Gods Politics – Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesnt Get It

Gods Politics Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesnt Get It

New York Times bestseller God's Politics struck a chord with Americans disenchanted with how the Right had co-opted all talk about integrating religious values into our politics, and with the Left, who were mute on the subject. Jim Wallis argues that America's separation of church and state does not require banishing moral and religious values from the public square. God's Politics offers a vision for how to convert spiritual values into real social change and has started a grassroots movement to hold our political leaders accountable by incorporating our deepest convictions about war, poverty, racism, abortion, capital punishment, and other moral issues into our nation's public life. Who can change the political wind? Only we can.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Loved this book!
Awesome book – well worth the cover price. The author gives a concise and detailed account of contempory American politics and social forces. This tome could easily be a textbook (although more interesting then a typical textbook) for any student of the politics and political influences of the American electorate.

2 Stars Wallis Doesn't See
It is on rare occasion that I disagree so completely with a book as I do with Jim Wallis' "God's Politics" (2005 399-page paperback). This uninformed radical tome is only briefly resourced, with ten short pages of newspaper, magazine, and Internet references. (One wonders if Wallis reads books?)

The book's "progressive" (really revisionist) religious reflections tend towards anthrocentric humanism and not God's activity with people. The text is much more tuned for defining "politics" than suggesting God's concerns and abilities. Most disconcerting is Wallis comfort with eisegeting Scripture (bending it to his odd determinations).

Where, for example, in the Bible does God demand "social justice"? Wallis thinks the prophets, Jesus, and the Apostles preach this. The black and white words (and red letter edition) of Scripture say, over and over again, that God requires personal holiness, not social justice! Jesus is about bringing a personal revolution in individual faith, not about curbing society to contemporary progressivism control standards. Wallis' activist's eyes simply don't see.

"God's Politics" is too long (earning it fewer stars). Wallis is redundant, repeating the same point (thankfully with different stories) over and over. The text's entire position is gleaned by page 40 (the end of section 1 of 6). The book would be much more recommendable with a 200 page reduction.

The best part of the book is Wallis' illustrations. He likes a good story and likes to hear himself tell it. (He's a real name-dropper.) For those looking for narrative material, Wallis is a quick read (the first sentence of each of his long droning paragraphs will suffice).

Those looking for a text about God will be disappointed here. Others wanting to learn about early 21st century progressive humanism will want to read this book.

3 Stars I didn't agree with some of Mr. Wallis' premises
I read this because I belong to a book group in my church. It was good to see some alternative viewpoints to the "religious right", but it seemed that the author assumed readers would agree with his views.

It was worth reading, but I can't recommend it wholeheartedly.

5 Stars Speedy delivery; great product
It's everything I was looking for in the purchase of a book on-online: I sought out the title, purchased it with ease and it was delivered within a matter of days in perfect condition. Short of including a cup of coffee, it was all I could hope for with none of the hassle.

2 Stars weak and inconsistent
This book is poorly written or poorly edited. It rambles along like a casual conversation, rather than a concise and principled exhortation. It is as if Wallis just talked into his tape recorder and no one ever took the time to edit or organize his stream of consciousness. He constantly digresses into subjects irrelevant to his then current topic.

Second, he is inconsistent, with no attempt to ever justify or explain. It is hard to believe that neither he nor his editors recognize these inconsistencies. He advocates for a strong government when it comes to the moral issues of poverty, etc, but a weak government on the moral issues of sex,abortion, and war……..without ever explaining: a) why biblical principles somehow dictate a different role for government on these different subjects or b) why, as a practical matter, those issues must or should be attacked differently.

Likewise, he never explains why he loves to cite the Old Testament on the issues where he wants more government, but he ignores the Old Testament when arguing against all of the right wing's "moral" issues.

He strongly condemns President Bush, perhaps rightly, for overly confident, self-righteous language and a lack of self-reflection about his/the nation's own sin. But Wallis himself never once expresses the Lincoln-esque humility, self-doubt, self-examination that he so demandingly expects from Bush. Rather, Wallis not too subtlely sees himself as the modern day prophet of God.

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1. God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It
2. The Great Awakening – Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post Religious Right America
3. Public Philosophy – Essays on Morality in Politics
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5. God Doesnt Believe in Atheists Proof That the Atheist Doesnt Exist
6. God and Race in American Politics – A Short History
7. Nostalgia for the Modern State – Secularism and Everyday Politics in Turkey Politics History and Culture
8. Souled Out – Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right
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