They are persons we rarely see in the same room, or on the same page, unless they are being set up against each other as pro and con, or on the set of the now cancelled CNN show, Crossfire. You can almost hear the announcer say, “From the left,” and “from the right.” Only here, in these pages, they speak a unified word of praise for Wallis and the words he has written.
Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and one of that conservative denomination’s most conservative voices, commends Wallis for “advocating religious belief as an invaluable resource.” Alongside Land sits Rabbi Michael Lerner, chair of the Network of Social Progressives and a reliable voice for liberal religious and political ideas, calling this book “my best argument for why (Jim Wallis) should be running for president of the United States.”
John Buchanan and Bill Hybels, conservative mega-church pastor Rich Nathan and Bono, Brian D. McClaren and Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, all standing together, observing what could be an uneasy truce, in order to offer commendation to this modern American prophet. Something is definitely different.
Once you get into the book itself, it is easy to see why these voices from both the right and the left are excited. Jim Wallis is an innovator in the often messy terrain of politics and religion. He gladly carries forward a movement in these early years of the 21st century that he says he did not start. Rather, he insists he was merely in the right place at the right time.
He is far too modest. The Sojourner’s Community was founded in 1971 as a community of young evangelicals who “found that neither our churches nor our society was measuring up to the way of Jesus — not even close” (p. 38). That community began gestating ideas and actions involving this new breed of Christian that they said was really as old as Jesus: Progressive Evangelicals. One could argue that rather than Wallis being in the right place at the right time, the church has finally caught up with his prophetic, inclusive vision.
This book is a coalescing of this wide-ranging convergence, a catalogue of change, and a summing up of a movement at long last come of age.
With the U.S. national election right around the corner and the specter of another cycle of debates descending predictably into so much pabulum and so little real concern for the pressing issues of our day, Wallis emerges as a voice not of the left or right or even the moderate middle. His voice is truly new to us in so many ways; new because it is a voice we thought was forgotten, the voice of a biblical prophet in our time, calling us all to higher ground.
The book is divided into two distinct parts. The first deals with the wave of change enveloping church and culture, as tired divisions and old ways of being church in the world give way to a new convergence. This convergence is epitomized by the increasing numbers of evangelical leaders, megachurch pastors, and organizations standing side by side with those on the left who are rediscovering their spiritual roots.
Wallis documents the long history of faith and politics in this country, especially those times in history when an awakening of faith has resulted in social change. He then outlines what he calls a new political and religious agenda, and articulates the rules of engagement for former adversaries who seek to become friends. Finally, he articulates a vision of the moral center, what he calls a “values-centered politics.” As a way of summing up this section of the book, Wallis asserts “Americans are much less concerned about what is liberal or conservative, Democratic or Republican, than about what is right and what works” (p. 97).
The second half of the book tries to work out the over-arching ideas shared thus far by identifying key issues that should be the agenda of a values-centered politics. Poverty, the environment, multiculturalism, issues of life (abortion, death penalty, end-of-life issues), family, war and peace, and political corruption and accountability are all examined through the prism of the new politics Wallis envisions.
When I came to the end of this book I felt hopeful. I suppose I did not realize the depth of cynicism embedded in my mind and soul when it came to politics, but this sudden flood of hopefulness caught me by surprise. I could actually envision a new way and a new day, beyond the petty power plays and divisive labels, characterized by unity, shared values, and moral grounding. I wanted to round up all my acquaintances of a different political persuasion and let them know that I was ready to do my part to transcend these old divisions. Most of all, I wanted to get involved again, I wanted to get up and move into a future that seemed suddenly possible.
It is this sense of hope that is Wallis’ greatest gift to the church and the wider society. When you read it, breathe deeply, take it all in, and, most of all, be prepared to move.
Christopher A. Joiner is pastor of First Church, Franklin, Tenn.
