Ashley Wright

Beatitudes Society 2007 Fellow - United Religions Initiative; Beatitudes Society Chapter Member (Iliff)

I often feel as if I am a walking contradiction.

I’m a politically moderate, socially progressive activist who has a shoe addiction and can often be found reading a book on some long dead American President. Depending on where I go I am labeled flamingly liberal and on the other end of the spectrum fairly conservative.

Yes, I, Ashley am a Southern Progressive Christian. Yes, it is possible. There are many stereotypes about Bible Belt Christianity and the idea of progressive Christianity existing there may be somewhat foreign to outsiders. But my southern roots run deep, as well as my commitment towards bringing about a more moderate Christian voice into the public square.
During my time at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado I have really been able to develop a deeper commitment to the long-standing Christian tradition to calling out social sins. I have been exploring the idea of what a Christian prophetic voice looks like in the modern world and how this voice can be strengthened.

During my summer Fellowship at United Religions Initiative in San Francisco, I have been inspired to see that many faith traditions, spiritual expressions and indigenous communities are uniting to also bring a prophetic spiritual voice to the global table when it comes to bringing about a better and loving world that is focusing on building stronger communities based on a commitment to peace and understanding.

I truly believe that if we are going to move forward in building a more peaceful world the depth of mutual respect and understanding that URI has achieved within their organization globally will be undeniably necessary.
So shameless plug here, but I want to quote part of the preamble of the URI Charter:

“We value voices that respect others, and believe that sharing our values and wisdom can lead us to act for the good of all…As independent people rooted in our traditions, we now united for the benefit of our Earth community.
We unite to build cultures of peace and justice.
We unite to heal and protect the Earth.
We unite to build safe places for conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation.”

I hope to myself unite around such principles in my future work both here in the U.S. and elsewhere, and hope others will walk with me in this path of mutual respect and responsibility.

Strengthening the progressive Christian network for justice, compassion, & peace