 [Larger view] | The Soul of Politics: Beyond "Religious Right" and "Secular Left"
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| Great and timely advice, but... | |
| This is a very admirable view and Wallis is very forgiving, as we all should be. That is, after all, the Christian way. However, while we can and should forgive the Christian Right for their hypocrisy, they will not escape judgment from the son of man, as Jesus promised. Jesus said that while hypocrites prophesy and claim to do many wonderful works in the name of the Lord, they are an "abomination," and the day will come when they are told to depart from the church (unless they repent). That day has come. As Jesus promised, the messenger for the Spirit of Truth now guides us unto all truth and shows us things to come. (John 16:13-14) And the messenger is the "bridegroom-lamb" who, as John foresaw, is our "brother who has the testimony of Jesus." (Revelation 19:10) He is not the Christ, but the prodigal son of man who fulfills Jewish and Christian prophecy. He explains the true meaning of prophecy, and he delivers truly righteous judgment. This is all explained in the message, which is titled Real Prophecy Unveiled: Why the Christ Will Not Come Again, And Why the Religious Right Is Wrong, by Joseph J. Adamson. He says the world does not need a mortal savior to scorn and crucify, or to exalt and put on a pedestal, and no man should be tempted with such great worldly power or bear such responsibility. He says the world needs the truth, and nothing but the truth, and he repeats what Isaiah wrote, that "besides God there is no savior." Therefore, while Wallis offers us great advice, we should not be surprised that the fulfillment of prophecy will mean that the proud and militant will be brought low in order to enable the humble and meek to inherit the earth. That's what it's all about. | |
 Disgusted with politics? Give this book a try! | |
| Have you ever bought an interesting-looking book, tucked it away on a shelf, finally gotten around to reading it a couple of years later, and then kicked yourself for waiting so long? That's how I felt when I at last read Jim Wallis' *Soul of Politics*. If it doesn't reinspire you to work for a better society, nothing will. Wallis calls for what he calls a "prophetic politics of personal and social transformation," one that's built on the Judaeo-Christian insight that righteousness requires both individual and social responsibility. A contemporary re-application of this insight can help the secular left and the religious right learn from and complement one another and break free of the dysfunctional impasse they've reached. The left tends to overemphasize structural evil at the expense of individual responsibility; the right tends to overemphasize individual virtue while ignoring structural evil. But the prophetic politics--the politics with soul--Wallis advocates takes both into consideration. Individual responsibility to other individuals, to the community, to the environment, a call to action that "challenges the old while announcing the new" (p. 53), a spirit-filled replacement of unjust institutions that prevent humans from attaining maximal being: this is the heart of Wallis' message. It's easy to become cynical and opt out of the political arena to cultivate one's own garden. But if Wallis is correct, such a withdrawal--if I may use an old-fashioned word that we perhaps ought to take seriously again--is a sin. To remain silent in the face of injustice is to acquiesce to it. Wallis' book gives us a good idea of how to go about healing the fragmentation of our society. The last third of the book deals with strategic details. Read this book. Politics is too important to be left to the professional politicians. | |
| A different look at politcs | |
| Jim Wallis delivers and excellent work I was alerted to a few years ago. This book forces Christians, from both sides of the political spectrum to examine what they believe, and why they believe it. Especially pointed are the criticisms of how both sides have plans to deal with the poor, but both are off base in the extremes of what they are trying to accomplish. Jim Wallis lives to serve the less-fortunate, and it shows in his servant attitude as he wrote this book. I give Jim Wallis high marks for this book that challenges the status-quo. |
