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God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It - Jim Wallis
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
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3.33 15
Since when did believing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and 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?While... show more
Since when did believing in God and having moral values make you pro-war, pro-rich, and 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?While the Right in America has hijacked the language of faith to prop up its political agenda—an agenda not all people of faith support—the Left hasn't done much better, largely ignoring faith and continually separating moral discourse and personal ethics from public policy. While the Right argues that God's way is their way, the Left pursues an unrealistic separation of religious values from morally grounded political leadership. The consequence is a false choice between ideological religion and soulless politics.The effect of this dilemma was made clear in the 2004 presidential election. The Democrats' miscalculations have left them despairing and searching for a way forward. It has become clear that someone must challenge the Republicans' claim that they speak for God, or that they hold a monopoly on moral values in the nation's public life. Wallis argues that America's separation of church and state does not require banishing moral and religious values from the public square. In fact, the very survival of America's social fabric depends on such values and vision to shape our politics—a dependence the nation's founders recognized.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, pro-consistent ethic of life (beyond single issue voting), and pro-family (without making scapegoats of single mothers or gays and lesbians). 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. In the tradition of prophets such as Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and Desmond Tutu, Wallis inspires us to hold our political leaders and policies accountable by integrating our deepest moral convictions into our nation's public life.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN: 9780060558284 (0060558288)
Publisher: HarperSanFransisco
Pages no: 384
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Philosophical Musings of a Book Nerd
Philosophical Musings of a Book Nerd rated it
4.5 Understanding God in a Democratic World
I first heard about this book when I was with one of my lady friends watching late night television (the sort that you don't actually watch, but rather have on in the background while you talk about absolutely nothing in particular and are drinking some form of alcoholic beverage). Anyway, this frie...
mrsbond
mrsbond rated it
The author made his political affiliation a little too obvious, to the point where his credibility became questionable. I was expecting a more academic approach as opposed to an outpouring of personal opinion with a few scattered facts. Perhaps my opinion would be different had I been able to comple...
kristenrenn
kristenrenn rated it
2.0 God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get it
I'm waffling between 2 and 3 stars for this book. I started this book, and though Jim Wallis presents ideas that I liked, I just didn't get too far through it.When I picked it up I didn't realize that Jim Wallis was an evangelical Christian. I agree with his thoughts on how religion is used in poli...
debnance
debnance rated it
5.0 God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
I want to make everyone read this book, Christians, non-Christians, Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals. I love how Wallis wants to make the world better, how he shows common ground between diverse groups, and how he nevertheless comes across as a deeply spiritual yet humble man.I plan t...
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