The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America

by Jim Wallis

In this “post-Religious Right era,” the bestselling author of God’s Politics revives our hope in a politics that reflects our highest common values and offers a roadmap for solving our biggest social problems.

Genres: Politics, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity, Christian, Spirituality

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 4, 2008

About the author

JIM WALLIS is a globally respected writer, teacher, preacher, justice advocate, regular international commentator on ethics and public life, and mentor for a new generation. He is a New York Times bestselling author of twelve books, including Christ in Crisis, America's Original Sin, God's Politics and The Great Awakening. Wallis is the Founder of Sojourners. He served on President Obama's White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and has taught faith and public life courses at Harvard and Georgetown University. "Coach Jim" also served for 22 seasons as a Little League coach for his two baseball playing sons.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be a stretch for me to call myself a Christian, so I worried about whether I would connect with this book. I was very happily surprised.

Jim Wallis is a dynamic writer, passionate advocate for social justice, and devout evangelical Christian. He manages to make this book accessible to anyone who cares about issues of equity and justice on a national and global scale, no matter what your faith tradition (though certainly Christians will connect with his message in a unique way). His central argument is that the era of the religious right of years past is over and a new intersection between faith and politics is growing rapidly. He urges Christians to consider their faith, as he says, personal but NEVER private. Faith must be active in the world through good works. That is, Christians who want to follow Christ in the most faithful way must ceaselessly advocate for the poor, sick, and powerless in the world and to hold governments accountable to do the same. This is a way to transcend partisanship and find common ground.

What I appreciated about Wallis' message was that he is adamant that the US is not and should not be a Christian nation--he is not attempting to infuse Christian doctrine into government policy and procedure. Rather, Christians or any other groups for that matter (INCLUDING, which I liked, secular people who are also passionate about social justice) should use their voices, votes, and actions to promote their vision of a government that serves with integrity, effectiveness, humility, empathy, service, etc.

I found this book very moving and I think I will come back to it in the future. It caused a great deal of introspection for me, and I only hope (as Wallis would hope for his readers) that I can keep his message present in my mind and life.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a book inspires you to change your life and your view on faith, makes you angry at the author and then at yourself, and blows away your worldview, only to help you realize you must to start to rebuild a more accurate one...it's a 'must read'. Anyone who thinks they're living The Christian Life must read this book...it will question your comfort and your assumptions.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who has read one of Jim Wallis' books or subscribed to Sojourners, knows he tends to write about the same themes. He notes that evangelical movements of the 19th century were also social reformations that produced abolitionism and women's suffrage. He explores how the Bible and specifically the teachings of Jesus direct us to make society more just. This he does with great skill and knowledge of various Christian traditions. I agree with his perspective on most of the social issues he discusses.
This came out during the Presidency of George W Bush. Throughout the book he proclaims that the days of the religious right's influence has passed. His epitaph of the religious right is very premature. They elected Donald Trump and adopted the title Christian Nationalist as a badge of honor. A conservative Supreme Court the religious right gave us has given corporations more rights than individuals, rolled back voting rights and overturned Roe vs. Wade. I'd like to see what a contemporary epilog to this book by the author would look like.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about how faith can influence politics and create a true social movement to change the world. This books is much like Wallis's previous bestseller, "God's Politics," but his emphasis is not just on finding well-balanced and meaningful solutions to the current political problems of our time, but also on how men and women of a true faith in Christ should be moved to action when they hear about the injustices of the world. This is a book I highly recommend for anyone looking for a way to combine their faith with meaningful action and who have been turned off (as I have) the vitriolic message of the Religious Right.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Wallis brings a message that all should hear. He brings hope that Christianity is being reclaimed from those who have used it as a weapon to divide people. He also brings a challenge to us all to be part of that movement. He is not always the best writer, but his message makes this book worthwhile.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for a class at church. Was not expecting to like it because I am very liberal and generally disagree with evangelical Christians politically. I respect Wallis' work and appreciate his efforts to move "Christian" political focus toward poverty and racial reconciliation and away from anti-gay marriage and anti-abortion.

[Mike Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as God's Politics, but still definitively worth reading. This book is a bit more prescriptive, and I think that there is some wishful thinking at times. Still, I'm a huge fan of Wallis' work at defending the poor, and this book is still a clear articulation of that viewpoint.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy, would we all like to see this happen. Caring for those who can't care for themselves instead of battling for political power. Somebody would be proud but who again? Oh yeah, that guy Jesus.

