RACHEL JOHNSON
News Assistant
Steve Chalke and other staff members of a London church decided to create a radio program that would help get kids off the streets and involved in an extracurricular activity in August a few years ago. Crime rates dropped dramatically that month, he said, most likely because the kids were devoting all of their free time to the radio show.
The experience helped convince him that politics and religion can work together to solve social problems, he said at a Convo Monday.
“That’s why people like me get involved in politics,” Chalke said. “I care about the issues so I am pushed to get involved. People always say church and state don’t mix. What doesn’t mix is Christianity and apathy.”
He illustrated the point by relating the story of a London official who congratulated Chalke on his Crime Reduction Initiative, or CRI. The official offered to give the church money if they would be willing to participate in another three-month long program to keep kids off the streets.
Chalke said he pointed to a plaque on the church wall, which declared that the church had been founded in 1783.
“We’ve been doing CRIs for about 230 years but we’ll do another 12-week CRI if you’d like,” Chalke told the official.
Chalke, founder of Oasis Trust, spoke at Convo to show students how religion and politics can unite in order to promote the common good. The church, he claims, has a moral responsibility to continually be involved in initiatives the government sponsors.
Chalke’s background provides a good basis for the views he holds today, and why he believes church and state should work together to accomplish goals. While growing up in a poor neighborhood outside of London, Chalke dreamed of opening a hostel, hospital and school for the less fortunate. In 1981, he was ordained as a Baptist minister in London.
He used his position in the church to advance social justice goals. In 1985, Chalke was able to begin Oasis Trust by opening a hostel for homeless youth. From there, schools and hospitals were established.
“The rest of my life has been a muddled up way of working out the rest,” Chalke said.
The Oasis Trust now has more than 400 staff, students and volunteers. The goal of the organization is to pioneer education, healthcare and housing initiatives in the United Kingdom and across the globe. The Trust expanded into Oasis Community Learning, for which Chalke serves as the chief executive officer. This organization sponsors and builds schools.
Chalke’s presentation was based on the concept that social achievements can most effectively be made by combining the efforts of the government and the church. He said he arrived at the beliefs he maintains today by questioning life.
Senior Nikhil Jacob, who attended a luncheon with Chalke before the convocation presentation, said he was inspired by Chalke’s belief that combining religion and politics served a greater good.
“Steve’s message doesn’t dichotomize the institutions of faith and politics,” Jacob said. “Instead, he speaks of the necessity for integration. It is imperative that we maintain good political ties in order to attain the resources needed for social justice.”
Chalke said the government officials can’t do it all. They can set up programs and organizations to take social action, but they need manpower in order to be supported. Chalke said the church needs to provide that support.
“We need to live by a robust Christianity that engages in these issues,” Chalke said. “We need to work alongside governments to promote our agenda, but we need to march to the beat of God’s drum.”
Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Joel Fetzer also attended the luncheon before Convo where Chalke declared that he works with both major parties in the U.K., not allowing himself to lean too far either way on the political spectrum.
“He argued that the church may engage in politics by struggling for Biblical justice but not allow itself to be the site of partisan politics,” Fetzer wrote in an e-mail interview.
God did not choose sides, Chalke said. Instead, he loved unconditionally and supported everyone. According to Chalke, the church needs to demonstrate Christ’s support for social initiatives by working with the government to accomplish goals.
The bottom line of Chalke’s presentation was that Christians need to live their lives proclaiming the gospel of Jesus. Every Christian’s actions should reflect their faith, he said.
“Many churches are a bunch of people who speak and sometimes do something instead of being people who go out and do things and occasionally make commentary,” Chalke said. “The church should provide the Good News at every level, not just in spoken word.”
03-22-2007