Different Voice for Christianity

PHOENIX, AR (U.S. Newswire) -- On Easter Sunday, a newly-formed group of moderate and progressive Christians, known as "CrossWalk America," will embark on a 2,500-mile walk from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., to promote Christianity's "core values," something too often overlooked in America, organizers say.

"We are going on this journey because the Christian values of compassion, a welcoming spirit, acceptance and tolerance are being drowned out in large part by a small, but vocal and well-funded minority that are using faith in America to create a divisive and polarizing atmosphere of exclusion," said the Rev. Eric Elnes, senior pastor of Scottsdale Congregational United Church of Christ and co-president of CrossWalk America. "We are doing this to affirm that most Christians believe our faith is based on the true values Jesus proclaimed as the three greatest loves -- love of God, love of neighbor and love of self. We get into trouble when some Christians conclude that 'two out of three ain't bad.'"

"CrossWalkers," as they call themselves, seek to reclaim "a different voice for Christianity in America," Elnes said. The group hopes to refocus the nation's attention on the core values of the Christian faith by spreading the message that Christianity is first and foremost about the just and unconditional love of God for all people and Christ's commandments to love God and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, Elnes said.

Participants will "walk the walk" symbolic of the walking Jesus did during his three years of ministry, teaching people about love and justice, according to CrossWalk's Jay Taylor.

Key partners for the four-month event include the 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ's Stillspeaking Initiative and the UCC-related Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. Other key partners include the Human Rights Campaign, Living the Questions, Protestants for the Common Good, No Longer Silent: Clergy for Justice, Faith in America and the Beatitudes Society.

Six ministers and lay leaders from the United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church and Metropolitan Community Church will walk for more than four months, inviting others from across the nation to walk with them. Thousands of people from many faiths will attend worship services and rallies along the 2,500-mile route, Taylor said, and more than 120 families have agreed to accommodate walkers in their homes.

About 55 congregations -- including those from the United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), American Baptist Church, Episcopal Church, Unitarian Universalist, and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) -- have offered to provide hospitality and speaking opportunities along the route, Taylor said.

"You never know where the next Great Awakening is going to come from," said the Rev. James Forbes, pastor of The Riverside Church, a UCC/American Baptist congregation in New York City. "Wherever it happens, I want to be present at the beginning, when the spirit moves in wonderful ways. I see a spark of what very well may be the next Great Awakening here in Phoenix, Arizona."

The walk commences in Phoenix with an ecumenical Easter Sunrise Service at the northern entrance of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. After an inaugural 18-mile walk day, a kick-off rally will take place in Fountain Hills, Ariz.

The journey will lead participants through 12 states: Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It will conclude with in Washington, D.C., on Labor Day weekend, September 3.

"Now why I would quit my job and be away from those I love for an extended timeframe to go on this journey?" said Rebecca Glenn, co-president of CrossWalk America. "I want to help raise awareness that there are Christians who do not believe in intolerance, religious elitism and pointing out the wrongdoings of others, contrary to what some in the media and some well known religious leaders would try to have us believe. There is a silent majority of people who believe Christianity is a path of compassion, acceptance and reaching out to those in need. At a time when there is so much pain caused by religious polarization, many would like to see a renewed focus on love, and that is what this walk and the CrossWalk America organization are all about."