Let your lives preach!

is a quote from the many letters that George Fox wrote to address early Quakers. (Vol. 1; 200)

Our peace testimony is much more than our special attitude to world affairs; it expresses our vision of the whole christian way of life; it is our way of living in this world, of looking at this world and of changing this world.

Friends’ World Conference 1952, as cited in: Christian faith and practice in the experience of the Society of Friends (London, 1972), no 606..

For me, even the marginalized life of this homeless person in Washington DC speaks out. The sleeping presence enlivens the rather sterile scene between the monumental railway station and the centre of power in the United States of America.

The person in the picture reminds anybody who moves around in relative security (for instance in a private vehicle on the way to a guaranteed workplace), that the enormous wealth and power do not enable all citizens to meaningfully meet their basic needs. By using this public space as bedroom or living space, the worldview of the observer gets challenged; this in turn opens up the possibility for changing this world.

While seeking to interpret our Christian faith in the language of today, we must remember that there is one worse thing than failure to practice what we profess, and that is to water down our profession to match our practice.

Friends´ World Conference, 1952

Für eine deutsche Version dieses Eintrags, klicke hier: Lasst unser Leben sprechen!