God's Politics : Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

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Summary: We need it!
Review:
I think the American nation needs this book. It puts the right things right. Although I might not always agree with Mr. Wallis's views on certain issues, I like the fact that he separates the dirty, shameless politics from the religion. Mr. Wallis strikes me as a very objective and down-to-earth person. I am as much impressed by him as I was by Mr. Tombak after reading his book "Can We Live 150 Years?" You can see some excerpts of it at the publisher's website www.starthealthylife.com . They also offer some free ebooks on other interesting topics.


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Summary: Jesus Christ is not your personal savior
Review: After the confused brouhaha over values in recent American politics this book seems to offer tempting fruits for those ambitious to reset electoral derailments of the current generation of reaction. The temptation ought to be resisted, because it won't work, because it would be insincere, and false, and nothing to do with religion. At least, if those of evangelical faith wish to bring liberal values to religious conservatives, we can applaud the gesture. But if the author, exploiting the very conservative tide he wishes to oppose, sees fit to hector the 'left' on the grounds that they 'don't get it', one should reply vigorously that the left has always understood very well the ideological exploitations of religion and washed their hands of the game. Secularists have nothing to apologize for, and, while they certainly have no monopoly on truth, they have freed social discourse from the prejudices of religion. This kind of renewed mixture simply stirs up the confusions of obscurantist incoherence. We dare not allow ourselves the fantasy of moving in a retrograde direction. The modern generation, despite the resurgence of fundamentalism, long since reached a point of no return in that regard, and the world of the Old Testament no longer speaks honestly to the facts.Three centuries of Biblical Criticism have left us with no Bible to refer to, without indulging in theological fraud perpetrated on innocents. Time to deconstruct Jesus here, and not fritter away the meagre advances toward rational sanity in fool's errand competitions with the Bible Belt. The Bible as a plaything of spiritual politics is not going to help here, and this is something the left can't change, certainly not by a politician's speechifying to get votes from the mixtures of reds and greens.

Rating:
Summary: Grim
Review: An amazing book for those interested in the political developmenst in the USA over the past six decades. This book serves as a wake up call to the Liberals in US politics and an alarm to Americans and the rest of the world over the direction the Right is leading America to. Abyss is the right word for it.

Recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, STATE OF FEAR, GOOD HAS A DREAM

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: As a foriegner living in the US (I'm English), I am constantly amazed by the impact of relegion on US policy and decision making. Even in Ireland where the Catholic church has had significant impact, or the UK, where Church and Government is linked, politics are far more secular (as increasingly is the case throughout Europe).

This book helps demystify (to an outsider) the current role of relegion in the US; during the 2004 election it did appear the Republican party had a monopoly on religious issues. As someone used to secular politics this book helps explain the influence of relegion in a country where church and state are supposedly seperate.

This is a book the democratic leadership must take into account if they are to rectify their 2004 loss. Unless they wait for the US population to become more secular ....

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Summary: Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu praises it too
Review: I often asked myself during the last 2004 elections: Wouldn't somebody write something deep about faith and politics from a progressive line of thinking? And then came Jim Wallis with this book, as a timely gift to America. His book is the perfect answer for those who are searching for "THE RIGHT" political leadership that is steeped in genuine Christian beliefs. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, it was the leadership of the anti-war and civil rights movements led by the ideas of Rev. Martin Luther King, progressive clergy and nuns, made many of the social, moral and ethical changes possible. The religious right provided the leadership in the 1980s and today, it is the compassionate conservatives who with the religious right have virtually hijacked the Bible and made it a Republican idea. Their stand is giving The USA a bad name in the eyes of the rest of the world.


In "God's politics", the author successfully presented a powerful thought-provoking book that both believers and nonbelievers should read. Its dialectical approach puts a challenge to readers of both the right and left. They would be forced to think constructively and critically about the path and effects of cotemporary US at home and abroad. To me, God is neither Republican nor Democrat, and being pro-faith means committing oneself to helping the poor and needy and those who are being discriminated upon. This is a book for those who are searching for or have found Jesus Christ. Both Democrats and Republicans qualify.

