Philanthropist and public speaker Shane Claiborne, who volunteered in India with Mother Teresa, emphasized the importance of serving others in a speech Wednesday in the Ryan Family Auditorium to more than 200 students.
Claiborne opened with his own spiritual history. Although he was raised a Christian, he said, he suffered from "spiritual bulimia," in which he constantly received the message of Christianity but would not really reflect on it. His faith changed in college when he became more aware of the plight of the homeless in his Philadelphia community. Eventually Claiborne was inspired to contact Mother Teresa so he could serve India's less fortunate.
All Christians are a vital part of the church, he said. He added that "the body of Christ is the people, not just an idea. We are the hands and feet of Jesus."
Being the hands and feet of Jesus requires people to go out and actively help others, he said. Ordinary acts of love are just as important as miracles, and Christians must do "small things with great love."
"I think what we're created for is to love and be loved," Claiborne said after his speech. "It's important to serve others not out of guilt or duty, and it is liberating for the people (we help) and for us."
In his speech, he also placed spoke about the concept of namaste, which calls people to see divinity in others. Adopting this perspective helped him become more compassionate toward the poor he worked with on a daily basis, Claiborne said.
After Claiborne spoke to the students, he invited them to an altar call of sorts, telling them to recognize that "belief and action can kiss." InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, which sponsored the event, laid dollar bills on stage and invited the audience to take a dollar and go forth and spend it charitably.
InterVarsity, a university-wide Christian organization, comprises three groups: Asian American Intervarsity, Greek Intervarsity and Multiethnic Intervarsity. Campus InterVarsity also collaborated with La Fe, a Chicago-based Latino Christian ministry, and House on the Rock, a black religious organization on campus.
Claiborne's visit to Northwestern coincides with the Quaerens exhibit displayed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Norris University Center. Quaerens, an interactive exhibit that invited students to share their experiences and opinions of Christianity, also was sponsored by campus Christian organizations.
"Because of (Claiborne's) accomplishments, we thought that having him speak would be a good closing event for Quaerens since he will speak about a lot of the same things that were highlighted in Quaerens," said Deborah Saenz, a Communication junior who coordinated the speech.
Even students who weren't Christians gave positive feedback about Claiborne's speech. Heba Elayan, a Weinberg junior, said she came to the event mainly because of her interest in social justice.
"(The message) wasn't anything shocking but well-tailored to the audience," Elayan said. "He's the type of Christian I respect. I have more openness toward Christians, and maybe I'll get involved, especially since this seems to be a group that cares for others."
Reach Andrea Castillo at a-castillo@northwestern.edu.
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