God's Politics

Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

By: Jim Wallis

Narrated by: Sam Freed

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Since when did believing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and solely pro-Republican? And since when did promoting and pursuing a progressive social agenda with a concern for economic security, health care, and educational opportunity mean you had to put faith in God aside?

God's Politics offers a clarion call to make both our religious communities and our government more accountable to key values of the prophetic religious tradition, that is, make them pro-justice, pro-peace, pro-environment, pro-equality, and pro-family (without making scapegoats of single mothers or gays). Our biblical faith and religious traditions simply do not allow us as a nation to continue to ignore the poor and marginalized, deny racial justice, tolerate the ravages of war, or turn away from the human rights of those made in the image of God. These are the values of love and justice, reconciliation, and community that Jesus taught and that are at the core of what many of us believe, Christian or not. Jim Wallis inspires us to hold our political leaders and policies accountable by integrating our deepest moral convictions into our nation's public life.

©2005 Jim Wallis (P)2005 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Wallis provides a refreshing alternative voice to the polarizing rhetoric currently popular." (Library Journal)

Excellent perspective on current politics

The title was intriguing which got me to order the book. I must admit that I also was a bit skeptical when I ordered the book. As I listened, this changed. I was duly impressed that the author provided the vantage point of both sides, backed it up with facts, and did not resort to ungrounded ideology.

Save your money

The author begins by declaring Christian principals, and then incongruously switches to secular politics enjoining ideals enthralled by the liberal fundamentalist agenda, (LFA). The tirade of anti-war sound bites focusing on the Iraq War is more of the same old same old. Many may truly regret purchasing this book. Beware.

Too much God, not enough politics

I was looking for a lot more politics, and a lot less self-righteousness. I agree with his premise that, if Christians actually asked and answered the question "what would Jesus do?," then the Republican Party would have to revise their platform, and Democrats would have to step up and talk about moral choices. But Wallis is condescending in his admonitions and keeps saything the same thing over and over and over...

Simply Awful

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.