While Republicans should read this book and correct their misconceptions, liberals should read it too and learn from the author, so that they can be bettered prepared for 2008.

Recommended: DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, GOOD HAS A DREAM

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Summary: Pronoun problem
Review: I was so looking forward to reading this book. Could not take it after the first chapter. Was expecting a great unbiased intellectual discourse...was I ever disappointed. The pronouns changed from "I" to "we"...who is "we" and were did "they" come from? Who are you speaking for? Now I get it. No offence, this isn't God's Politics, it's Jim Wallis's politics.

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Summary: Why We Must Stay True to the Bible
Review: Jim Wallis is an example of what happens when you mix the philosophy, politics, and traditions of men with Scripture - you get a murky view of the true nature of the gospel. While I certainly applaud Wallis' desire to help the poor, he greatly overemphasizes humanity's greatest need: salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:10-27). I agree with Wallis that the early Church helped the poor (Acts 4:32-37; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Gal. 2:10), they also taught the masses the truth of salvation only in Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:1-6). Mankinds greatest need is not to have our belly full but our hearts full of the Word of God (Col. 3:16-17).

Furthermore, Wallis (along with the Christian political movement) put too much faith in government and not much faith in God (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus Himself said that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36-37) and Paul said that as disciples we don't wrestle with flesh and blood (Eph. 6:11-12) but with demonic forces. The true disciples battle is not with communism or Democrats or liberals or conservatives but with Satan (2 Cor. 4:1-6). As disciples we must submit to governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17) and pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Whether they be a George Bush, a Bill Clinton, a Tony Blair, or a Nero. Our citizenship is not defined by our politics but our fruit (Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20; 2 Thess. 1:8-10; 1 John 2:3-6).

The only way we will change our nation and our world is through making disciples and it does not begin in the White House but in our house (1 Peter 4:17-18). May we help the poor but even more let us make true disciples (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 13:1-5; 24:47; Acts 2:38,41).

For further reading see:
MacArthur, John WHY GOVERNMENT CAN'T SAVE YOU
Thomas, Cal BLINDED BY MIGHT

Rating:
Summary: Soothing the Troubled Waters
Review: Sub-Title: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It

Judging from the press reports, the entire Christian world voted for George Bush in the recent election. And it's true that the Republicans made a concentrated effort towards attracting the right wing of the fundamentalist christian movement. Also though, reports show that 52 percent of Roman Catholics voted for Bush. This is just about the overall national average that voted for Bush.

Looked at in another way, this same statistic says that 48 percent (less a few percent who voted for minority candidates) voted for Kerry. This means that the Democrats really weren't so far behind that it would be impossible to catch up. It will be interesting to see if Howard Dean, the new chairman of the Democratic party will be able to reach out to this segment of the electorate.

In this book the author analyzes the impact that this religious disruption is causing and offers ways that might bring us together rather than continue down such divergent paths.

Rating:
Summary: Balancing the politcal 'teetor-totter'
Review: Wallis certainly doesn't suggest religion has no place in the public square. Rather, he's asking for consistancy between the various positions including poverty, human rights, corporate regulation, crime, life, and dignity.

The best summary on this book would be, "It provides a corrective to a religious Right that has truncated the discussion of moral values to several push-button issues and to a Left that separates considerations of religious and moral values from formulation of public policy." Clearly, both are needed.

Jim Wallis says Republicans like the language of faith, but use it narrowly and selectively. Democrats, on the other hand, are clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "Democrats need to recover a moral vocabulary, to put principles ahead of programs," contends Mr. Wallis. "Don't start with policies. Start with values and then say how your policies flow from them." That seems like such a basic, common-sense approach. At the same time it's something that's rarely done and something I need to be reminded of as I engage the public square.

Wallis and his associates want to expand the discussion of moral values from the Christian Right's focus on abortion and gay marriage to include a biblical concern for poverty, care of the natural environment and opposition to unjust war. They speak of a "consistent ethic of life." I think that's both fair and needed.