primarily in the areas of Galilee and Perea (in modern-day Israel and Jordan respectively). During his sermons, he preached about service and humility, the forgiveness of sin, faith, turning the other cheek, love for one’s enemies as well as friends, and the need to follow the spirit of the law in addition to the letter.

Jesus often met with society’s outcasts, such as the publicani –kinda sounds like Republican–(Imperial tax collectors who were despised for extorting money), including the apostle Matthew; when the Pharisees objected to Jesus’ meeting with sinners rather than the righteous, Jesus replied that it was the sick who need a physician, not the healthy (Matthew 9:9-13). According to Luke and John, Jesus also made efforts to extend his ministry to the Samiritans, who followed a different formof the Israelite religion. This is reflected in his preaching to the Samaritans of Sychar. (John 4:1-42).

It sounds like Senator Barack Obama is more in line with Christ— universal healthcare, helping those who struggle to help themselves, service to others, bipartisanship, turning the other cheek, change we can believe in and meeting with those world leaders who are associated with wrong (sinners)—than his opponents and critics.

I work for a Catholic health system and had a meeting today with the SVP of Mission Services. That department’s goal is community outreach, help to those in need and caring for the physically sick. As an organization, we pray in the name of Jesus before meetings and yes, organize local communities as a our mission indicates.

For the pompous right who look down on community organizing and look up to the Son and the Father, you should check yourselves RIGHT now! God is watching and he really doesn’t like ugly.