A must read Book for people of Conscience and IntelligenceWallis brings an important and much needed message to the religious and political arena. Most of what he has to say is articulate, well thought out and presents the important message that Christians must beware of the dangers of "Group-Think."My primary criticism and the reason I give the book 4 stars rather than what would have otherwise surely been a 5, is that the title is somewhat misleading. Reading this book I was under the impression that it would seek to point out issues on both the Democrats and Republicans and indeed there are places where that seems to happen.Far more, however, this is aimed primarily at the "Right-Wing Conservative" faction of the Republican party who have embraced religious values. What little criticism the Democrats receive is more along the line of "They don't communicate their message, well." The title would lead you to believe there is criticism all the the way around. It just isn't so. -1 Star for misleading this reader in that regard.Granted, the Republicans are the party of power and as such are worthy of more scrutiny. Even factoring this in, I don't believe an objective reader could look at this and conclude it is a balanced and equally critical look at both parties.That having been said it is still an important and riveting book.Wallis is nothing if not passionate and his lifestyle and actions as reported by him, are in line with what he is saying which I respected immensely and chose to accept at face value. Of particular note, and resonating with this reader were these important points:1. No reading of the Bible can miss the prevelent theme of how Christians respond to the poor as a primary tenet of Christians and their role in society.2. Any Christian response to terrorism that is based on fear and focuses on external threats without addressing the legitimate needs of the poor, misses several primary teachings of Christianity and may, in fact, be planting the seeds of our own internal demise by what the response will be from those so neglected.3. There is no one party that espouses all legitimate values of the thinking Christian, therefore, decisions must be made based on a preponderance of issues and not just a few packaged for public consumption.4. Christians must come forward into the political process and bring with them their Faith-based values. Society needs them. Our faith demands it. To do otherwise is to leave the field to packaged populism which unfortunately, far too often allows itself to be drawn into the mold that the major parties prepare and the media conveys.Very much worth the read. Just be aware that the bias of the author is not particularly veiled and certainly not hard to see.

Focused on the 2004 presidential election, Gods Politics is a sweeping commentary on the two-party American political system. Jim Wallis believes that American leaders have a vision problem: a basic lack of vision. Therefore, Wallis recommends adopting a vision of justice borrowed from the pages of the Old Testament prophets. He believes, as I do, that our political system spends too much time, energy, and money on partisan bickering, acknowledging that every important social movement in American history (abolition, suffrage, civil rights) has started with a cause and vision capable of unifying diverse community and political leaders. Moreover, these movements were led by godly men and women who sought to live out the biblical mandate for justice in all areas of life. Wallis calls for a new vision for the common good that could inspire us all to live lives of service and to a whole new set of publicpriorities (pg. 28). In answering the question of how our faith should influence our political activities, Wallis writes that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans, the left or the right, have embraced a holistic vision for domestic or international justice and morality. While often focusing justly on social issues, too many Democrats have espoused a faith that is separate from their private lives and shy away from using moral or spiritual terminology. On the other side of the aisle, Republicans have often attempted to co-opt religious issues for political gain. This was particularly evident in George W. Bushs campaigns, during which the religious right was heavily courted through appeals to a very narrow spectrum of morality issues (abortion and gay rights). Christians on the Right have many healthy things to say about personal morality, but their social decisions show a lack of commitment to the common good in terms of economics and international diplomacy. Wallis calls for a new option that would combine the more conservative moral values of the Right with the social concerns of the Left. (I would like to see this as well.) Recently, I have been thinking about the continued disenfranchisement of Americas poor, so I am particularly interested in Wallis discussion of poverty and the Burger King Mom (pg.. 221), who is working hard and still struggling to pay rent each month. I must admit that I had never considered the context of Mark 14.7 in the way he describes it the disciples have the poor precisely because they are followers of Christ. Concern for the poor must be a plank (or several planks) in the platform of each Christian politician, for true religion is to help the needy and powerless (James 1.27). Wallis challenges both conservatives and liberals to stop placing blame, start developing creative solutions, and take leadership responsibility for the poverty-perpetuating policies they create. Similar to Paul Marshall in Thine Is the Kingdom, Wallis calls on large corporations to move away from simple profit toward the idea of common good and highlights the connection between racial prejudice and poverty. I agree that our country has a very long way to go toward economic righteousness and that we have a great deal to learn from the legacy of leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. about how we can unite our diverse politic under a common banner of integrity and justice. While I found Gods Politics to be a bit self-indulgent at times, I basically resonated with much of Wallis critique of the American political system. Many of my peers share my sense of disillusionment with our current two-party system, which seems to so often present a choice between the lesser of two evils instead of a choice for the common good. I am a bit uncomfortable with the way in which Wallis sometimes places the ideals of democracy side-by-side with Gods mandates, but I do believe that we have a useful system by which we can affect a great deal of positive change through a vision of holistic justice.

