With Liberty and Justice for All?

Abstract

Three mornings a week, as a member of the Emmanuel House Community, I join with others to welcome homeless persons to Manna House, a place of hospitality located in an inner-city neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. The men and women (and occasionally children) who come in for coffee, a sweet roll, a shower, and a change of clothes are among those people living in the United States to whom we need to pay attention if we are to evaluate patriotism as disciples of Jesus. For Jesus, the judgment of nations hinges upon how the most vulnerable members of a society are respected and honored in their human dignity as created in the image of God (Mt. 25:31–48). To follow Jesus means we must evaluate our lives as persons and as a nation by whether or not the hungry are fed, the thirsty are given something to drink, strangers are welcomed, the naked are clothed, the sick are cared for, and prisoners are visited.