Jim Wallis encourages us to find common ground by moving to higher ground

The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America by Jim Wallis

Published in 2008, this book (by the author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It) is a call to action for all people of faith (Wallis is a Christian and much of the book speaks to that background, but there is much here for people with any concern for moral living and/or an engaged spirituality).  If you aren't intrigued by this description, let me just add that not many books have blurbs on the back cover from Bono (yes, from U2) as well as the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church (a mega-church near Chicago).  :)


Wallis says:

 "the era of the Religious Right is now past, and it's up to all of us to create a new day "(p.9).  " . . . I have come to three clear conclusions.  First, when it comes to faith and politics, the monologue of the Religious Right is indeed over and a new dialogue has begun.  Second, now is the time for movements seeking social justice and peace to recover or find their faith and values and, indeed, to rediscover the social power of spiritual renewal.  Third, the evangelistic call of our time is to a personal faith that includes a passionate commitment to justice." (p. 34)

"Religious convictions must therefore be translated into moral arguments, which must win the political debate if they are to be implemented.  Religious people don't get to win just because they are religious . . . They, like any other citizen, have to convince their fellow citizens that what they propose is best for the common good -- for all of us and not just for the religious.  Clearly, part of the work to be done includes teaching religious people how to make their appeals in moral language and secular people not to fear that such appeals will lead to theocracy." (p.27)

  "The Christianity of private piety, affluent conformity, and 'God Bless [only] America' has compromised the witness of the church while putting a new generation of Christians to sleep.  Defining faith by the the things you won't do doesn't create a compelling style of life." p.39

I appreciate so much about Jim Wallis and the work that he has done -- with Sojourners in D.C. since the 70's as well as his more recent challenges to the religious, moral, and political status quo.  He pulls no punches and is non-partisan in a way that one doesn't see very often these days.   If I had to mention one of his ideas that I most struggle with, it would be his focus on the importance of a two-parent family -- largely, I think because I feel defensive of the single parents I know -- those who have chosen single parenthood and those who have not -- the idea that their families are somehow "less than" is hard for me to swallow.  And, in all fairness, is really not what Wallis is even saying.  And when I think of my occasional sadness (once a year or so I'm brought to tears) when I observe friends' close relationships with their fathers,(my parents divorced when I was in 2nd grade) I think I see, perhaps, a bit more of his point.

Chapter 6 deals with caring for our planet.  Wallis references this blog post by Brian McLaren (who rocks, to put it formally, in many of the same ways that Wallis does).  Check it out -- I am thrilled by the idea of using the stories of Joseph and Noah to cite a mandate to care for our planet and to think ahead about creative ways to solve environmental issues.

In his chapter on equality and diversity (as he does throughout the book), Wallis encourages his readers to speak up about injustice and inequality: 

"It was Paul, a Jew, who most confronted his Christian community and fellow Jews on their reluctance to embrace and include the Gentiles in the new community of the church.  It's time for white people to talk about race, and for men to talk about gender justice" (p.167).

 And a startling idea for many from the section on religious pluralism:

"As a Christian, and an evangelical Christian at that, I want to say emphatically that America is not, and should not be, a "Christian nation" (p.180).

An idea that would have been novel to me 20 years ago but that resonates strongly within me after 5 years at a Mennonite college and (what I sudden realize is) many years attending Mennonite churches:

"The principle of life and dignity must therefore be applied to every place that human life is threatened, including abortion (but not just abortion), euthanasia, human trafficking, torture, genocide, capital punishment, and pandemic diseases, just to name a few.  Indeed, most of the issues raised in this book are 'life issues,' including the great environmental threats, racism, poverty, and war" (p.193). 

 And an example of why I feel he is non-partisan (though I think some would not appreciate the first use of the word child):

"If I were an unborn child and wanted the support of the far right, it would be better for me to stay unborn as long as possible because once I was born, I would be off its radar screen -- no child care, no health care, nothing.  Nor should I expect support from the far left, which speak so much about human rights, because I won't have any until after my birth" (p 214).

Wallis quoting Gordon Brown quoting Gandhi:

"Whenever you are in doubt apply the following test.  Recall the face of the poorest and weakest person whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use tot them . . . then . . you will find your doubts melt away" (p. 252).

 I'm making myself stop now before I've quoted the entire book to ya'all, but suffice it to say there is a lot of food for thought herein.