Conservatives (and by that I generally mean Republicans) like to think that they have a monopoly on Christian moral values. Conversely, liberals (i.e. Democrats) believe that they are the more rational and level-headed, owing to their more secularist views. Neither, of course, are correct or viable mindsets.Personal experience has led me to the conclusion that rationality and logic can be found in both politics and religion. Such rationality is, unfortunately, difficult to unearth because it is buried beneath a pile of loud-mouthed craziness from both the Right and the Left. It requires a lot of digging.Jim Wallis, a liberal evangelical Christian political activist (I know... let that simmer in the brain for a minute or two...) and editor/founder of Sojourners magazine, has been digging in the religio-poltical dirt for many years. A strong voice for the Christian Left, Wallis has been an advocate for many social justice issues, including poverty, war, gay rights, and the pro-life movement.While I dont subscribe to everything that Wallis promotes, his liberal views and his strong adherence to Christian teachings has often instilled me with a renewed faith in humanity. Wallis helped me to see that its possible to be a Christian AND a liberal. I know that sounds weird to say, but there was honestly a point in my life when I felt that I could only be one or the other, that I had to make a choice between the two, and my choice would ultimately be a betrayal to the other half of my self. One shouldnt be made to feel this way, and yet many people do.Part of the problem is cultural. In Walliss book, Gods Politics, Wallis writes in his introduction that God is not a Republican. Or a Democrat. which, for some, may seem like a DUH! statement.It wasnt for me, though.I had been one of those dupes led to believe, incorrectly, that Republicans werent just on the side of the Right; they were also on the side of the right, as in, correct. This was due in no small way to my religious indoctrination.I was what is referred to as a born-again Christian. Rather than going into a lengthy explanation and testimony, Ill simply say that I went from being an atheist to giving my life to Jesus Christ by professing that He is my Lord and Savior. Obviously, theres a lot more to it than that, but thats the basic gist.When I became a Christian, almost everyone I knew was a Republican. Everyone at my church was Republican, and the few that I suspected werent kept their political views to themselves.At the time, politics wasnt that important to me anyway, Ill admit. I was kind of still basking in the afterglow of my new life in Christ, so I didnt really give a shit what anyones political views were. We were all just shiny, happy people.Eventually, though, the honeyglow began to fade. Reality seeped in. Then, George W. Bush happened.I never liked W. From the first time I saw his Texan good ol boy face (which reminded me disturbingly of MAD Magazines Alfred E. Newman), I couldnt stand him. I didnt hate the guy: he was a Christian, after all, and a seemingly devout one. He was also a seemingly good family man. I just didnt like him.I wasnt supposed to dislike him, though. That was pretty much the unspoken rule among my predominantly Christian friends. (I had non-Christian friends, too, but I let some of these friendships lapse as I felt like I wasnt really supposed to like them, either. Love them, yes. And I prayed for them, and their unsaved souls, of course. But I just couldnt hang out with them anymore. I was in a new clique. The popular kids. Oops, I mean Christian kids.)Even after his pathetic performance during the presidential debates, even after his inauguration, even after 9/11: I still harbored a strong dislike for the guy. He was smarmy, hickish, and disingenuous, but I couldnt articluate any of that to any of my friends.It was right around the time that initial buzzings about going to war with Iraq started to happen that I noticed it: I was beginning to seriously doubt my faith. Part of the problem was that everywhere I looked, people seemed to be too accepting of the clearly outrageous bullshit being espoused by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfled, et al. And, by people I mean Christians.Why was it that I could see that the stuff they were saying just wasnt adding up but nobody else could? Of course, it wasnt just me. Many people were criticizing the President and alluding to the possibility that the Bush Administration was misleading the general public through misinformation and outright fabrications simply to garner support for war. These people, unfortunately, were liberals. Most of