And Jim Only Gets it Some Times Too

Sojourners magazine editor and social justice evangelical activist Jim Wallis re-entered the spotlight during the 2004 presidential elections. This book is often redundant, as Wallis rehashes the same themes over and over again, and it is not as balanced as the title suggests. There is a lot of rancor towards conservatives and the Bush administration in particular and often just mild lip-service on why the "left doesn't get it."

I wanted to like this book more. As a Christian, I do not belong to any political party. Both parties have strong suits and weak areas. I have criticisms on both major parties, but Wallis is so caught up in his political position, that scripture is used as a pre-text to spank the Bush administration and is seldom used to spank the Democratic party.

Wallis is pushing the turn of the century social gospel and devotes a major portion on the poor and scriptural text that support helping the poor. Wallis, however, needs to realize that the poor in our country do not suffer from poverty as much as moral fortitude (he gives slight mention to this, but does not developing it). If one wants poor, go to Central America, Africa, and some parts of Southeast Asia. Our poor are quite rich, flooded with opportunities (I know - I was once poor and now make a nice middle class income). Yes, Christian must help the poor, but giving money in the name of government programs without any moral change is self defeating (it has been tried and failed already Jim). Is the US system perfect, no - but governmental programs tend to burden the progress of helping the needy, not enhancing it.

His most thoughtful idea about the poor is that conservatives and liberals often make a "false choice" on how to solve the problem when he speaks about marriages on page 235. Here he speaks also to the faith community and challenges "Churches and nonprofit organizations" to be solution to poverty.

Wallis' review of our current "wars" and foreign policy positions is simply lacking in any real depth. There are more thoughtful left positions by other theologians. Wallis sounds more like hippie who has confused the reality of this conflict with leftist polemics. He insists on the UN to be more involved, but that corrupt organization has done very little in solving world problems (Rwanda and Sudan come immediately to mind). I almost thought Wallis worked for moveon.org. Wallis solutions here are just down right naive and at times silly, but he redeems himself by calling (others have as well) on the accountability of prisoner abuse to go up the chain of command. All in all, this portion falls completely flat, and Wallis sounds more like extreme leftists calling the action unilateral (which it is not) instead of a thoughtful anti-war promoter.

He is right on when he speaks about cooperate welfare, but often confuses this issue with tax cuts to individuals. His thesis suffers because of it and a pertinent message is almost lost. Chapter 18 is his strongest chapter and it is here that he effectively supports the title of his book. He scolds both the left and the right and while I disagree in some parts, he nevertheless makes a strong showing. This chapter, while small, should have been the standard to methodology for the entire book.

Lastly, Wallis is engaging, yet often redundant. He has moments of surefire hits, while then getting caught-up in his own progressive social gospel. I wanted to read a thoughtful book taking both sides to tasks, instead I got a book bent on attacking one administration and providing lip service to the left. He had a great opportunity, but mostly missed the mark. The progressives will walk away feeling the overwhelming need to remember the overwhelming criticisms on President Bush, and the right won't take this book seriously.But Wallis is engaging enough for three stars.

An Important Read for All Thinking Christians

This book is a rebuke to both the Right and the Left, and a challenge to all Christians to stop using the Bible to justify their own politics while leaving out the parts that talk about what God's vision for a just society looks like. Wallis challenges the dogma of the left that freedom of religion should be freedom from religion, while asking when it was that Jesus became pro-war and pro-rich (Who would Jesus bomb? To whom would Jesus give tax cuts?). An excellent discussion of the growing theology of empire, and how close to line of blasphemy some Republican speechwriters are getting in confusing the Light of the World (Jesus) with the temporal nation of America. If you are tired of the Right's mis-use of Christianity to justify robbing food from the mouths of hungry children, and if you are tired of the Left's insistence that the word Jesus never be uttered where a non-believer might hear it, this is the book for you.

Short-sighted and stupid to say the lest

This book gets it wrong on so many levels I hardly know where to begin. The author's bais is quickly revealed when he focus on "Social" ills being the main vilan that "True" Christianity needs to fight (i.e. advocating a social gospel instead of the Gospel of Christ).
Ok, here is the Problem: Liberal Christians have the compassion of Christ, but are completely heretical on their religious faith (i.e. they do not believe in the Virgin Birth, Divinity of Christ, Real Bodily Resurrection of Christ, etc.)and morals (i.e. pro-abortion, Pro-Homosexual, Pro-Euthanasian, basically just being pro-death and Anti-life all around). Conservative Christians are theologically correct, but have thrown off the true compassion of Christ as evidenced in the Gospel (i.e. They are Anti-Social Security, Anti-Welfare, Anti-socialized healthcare, etc.)
This is NOT all Christianity but American Protestant Christianity that separated into these two halfs where America needs both to regain her greatness.
Both sides have thrown away the Gospel and Taken on the dominant views of their political parties, which for liberals is the Democratic Party and for Conservatives is the Republican party. You see boys and girls Jesus Christ is neither Republican or Democrat. He is the Son of the One True Living God. Liberals, as the one who wrote this Book, don't get it and Conservatives just plain ignore it and both substiture Republican or Democratic Economic and Political theory for God's Truth. Bash Bush all you want, but don't use Christianity and the Bible for your political diatribe!