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Jim Wallis

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Jim Wallis at the Annual Meeting 2009 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, 2009.

The Reverend Jim Wallis (b. June 4, 1948, Detroit, Michigan) is an evangelical Christian writer and political activist, best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners Magazine and of the Washington, D.C.-based Christian community of the same name.

Wallis actively eschews political labels, but his advocacy tends to focus on issues of peace and social justice, earning him his primary support from the religious left. Wallis is also known for his opposition to the religious right's fiscal and foreign policies.[1]

Speaking to a conference of clergy from the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool (The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Derbyshire, UK, 23 June 2009) Wallis said, "The press don't get it - they say, 'Have you replaced the religious right with the religious left?'" Rather, he says that his Christian commitment does not allow him to align with any political wing - on some issues, his views would be counted as coming from the left, on others, from the right. "Don't go left, don't go right: go deeper."

Early life

Raised in a traditional evangelical Plymouth Brethren family,[2] as a young man Wallis became active in the civil rights movement. He graduated from Michigan State University, where he was President of Students for a Democratic Society and then went on to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois where he joined with other young seminarians in establishing the community that eventually became Sojourners.

Role in the Evangelical left

Wallis' writings are regularly published as op-eds in major media outlets, and he teaches a course in religion and politics at Harvard University. He is also the convener of Call to Renewal, an interfaith effort to end poverty. He has written a wide variety of books including The Great Awakening. Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America (2008), God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (2005), Faith Works: How Faith Based Organizations Are Changing Lives, Neighborhoods, and America (2000), The Soul of Politics: Beyond "Religious Right" and "Secular Left" (1995) and Call to Conversion (1981, revised 2005). In discussing the 2004 American presidential elections, Wallis said "Jesus didn’t speak at all about homosexuality. There are about 12 verses in the Bible that touch on that question ... [t]here are thousands of verses on poverty. I don’t hear a lot of that conversation."[3]

Political activism

In 2005, Wallis was arrested during a rally primarily against governmental missteps.[4]

Wallis was invited by Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to give the Democrats' weekly radio address on Saturday, December 2, 2006. He spoke about the importance of moral leadership in Washington, and touched on a variety of social concerns.[5] In February 2007 he wrote in Time about the post-Religious Right era and the resurgence of mainstream Christianity, with evangelicals "deserting the Religious Right in droves".[6]

He appeared on The Daily Show discussing faith and politics.[7]

Interfaith

In August 2009, he signed a public statement encouraging all Christians to "read, wrestle with, and respond to Caritas in Veritate", the social encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI.[8] A few months earlier, it was speculated that Wallis might have been chosen for the post of Vatican ambassador, but theologian Miguel H. Diaz was selected instead.[9]

Awards

For his work in advocating for peace and social justice in urban America and for his role as founder of Sojourners Magazine and the Call to Renewal, he was awarded the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience award in Sherborn, Massachusetts, on June 2, 2000.[10]

Personal life

Wallis is married to the Rev. Joy Carroll, upon whom the title character in The Vicar of Dibley was partially based[citation needed].

See also

References

  1. ^ Bates, Stephen (February 16, 2006). "US right has hijacked religious vote, says evangelical". guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
  2. ^ Mangu-Ward, Katherine (April 11, 2005). "God's Democrat: the Church of Jim Wallis" ([dead link]). The Weekly Standard. 10 (28). Washington, DC: News America Incorporated: 30–33.
  3. ^ Lumsden, Michal (March 10, 2005). "God's Politics: An Interview With Jim Wallis". MotherJones.com. San Francisco: Foundation for National Progress. Retrieved 2006-10-10.
  4. ^ http://securing.advomatic.com/ccn/node/3086
  5. ^ Wallis, Jim (2006-12-02). "We Need Greater Moral Leadership". God's Politics. Beliefnet. Retrieved 29 February 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dateformat= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Wallis, Jim. "The Religious Right's Era Is Over," Time.com, February 16, 2007
  7. ^ Sojourners : Special Features
  8. ^ Evangelical scholars call for broad discussion of Pope's social encyclical
  9. ^ Whom Will Obama Choose for Vatican Ambassador?
  10. ^ The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Recipients List

Publications

External links

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