Reply #12: I first encountered Sojourners in the 1980s

[Lydia Leftcoast]

when I was involved in anti-nuke and Central American causes.

I believe that the original group was Mennonite. As you may know, the Mennonites are pacifists, and as with the Quakers, once you start being committed to peace, you start noticing all the interconnected systems and situations that prevent peace.

They've moved beyond the bounds of the Mennonite Church and now attract leftist Christians of all denominations. They're excellent at pointing out the Biblical passages that fundamentalists never seem to be able to find, :-) and they provide news on the efforts of Christians around the world to achieve peace and justice.

The one stance of theirs that might alienate progressives is that they are against abortion, but they're not the clinic-bombing, doctor-shooting types. Instead, their anti-abortion stance is part of their whole emphasis on non-violence. Their practical stance is much closer to "If you're against abortion, don't have one" than to "Show how pro-life you are by killing doctors." On the whole, though, they rarely mention it, and they're more into reducing the need for abortion, by fighting violence against women, poverty, lack of contraception, and other factors that cause unwanted pregnancies.

They're based in a cooperative spiritual community in Washington D.C. that does a lot of feeding and clothing and sheltering of the destitute.