my friends rarely used the word themselves but when they did, it was dripping with vitriol and disgust. I was a liberal sympathizer. I and my fellow Christian friends with liberal views kept quiet.Many other people bit their tongue, too, because they didnt want to be perceived as rocking the boat. After all, Bush himself said that if you werent for him, you were against him. Which is fucked up, of course, but even more fucked up was the fact that I bought it. Because he was a Christian.It was a downward spiral after that. Im not going to lie or exaggerate: eight years of the Bush Administration killed my religion and faith.Its unfortunate that I spent so long feeling angry and upset and saddened that I couldnt be both a Christian and a liberal. I probably said a lot of hurtful things (unintentionally, but thats small comfort) to some of my Christian friends. For that, I am sorry.Thankfully, Jim Wallis happened.I picked up a Wallis book at the recommendation of a friend, who happened to be a Catholic and somewhat liberal in his views. I wasnt expecting much, but I did read it.Walliss words rekindled something inside me, something I thought I lost forever. He helped me to realize that I could be true to both sides of myself---my Christianity and my liberalism---and still have a vibrant faith.I cant say that my faith is that vibrant. Its been a long road back to feeling okay about calling myself a Christian again, and I know that I have a long way more to go, but I havent given up the soul-searching, and thats in large part due to Wallis.Gods Politics was written in 2005, and I wish that I had read it then, because my crisis of faith was probably at its peak during that time. Wallis writes at length about the Iraq War. An ardent pacifist, Walliss indictment of the Bush Administration is powerful. From a biblical and legal standpoint, Wallis makes a clear case that the Iraq War was, in every possible way, immoral, unjust, and illegal. Im sure many conservatives would read Walliss indictment of Bush as more liberal whining and Bush-bashing. Thats unfortunate, because they wont get the point.The main point of Walliss book is that its okay to marry politics and religion. The separation of church and state doesnt mean that politicians cant be religious or use their religion to help guide their decisions. Wallis is simply saying that there is a danger in using religion to implement and justify bad policy.Ill be honest: Gods Politics kind of fizzles out for me near the end. It ends up being a disjointed, unfocused series of essays and sermons on a wide variety of topics. Not that they arent readable and full of useful information and guidance, its just that Wallis seems unsure of how to end the book.The first part of the book, however, in which Wallis talks about the two issues he is most passionate about---poverty and war---is eye-opening and important. It is especially so due to Walliss contention (well-supported by Scripture and science) that the two are inextricably linked.Paraphrasing quotes from Pope Paul VI and from the Book of Micah, Wallis contends that the possibilities for peace, for avoiding war, depend upon everyone having enough for their own security... (p.191)His contentions arent all that shocking, but in a culture in which the poor are constantly vilified by the wealthy, where politicians continue to make policies that favor the rich and hurt the poor, and where so-called Christian men and women vote to increase military spending while cutting programs that are designed to help the needy, his views almost seem revolutionary.

BIBLICALLY BASED, JESUS FOLLOWINGThis book has risen to become my favorite book on the relationship between Christians and U.S. politics. Wallis doesn't pull any punches. He calls sin sin and he refuses to bow to the idols of Democrats and Republicans. Due to the timing of this publication, Wallis focuses a lot on the particular policies of the George W. Bush administration. This book leans left of center in a good way. I didn't agree with everything he said, but this is a solid and provocative read. I hope that it challenges us all to follow Jesus in both words and actions.

This is a refreshing outlook from a man who is a Christian in the truest sense of the word. It is unfortunate that the extreme right professing to be Christians aren't required to read this book. I have loaned this book to many people of ALL different religious persuasions (including an atheist or two) and all have come away with positive thoughts and a better understanding of today's moderate Christians as well as the extremists.This is a book that I will re-read every couple years.