This book is simply terrible. It is boring, repititous, and poorly reasoned. Though the author, Jim Wallis, decries the partisan lens through which religious right figures approach politics, the DNC could scarcely have written a more partisan screed.
Opposition to the Iraq war serves as the centerpiece of this book. Wallis is a proponent of the view that terrorism should be treated as a law-enforcement problem and as an opportunity to improve US policies by addressing terrorists? grievances. He dances around the question of what to do about sovereign states that harbor terrorism, but makes clear his strong preference for non-violence. His naivety is shocking. Rather than deposing Sadaam by war, he regrets that we did not encourage a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience within Iraq to topple him.
While Wallis consistently says that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were unjustifiable, he goes on to say that they were made possible by world reaction to American ?crimes? and policies. He is particularly incensed by US support for Israel, saying that the Jewish state?s policies (termed ?state-sponsored terrorism?) are grossly disproportionate to Palestinian actions. His grab bag of complaints spans the usual left-wing gamut, running from the support of right-wing dictators in the cold war to global inequality. Apparently, Al-Qaeda?s strikes are related to Reagan?s support of the contras.
Wallis would dispute it, but I feel this book verges on anti-American. His one-sidedly critique of American policy begs the conclusion that we brought terrorist attacks on. He analogizes the current ?American empire? to the Roman one that persecuted early Christians. And he repeatedly belittles patriotism. American citizenship seems an inconsequential affiliation to him, if not an outright embarrassment. Incredibly, he states that a Christian should care more about non-American Christians opinion than the opinion of fellow Americans.
