God’s Politics

God’s Politics: Why the American Right Gets It Right and the Left Doesn’t Get It

Jim Wallis

Jim Wallis’ major new book is a scathing indictment of the way that conservative evangelicals in the US have self-righteously attempted to co-opt any discussion of religion and politics. And, 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. God’s Politics offers a clarion call to make America’s religious communities and its government more accountable to key values of the prophetic religious tradition – pro-justice, pro-peace, pro-environment, pro-equality, pro-consistent ethic of life and pro-family. These are the values of love and justice, reconciliation, and community at the core of what many people believe, whether Christian or not.

In America why do moral values and belief in God seem to make people pro-war, pro-rich and pro-Republican? Jim Wallis’s major New York Times bestseller is a scathing indictment of the way that right-wing evangelicals in the US have hugged their Bibles, worn their flag pins and self-righteously attempted to co-opt any discussion of religion and politics, while at the same time ignoring the very values they profess to defend. The Left, he argues, hasn’t done much better, largely ignoring faith and continually separating moral discourse and personal ethics from public policy. Wallis issues a passionate call for America’s government and religious communities to be more accountable to the key values of the prophetic religious tradition – 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). These are the values of love, justice, reconciliation and community that are at the core of what many people believe, whether Christian or not. God’s Politics is a powerful, prophetic book that points the way for the future, not only of American society but also of rich western societies everywhere which are losing touch with the values that really matter.

“Jim Wallis is that rare thing: a US evangelist who doesn’t believe that Jesus wants tax cuts or to invade Iraq. And more and more people are taking notice.” Independent Magazine