Peacemaking, Hospitality, and Beloved Community: A Christian Vision of a Life Worth Living

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove tells his story of a life interrupted by Matthew 25: “in as much as ye did not do it unto the least of these… you did not do it unto me.” From rural North Carolina to the U.S. Senate, from protesting the Iraq War to living in a hospitality house for the unhoused, this lecture explores the “beloved community” Jesus invites us into.

At the heart of it all: good news for the poor, enemies reconciled at one table, and a conviction that “there’s enough for everyone.”

Highlights

“I don’t really have anyone else to blame for my life, but Jesus.”

“In as much as ye did not do it unto the least of these… you did not do it unto me.”

“I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to pursue what I call the beloved community.”

“I really do believe that there’s enough for everyone.”

“Every day you ought to pray… ask for forgiveness to the extent you’ve forgiven.”

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Rural Faith and Political Awakening

• Raised in rural North Carolina in a Southern Baptist context.
• Memorized scripture in the King James Version.
• “I don’t really have anyone else to blame for my life, but Jesus.”
• Worked in the U.S. Senate under Strom Thurman.
• Began to see tension between partisan politics and the teachings of Jesus.

Matthew 25 and the “Least of These”

• Encounter at Union Station with a man asking for change.
• Scripture interruption: “in as much as ye did not do it unto the least of these… you did not do it unto me.”
• Turning back reshaped his life.
• Jesus present among poor and marginalized people.

Iraq War and Christian Peacemaking

• Concern that Jesus was being used to justify war.
• Joined Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq.
• “Your country bombed our hospital… but we take care of everyone.”
• Birth of a lifelong commitment to peacemaking and solidarity.

The Beloved Community and Mary’s Magnificat

• Influenced by Howard Thurman’s vision of beloved community.
• Mary’s song: the mighty brought down, the hungry filled.
• Jesus forms community of enemies—tax collectors and fishermen.
• “You need to love your enemies.”
• Good news for the poor; invitation for the rich to change.

Hospitality, Economy, and Enough

• Founded Rutba House in Durham, NC.
• Shared life with unhoused neighbors and returning citizens.
• The Lord’s Supper as economic vision: break, bless, distribute.
• “I really do believe that there’s enough for everyone.”
• Moral imperative of housing and policy change.

No Imperial Imagination

• Suspicion of religious nationalism.
• Christianity not an “imperial imagination.”
• Works with the Poor People’s Campaign.
• Moral issues transcend partisan and religious lines.

Forgiveness and Restorative Justice

• “Every day you ought to pray… ask for forgiveness to the extent you’ve forgiven.”
• Hardest part of forgiveness may be receiving it.
• Restorative justice as healing beyond punishment.
• Forgiveness as freedom and social repair.

Evangelism as Good News for the Poor

• Evangelism rooted in “good news.”
• Acknowledges history of coercion and violence.
• Sharing beloved community, not imposing empire.

The Good Life and Hedonic Adaptation

• Pursuit of pleasure leads to diminishing returns.
• Joy arises from meaning and real relationships.
• “There’s something very fulfilling about being in real relationship.”
• Belonging in imperfect community as abundance.

About Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a Baptist preacher, writer, and community organizer from North Carolina. He has spent much of his adult life pursuing what he calls the beloved community, including work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq and founding Rutba House, a hospitality community in Durham, NC. He works with movements such as the Poor People’s Campaign and advocates for restorative justice, peacemaking, and economic sharing rooted in the teachings of Jesus.

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