God's Politics by Jim Wallis

[Tux314]

How many of you have read God's Politics by Jim Wallis? Any reactions? (I just finished reading it.)

For those who haven't read it, Wallis is an evangelical Christian whose basic thesis is that neither the Right nor the Left has it "right." While the Right has "co-opted" Christianity for its own pro-rich agenda, the Left has ignored the importance of religion in the public square. Wallis believes that Christians too often ignore the numerous passages in the Bible that deal with the poor, which he sees as a major problem with the Right today. He also believes that the Right ignores governmental responsibility in overcoming poverty. He believes, however, that the Left has ignored issues of personal responsibility in poverty.

Here I think he makes some good points.

He also advocates a "consistent ethic of life," opposing not merely abortion but also the death penalty and (at least in most cases) war. While he believes that Saddam was a cruel dictator who needed to be removed, he does not believe that war was the appropriate course of action in Iraq. He also opposes American occupation of Iraq, favoring an international effort to rebuild.

Although I don't really know enough about the Iraq war to judge whether it was necessary, I do think that Wallis's idea of a consistent pro-life position (which he does derive from Catholic teaching) rings true with me.

I wish Wallis were more clear on the status of other religions. He believes that people of different faiths can work together towards common causes such as peace and overcoming poverty; this much I agree with. I would also agree that freedom of religion is a good thing, and that the government should not discriminate on the basis of religious belief. However, quite possibly because he was discussing politics, Wallis did not mention the importance of evangelism or the fact that non-Christian religions are false.

I would also disagree, at least from a Christian perspective, with Wallis's views on gay marriage. He seems to think that all opposition to gay marriage comes from a belief that homosexuals are responsible for the decline of the family. He rightly denounces this belief as cruel and unfounded. However, about his only statement on the Bible's perspective is to acknowledge that conservatives believe "the Bible does not affirm homosexual practice." He basically comes out desiring gay civil unions which do not use the name "marriage," and allowing individual churches to decide whether to bless same-sex marriages. I must admit that I'm not sure how this issue should be dealt with by the government. My only strong position is that Christian churches should not bless same-sex marriages, although they should certainly accept repentant homosexuals, and those who do not act on their same-sex attractions, with open arms.

In case anyone is wondering about the orthodoxy of his beliefs, he does say that he believes in the physical Resurrection of Christ.

[decoski]

I too read the book. While I admired his compassion for the poor and his faith, his solutions are not workable and come right out of the communist playbook that has proven to be a failure. Government isn't the solution. A good read nonetheless.

[Da Lone-Warrior]

I posted an outline summary of God's politics.

http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/sh...48&postcount=4

Any time someone calls something communism without explaining why, take whatever they say with a serious grain of salt. That's mainly an ideological swear word some people use today, not unlike fascist or homophobe.

dlw

[Tux314]

I posted an outline summary of God's politics.

http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/sh...48&postcount=4

Thanks for the link. I hadn't seen that thread before.

Any time someone calls something communism without explaining why, take whatever they say with a serious grain of salt. That's mainly an ideological swear word some people use today, not unlike fascist or homophobe.

That's what I was thinking. However, I applaud decoski for acknowledging Wallis's faith and offering some respect. I do think that was a lame way to dismiss his ideas, though.

[decoski]

I posted an outline summary of God's politics.

http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/sh...48&postcount=4

Any time someone calls something communism without explaining why, take whatever they say with a serious grain of salt. That's mainly an ideological swear word some people use today, not unlike fascist or homophobe.

dlw

I'm not here to do your homework for you. Just take a look at his background, who he worked for, and some of his quotes.http://www.discoverthenetwork.org/in...asp?indid=1833 That being said, I do believe he has a good heart and is following the teachings of Jesus. I just think that some of his METHODS won't work (government solutions). That's all for now.

decoski