A Crisis of Will
Background
The United States is a nation of abundance — the wealthiest society in history. Yet nearly half of its people are poor or low-income.
If poverty is addressed at all, it’s often through charity — separating the “givers” from the “receivers.” It’s a broken narrative that blames people for their own suffering and sees handouts as the only way to deal with it.
But the problem of poverty festers far deeper than any band-aid treatment can heal. The systems that govern our society – racism, climate devastation, militarism, and more — are shaped by moral and spiritual poverty: a failure to see the common good as our shared responsibility. What’s more, religion is often being weaponized to justify inequality and serve the powerful rather than challenge them.
Clearly, poverty isn’t a crisis of resources. It’s a crisis of will.
Initiative Overview
For the last two decades, the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice embodies a different path — one led by those most affected by the realities of being poor.
The organization takes its name from the ancient Greek word that describes a time of great change when new ways are struggling to be born, explains the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Kairos director. “Kairos brings spiritual imagination for social transformation by organizing with and through the poor, lifting their voices as moral leaders, and reclaiming faith as a bottom-up force for liberation, justice, and systemic change,” she says. “We’re fighting not just against poverty. We’re fighting against a theology that justifies poverty. And the people closest to the pain are the ones closest to the solutions. That’s what Kairos means — God breaking in through the cracks.”
It’s multifaceted work that includes organizing campaigns, mobilizations, convenings, educational programs, faith gatherings, arts and culture, research and scholarship, and more. Drawing on biblical visions where no one goes without, Kairos calls us to put the poor first, centering their needs and dignity in the pursuit of a more just world.
The result is a national network that reaches into thousands of communities and is increasingly influencing elected officials at every level of government. Fueled by firsthand experiences of economic hardship combined with spirit-driven insights and imagination, it’s opening hearts and minds about the real reasons poverty exists and creating a movement to end it.
“We’re fighting not just against poverty. We’re fighting against a theology that justifies poverty. And the people closest to the pain are the ones closest to the solutions,” says Theoharis. “We’re not just building programs. We’re building a movement to shift the moral narrative — and it has to come from the bottom up.”
Key Components
Hosting the Freedom Church of the Poor — a spiritual and strategic home for services, workshops, and storytelling led by and for the poor.
Co-anchoring the 2017 Poor People’s Campaign, one of the largest and most compelling social movements of our time, and supporting its ongoing impact through coordinated activism in 40+ states.
Integrating art as a tool for resistance, reflection, and joy.
Training emerging leaders to shape national conversations on housing and environmental justice.
Developing and sharing spiritual and cultural tools — music, sermons, liturgies, and more — to fuel organizing and foster belonging across geography, race, and tradition.
Impact
Thousands reached through weekly in-person and online Freedom Church of the Poor services and Bible study sessions.
Mobilizing participants from 40+ states for the 2017 Poor People’s Campaign and sustaining their continuing involvement in a wide network of religious organizations and political efforts, including the 2024 “Mass Poor People’s & Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly & Moral March on Washington D.C. and to the Polls,” attended by thousands.
50+ original productions, including “Songs in the Key of Resistance Songbook,” “It’s Kairos Time” podcast series, and the “America Will Be” video series.
17 policy and research resources, including “How the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Impact You,” and “A Matter of Survival.”
“We’re not afraid to call things sacred. We believe faith can be a force that moves the world toward justice — not away from it.”
— The Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Kairos director
How Spirituality Makes This Work Different
Most philanthropic efforts depend on charity — handouts of money, material goods, and services. The Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice goes deeper by focusing on the root causes of poverty.
Drawing on biblical inspiration — visions such as Jubilee, the Sabbath, and manna where no one goes without — it’s reaching within and beyond mere charity to build a Spirit-filled time of moral reckoning and possibility. Rooted in their faith, they are applying prophetic imagination to challenge the paradigm of how things are and helping to imagine boldly how things might be. This is pure spiritual imagination in action.
How can we move our abundance toward the flourishing of all? What if, instead of upholding systems of racism, patriarchy, and economic exploitation, faith became a firm foundation for speaking truth to power? And what if, by joining together to end injustices, we can become a truly healthy, morally motivated society?