with Rev Dr Chris Walker
Have a Little Faith
This is the title of a recent book by Mitch Albom. He was a sports writer who has become a very successful author. I have read some of his other books, namely Tuesdays with Morrie and the novels The Five People You Meet in Heaven and One More Day. This book is based around the true stories of two people: the Jewish rabbi he grew up with and a black Christian pastor in Detroit where he now lives.
He was surprisingly contacted by the Jewish rabbi and asked if he would do his eulogy. At first he thought he was doing the rabbi a favour in agreeing. However, in the course of a number of conversations over the next eight years Mitch realised it was a privilege to have the opportunity to share with such a thoughtful, faithful person. As a result he expanded his understanding of life and faith.
The second person was pastor of a decaying downtown church who provided for homeless people. Mitch had become concerned about homeless people and out of the royalties from his books gave to organisations that he felt served homeless people well. At first he was sceptical about this black pastor when he heard he had a criminal past before becoming a pastor. Over a series of contacts over a number of years he became satisfied not only of the genuineness of the black pastor but impressed with his dedication and thoughtfulness.
Mitch is Jewish but once he moved away from the parental home he became caught up in his career and drifted away from faith. Once a year he did attend the high service of the Jewish faith when visiting his parents without really identifying with it. So he was surprised when he was asked by his aging rabbi to do the eulogy at his funeral. As a child he was actively engaged in the life of the synagogue and looked up to his rabbi who was an impressive speaker. Getting to know him personally in his 40s was very different.
The book tells the story of these two religious leaders from Jewish and Christian faith positions. As a Jewish person with a traditional sense of the distinctiveness of the Jewish faith, Mitch learns that his rabbi is more open than he expected to those of other faiths. He tells stories of experiences that have a compelling impact. For example the rabbi tells him of a telephone call he received from the hospital asking that he come to meet with the husband of a woman who was dying. He did so and while the husband was at first resistant because he did not ask for a rabbi, they got into a significant conversation and the rabbi was able to offer pastoral support to this grief stricken man. On the way out he saw a nurse that he knew and realised that she was the one to call. She was a devoted Christian. Mitch comments that a Christian nurse called a rabbi to a situation she knew he could help with. The rabbi commented that it was a risk and took a lot of love to do so.
In another conversation he showed Mitch a photograph of a family in Iraq who had been bombed. He had been there and found the photograph among the ruins. As Muslims opposed to the American intervention Mitch comments that they were enemies, to which the rabbi says “enemies, schenemies. They were a family.”
The black pastor also shows this kind of openness and compassion. When asked if the homeless had to be Christian in order to get assistance, the pastor said ‘no’ but they were glad when they could offer prayer as well as food and shelter. The pastor had personally let people live in his home to help them overcome their addictive problems. As a former criminal and addict himself he knew what it was like to be desperate. However, he did not flaunt this but was very conscious of the bad things he had done in the past.
Mitch was able to gain support for the ministry of the deteriorating downtown Detroit church by writing an article about the pastor, the church and the homeless people served. This shamed the company which had cut off the heating, elicited volunteers, and led to stores giving goods and clothing to be made available to the homeless. In the article Mitch wrote about one homeless person who had been a notable baseball player who lost all his toes to frost bite sleeping in freezing conditions in a car. Eight years earlier his wife and child had left and this contributed to his downward spiral. As a result of the article he was contacted and was to meet his wife and child for the first time since then. His saying, ‘thanks’ to Mitch was heartfelt and made a deep impression on Mitch.
These two religious men from different faith traditions, Jewish and Christian, had a lot in common in terms of compassion, dedication and selfless service. They led Mitch to the point where he, towards the end of the book, is willing to affirm his faith in God. He recognises the value of faith in giving people a perspective and enabling them to become people of depth and love able to offer hope no matter what the situation.
It is a book I can recommend. Well written and inspiring, it offers the lived example of two people who represent their particular faith tradition well. Mitch does not say that all religions are equal or try to deal with religious pluralism in an intellectual way. What he offers are two impressive people whose lives have made a difference to those of many people based on their living out their faith.
Chris Walker
(National Consultant Christian Unity, Doctrine & Worship)