America needs a come-to-Jesus meeting about helping the poor, feeding the hungry

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08-05-2025

Editor's note: As part of our commitment to foster civil conversations in Viewpoints, we're inviting faith leaders to submit edited versions of their homilies that transcend religion, with messages that can appeal to people of all faith traditions.
In almost every version of the Bible, the first 19 verses of chapter nine in the Book of Acts are labeled "The Conversion of Saul." This is not necessarily how Luke, the author, thought of the story. Remember that headings, chapters and verses were added to scripture much later in time than the writing of these letters, much less organized into the biblical canon.
Nonetheless, this text is often framed as a come-to-Jesus meeting in which Saul (later known as Paul) is 'saved.' It is about the moment in which Saul 'became' a Christian, converting from Judaism to Christianity. Of all the come-to-Jesus stories we have, this is arguably the most famous. But this story is based on one, narrow definition of the word conversion.
In their book, "The First Paul," scholars Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan explain, 'In a religious context, the word [conversion] has three meanings, not all of which apply to Paul. The first is conversion from being nonreligious to being religious, the second is conversion from one religion to another, and the third is conversion within a religious tradition.'
When we consider the first kind of conversation, from nonreligious to religious, we know that this does not apply to Paul. Borg and Crossan note that, '[Paul] was deeply religious before his Damascus experience. In his own words, he was filled with religious passion: 'zealous for the traditions of my ancestors'; 'as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless'' He was delighted to let everyone know just how religious he was, early and often.
The second type of conversion also does not apply. Paul was not a Christian, for as Borg and Crossan remind us, 'Not only was Christianity not yet a religion separate from Judaism, but Paul thought of himself as a Jew after his conversion and for the rest of his life. Paul's [conversion] was a conversion within a tradition: from one way of being Jewish to another way of being Jewish, from being a Pharisaic Jew to being a Christian Jew.'
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After his experience on the road to Damascus, which led to him being cared for by the very people he intended to persecute, Paul spent the rest of his life ministering to and caring for multiple faith communities instead of enacting violence against them. He 'saw the light,' as the saying goes, and went from bouncer to head of hospitality. If there is any conversion in this story, it is that Paul went from being driven by the law to inspired by love, from applying judgment to embodying mercy, and from compelling exclusion to inviting embrace.
If Christians in America were to have a similar conversion experience, the turnaround would be just as dramatic as it was for Paul. Far too many of us are obsessed with legalism, living as if faith can be distilled down to a list of tenets of faith one has to believe in order to belong, assuming authority to stand in judgment, and hell bent on excluding others from full participation in the kingdom of God. This so-called Christian nation desperately needs a come-to-Jesus meeting so that we might remember what our Teacher said about welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick.
Like Paul, we'll assuredly find ourselves caring for the poor instead of enacting violence against them. May we see the light. God, hear our prayer.
The Rev. Lori Allen Walke is senior minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: US Christians should focus on God's kindness | Opinion