Name: Jim Wallis
Why you've heard of him: Wallis is the leading voice of "progressive evangelicals." He speaks at more than 200 events a year and his columns appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and other major newspapers.
Position: Activist, speaker, and editor of Sojourners magazine; founder of Call to Renewal, a faith-based anti-poverty program.
Previous: Founder of Sojourners; Taught at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Denomination: Unknown
Education:Attended seminary at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Area of interest/expertise:Ethics, social justice, and politics.
Regular contributor to: Sojourners
Books: The Soul of Politics (1994), Who Speaks for God? A New Politics of Compassion, Community, and Civility (1996), Call to Conversion (1992), Agenda for Biblical People (1984), and Revive Us Again (1983).
Assessment:Wallis is a staunch advocate on issues of "social justice" such as helping the poor. A large part of the conservative wing of evangelicalism has been shamefully inadequate in responding to Jesus command to help the poor, so Wallis is providing a much-needed corrective.
Unfortunately, his answer for how to respond is rooted more in antiquated and discredited leftist ideas than in the Bible. Government redistribution of wealth in not a Biblical idea, yet it appears to be the cornerstone of Wallis' response to poverty. (His compassion also doesn't appear to extend to the innocent civilians of Israel. Like most liberals, he pins the Palestine problem on the Israelis while ignoring the fact that they have refused offers to have their own state.)
While Wallis appears to be a genuine and passionate Christian he would do well to base his political views a bit more on the Bible and a bit less on leftist ideology.
Recent media citations:
NPR, Morality and the Presidential Election (Wallis discusses the upcoming election and gets in a spat with fellow guest Jerry Falwell.)
Newsday, Religion to have role at the polls
Washington Post, America's Christians less outraged than leaders opposing gay marriage
(This is #2 in the Know Your Evangelicals series.)
1
You sure pick some really strange people to represent Evangelicalism!
So far, all from the other side of the divide discussed in Dr. Francis Schaeffer's _The Great Evangelical Disaster_.
posted on 07.31.2004 7:26 PM2
Jim Wallis is the first person as a Christian I can agree with in terms of politics. I'm shocked at your claims at his "leftist ideology" not being Biblical. He's the most Biblical Christian I've heard yet. Maybe you need to re-think your commentary...
posted on 09.15.2004 2:14 PM