Sara Miles
Sara Miles
Full Name and Common Aliases
Sara Miles is a British-American author, activist, and Anglican priest known for her work on spirituality, social justice, and community building.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: 1964 (exact date not publicly available)
No information on her passing is readily available in public records.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: British-American
Profession(s): Author, Activist, Anglican Priest
Sara Miles has been involved in various roles throughout her life. As an author, she has published several books that explore the intersection of spirituality, social justice, and everyday life. Her writing often highlights the importance of community, compassion, and radical inclusivity.
Early Life and Background
Miles grew up in a secular household but found her way to Christianity through her experiences with homelessness and poverty while living in London's East End. This encounter with the marginalized and vulnerable had a profound impact on her life, leading her to explore her faith more deeply.
She eventually pursued ordination as an Anglican priest and was ordained in 2008. Her background as a social activist and community organizer has influenced her approach to ministry, emphasizing the importance of building relationships and fostering inclusive communities.
Major Accomplishments
Miles' work has been recognized for its innovative approach to faith and spirituality. Some notable accomplishments include:
Founding and directing The Guerilla Girls on Tour, a traveling arts collective that aimed to bring art to marginalized communities.
Serving as the rector of St. Mark's Church in San Francisco, where she implemented a number of community-building initiatives and worked with local organizations to address issues such as homelessness and immigration.
Notable Works or Actions
Some notable works include:
"Take This Bread: A Radical Discovery" (2007) - Miles' first book explores her journey from atheist to Anglican priest, highlighting the transformative power of faith in everyday life.
"The Serving Machine" (2013) - Her second book delves into the intersection of spirituality and social justice, arguing that true transformation can only be achieved through acts of radical compassion.
Impact and Legacy
Miles' work has had a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals. Through her writing, activism, and ministry, she has inspired others to re-imagine their relationship with faith and community. Her commitment to social justice and radical inclusivity continues to challenge traditional notions of spirituality and inspire new generations of activists and artists.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Sara Miles is widely quoted and remembered for her innovative approach to faith, her commitment to social justice, and her inspiring example of transformation through community engagement. Her writing has been praised for its accessibility, humor, and depth, making her a beloved voice in the world of spirituality and activism.
With her emphasis on radical compassion, inclusivity, and community building, Sara Miles serves as a powerful reminder that faith can be a catalyst for positive change in our lives and in the world around us.
Quotes by Sara Miles
Sara Miles's insights on:
I began to understand why so many people chose to be “born-again” and follow strict rules that would tell them what to do, once and for all. It was tempting to rely on a formula – “accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior,” for example – that became itself a form of idolatry and kept you from experiencing God in your flesh, in the complicated flesh of others. It was tempting to proclaim yourself “saved” and go back to sleep.
This was where I found my faith: a faith expressed in the wild conceit that a helpless, low-caste baby could be God. That ugly, contaminated, and unimportant people embodied holiness. That my own neediness and misfitting, not my goodness or piety, were what God intended to use.
What happened once I started distributing communion was the truly disturbing, dreadful realization about Christianity: You can’t be a Christian by yourself.
Charity had always slightly creeped me out: There was nothing quite as condescending as the phrase “helping the less fortunate” rolling off the tongue of a white professional, as if poverty were a matter of luck instead of the result of a political system.
Imperialism and exploitation,” he wrote, “spheres of influence, trade barriers, unequal distribution of the world’s goods, starvation in the midst of plenty, slums with gold coasts next door, poverty supporting luxury: These are marks of an unChristian world.
Conversion was turning out to be quite far from the greeting-card moment promised by televangelists, when Jesus steps into your life, personally saves you, and becomes your lucky charm forever. Instead, it was socially and politically awkward, as well as profoundly confusing. I wasn’t struck with any sudden conviction that I now understood the “truth.” If anything, I was just crabbier, lonelier, and more destabilized.
While the classic conversion story involves desperation, hitting bottom, and a plea for help, I think now that it was gratitude, as well as the suffering I’d seen, that made room for me to open my heart to something new.
In big ways and small, I knew exactly how selfish a war could make me, and I saw all around me how fear and need drove other people to terrible betrayals. Yet over and over, I also saw how war created a community, a people, and how that community was nourished by gestures of sharing. It was sharing that didn’t depend on personal intimacy, and a community that didn’t depend on everyone’s being friends; it foreshadowed what I would come to understand as church, at its best.
Imperialism and exploitation,” he wrote, “spheres of influence, trade barriers, unequal distribution of the world's goods, starvation in the midst of plenty, slums with gold coasts next door, poverty supporting luxury: These are marks of an unChristian world.
I was, as the prophet said, hungering and thirsting for righteousness. I found it at the eternal and material core of Christianity: body, blood, bread, wine, poured out freely, shared by all.