Shawn the Baptist
Unite through mercy.
Religion often divides people of faith, splintering each of us into our own religious microcosm. We are good at forming religious opinions, but poorly equipped to live alongside someone whose opinion differs. Shawn the Baptist offers a different path: mercy. Mercy deepens faith and makes us more capable of holding the differences that come with being human.
Shawn is going on tour. It starts in the desert of Utah in 2026, where he will meet and speak with people in person as a boots-on-the-ground effort to build The Front.
Who is Shawn the Baptist?
Shawn the Baptist is the public moniker of Shawn McCraney, the host of Heart of the Matter: a punk, iconoclastic, independent biblical philosopher. His work is known for its boldness in the face of religious bondage and its care for the people he meets, especially the broken.
His message is that religion has told us the objective of faith is to exclude, divide, and hate, and that we have been lied to. He is traveling the nation with boots on the ground to confront that narrative head-on and promote unity through mercy, one person at a time.
What is The Front?
A United Front, or The Front, is a grassroots initiative to commit to mercy amidst religious difference. Those who join commit to prioritizing mercy toward other faith perspectives rather than division. Mercy makes room for both your own perspective and the other person's, and that room is what allows any perspective to be examined and to grow.
Joining is a commitment of spirit, made freely and for yourself, with no obligation and no vetting. You can join in heart without telling anyone. If you choose to share it, the website collects signatures with only a name, no tracking data and no contact information.
How to engage
- Join The Front. Read the commitment and, if you wish, add your signature at aunitedfront.org.
- Read The Front. A monthly post from Shawn the Baptist and company. Read the latest issue.
- Watch the series. Follow along with the current Shawn the Baptist series on Heart of the Matter. Watch the series.
- Meet Shawn. Learn more about Shawn the Baptist at meetshawnthebaptist.com.
- Host Shawn. Invite Shawn to your area, your platform, or your world at meetshawnthebaptist.com/host.