By The Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections Staff
Title: Sojourners Records, 1971-2006
ID: SC/023
Primary Creator: Sojourners Fellowship (1970-)
Extent: 92.0 boxes. More info below.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by series with folder level control.
Date Acquired: 00/00/1988
Subjects: Abortion -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Afro-Americans -- Civil rights, Christianity -- 20th century, Christianity and justice, Christianity and politics -- History -- 20th century, Christianity and politics -- United States, Christians -- Political activity, Church and social problems - United States, Church and state -- Biblical teaching, Church and the world -- United States, Conscience -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Disarmament -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Ecology -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Environmental protection -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Evangelicalism -- 20th century, Government, Resistance to -- Religious aspects, Liberalism (Religion) -- United States, Nonviolence -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, Peace -- Religious aspects -- Christianity, People's Christian Coalition, Pressure groups -- United States, Racism -- United States, Social ethics, Sojourners -- History, Sojourners Fellowship -- Archives, Sojourners Fellowship -- History, United States -- Church history -- 20th century, United States -- Race relations, Wallis, Jim, Wallis, Jim -- Interviews
Forms of Material: Administrative Records, Articles, Audiotapes, Correspondence, Filmstrips, Financial Records, Videotapes
Languages: English
In 1970 a group of students at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL began meeting to discuss the relationship between their Christian faith and troubling social and political issues, particularly the Vietnam War and the decay of ethics and values within American society. In 1971, the group created a publication entitled The Post-American: Voice of the People’s Christian Coalition, dedicated to their cause of radical Christian commitment and social justice. The editorial on the first page began with the assessment, “[W]e find ourselves in the midst of a radical awakening, among people who are raising basic questions about the quality of life in the world we inherit … [w]e are characterized by our protest and our frustrated search for counter-cultural alternatives more amendable to justice, peace, human values, and spiritual meaning.”
From the beginning, the Post-American posited the “revolutionary nature” of Christian faith, a faith that requires total commitment to Christ, as the cure to the ills of contemporary society. However, the group not only criticized the “status-quo” of society and politics, but also the American church for its non-confrontational silence on many social issues. For the People’s Christian Coalition, there was no place for social complacency in Christianity. Their mission is “to build a movement of people who seek to demonstrate the vital biblical connection between spiritual renewal and social justice."
In 1975 the group continued its mission by moving operations to Washington, D.C., starting an outreach ministry in the inner-city neighborhood of Columbia Heights. There, the group adopted the name “Sojourners,” reflecting their status as Christian pilgrims “present in the world but committed to a different order.” The Sojourners lived in a communal setting and continued to publish their social action periodical, also re-named Sojourners, as well as organizing and participating in peace events and similar demonstrations.
In the decades since the founding of their small community, Sojourners has developed into an international organization, still dedicated to a common “rule of life” and emphasizing Christian community and social action in the name of Christ. The group still publishes the bi-monthly Sojourners magazine, and partners its devotion to social justice with a devotion to witnessing the Good News of Christ to a distressed world. Sojourners represent the radical nature of Christian faith, a set of values not well understood by an individualistic, competitive society.
Abortion -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Afro-Americans -- Civil rights
Christianity -- 20th century
Christianity and justice
Christianity and politics -- History -- 20th century
Christianity and politics -- United States
Christians -- Political activity
Church and social problems - United States
Church and state -- Biblical teaching
Church and the world -- United States
Conscience -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Disarmament -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Ecology -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Environmental protection -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Evangelicalism -- 20th century
Government, Resistance to -- Religious aspects
Liberalism (Religion) -- United States
Nonviolence -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Peace -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
People's Christian Coalition
Pressure groups -- United States
Racism -- United States
Social ethics
Sojourners -- History
Sojourners Fellowship -- Archives
Sojourners Fellowship -- History
United States -- Church history -- 20th century
United States -- Race relations
Wallis, Jim
Wallis, Jim -- Interviews
Repository: Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections
Alternate Extent Statement: 38 linear feet
Access Restrictions: There are no specific restrictions on this collection.
Use Restrictions: Duplication may be restricted if copying could cause damage to items.
Acquisition Source: The establishment of the collection at Wheaton College dates to 1988, when the first of several shipments arrived from the Sojourners' office in Washington, DC. The donation became official in 1990.
Acquisition Method: Gift
Related Materials: Correspondence and articles by or about Jim Wallis are located in the Jim Wallis Papers (SC-109). Wallis is the editor of Sojourners and a co-founder of the group. For more information please see http://archon.wheaton.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=128.
Preferred Citation: Sojourners Records (SC-23), Wheaton College Special Collections, Wheaton, Illinois.
Other Note: The Sojourners Collection at Wheaton College details the history and activities of the Christian social action and community group Sojourners. Sojourners is a group of Christian people dedicated to the application of Biblical ethics and social justice to contemporary American society. The organization publishes Sojourners magazine and operates a community in Washington, D.C. Included as well is information about the Sojourners community itself and the group
Other URL: http://library.wheaton.edu