[Brandon Stiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did something that I didn't think would be possible, it gave me some hope that Christians can rise above partisan politics and actually take a prophetic stance in the public square. I really resonate with Wallis' viewpoints on a number of the issues and find them compelling as they reflect Christ's politics. I found this book for super cheap at a used book store and since I'd read Shane Claiborne so much thought this would be a good fit. It was. Since this book is about a decade old, it was interesting to read it knowing it was written as the Obama-McCain election was approaching and yet we are now in the Trump era. So I can't say that we are actually in the post-Religious Right America because 80% of Evangelicals voted for Trump, but I at least appreciate Wallis' optimism. This is a good book for an overview of an alternate political platform that in my opinion is much more consistent with Jesus' views (though I don't agree with everything Wallis does). This book gave me hope for politics and that is very important in this day and age.

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star for his political vision, 2 star for his predictions of the theorcratic-political movements. His emphasis on the separation of the church and state and the revival of Christian progressiveness would be excellent, but it is overshadowed by the 16 years that follow the book's publication and the a reborn (zombified, in my opinion) Religious Right that is far more sacrilegious, idolatrous, and power hungry than anything he suggests in the text. So I'll give it the 5 stars hoping that more Christians read it.

[Colin Chance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a different perspective on things. Not a bad a read

[Rafael Suleiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book dealing with Christian ministry and revival in practicum and also in politics.

[Jonas Stephan Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

God so good Corking

[Derek Dix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't necessarily agree with all the points, but was still a great book to stretch with.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different decade, but same timely message.
It dismantled many biases.

[Jason Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perfect, but still an uplifting book that seeks to demonstrate how most Americans are fed up with politics and are setting out to change things by challenging the status quo, holding leaders accountable, and becoming active in "changing" the political world.

My favorite things about Jim Wallis is that he often tackles the issues that many want to avoid. He's not quite as controversial as Tony Campolo and is a little more aggressive that Shane Claiborne, but he still challenges his readers to view political issues through a spiritual lens.

I consider this a sort of sequel to God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. That book set up how Christians should approach politics. The Great Awakening seems to say, "Here are some examples of people doing just that."

For the record, I would love to have Mr. Wallis as a professor. I think the best schedule would be classes taught by Jim Wallis, Tony Campolo, John MacArthur, John Perkins, Josh McDowell, and Philip Yancey. Could you imagine all of those guys in a panel discussion?

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know a book is good when I dog-ear pages in my library copy and want to go out and buy the book so I can re-read it.

I've never been a fan of the Religious Right and according to Jim Wallis, other Christians are not fans of that segment of our faith either. Which is why the Religious Right has died. Yay! Christians today want to talk about more than just gays and abortion. We want to talk about global warming, extreme poverty, racism, sexism, and we want to have Christian leaders who talk about and take action on solving those problems. Christianity is not Republican or Democrat. We are not "God's America" nor should we be waging "God's wars". We should just be going out into the world and living life how Jesus would have wanted us to, without triumphalism and egoism.

There are a lot of good passages that I'd like to highlight here but I don't have the book in front of me at the moment. Perhaps it's for the best. Now you'll have to go out and read the book yourself to find all the goodies!

[Lisa Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this out loud at night with my hubby slowly. So far, it's very good. I only thought there was one weak chapter so far-- the one on racism/diversity.

okay, we quit this one. :) The first 120 pages, honestly, are great. They're a history of reform and progressivism in the US with a Christian focus. The problem comes in after that. Wallis starts telling the reader what he believes about every issue, politically, I mean. And I really don't care. In fact, I disagree with him on many of them. I think this is ineffective. I wish Wallis would query the reader and challenge him/her with surprising new facts and data to help the reader become more open minded. That doesn't happen, so I'm setting it aside for now and maybe for a long time.

[KR · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would recommend reading the introduction to this book, but I have to say that I was unimpressed with the rest of it. I think Wallis is definitely right in pointing out that change is happening, and the religious voice is going to becoming more multi-voiced, but I disagree with Wallis in laying the partisanship problems primarily at the feet of the religious right. I was disappointed in the book because it felt like a list of all the problems in the world, and it didn't offer any real solutions or suggestions to fix the problems.

[Stan Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately Wallis is a very deceptive person. He acts like he wants a third political way..not liberal or not conservative. In reality he is extremely liberal on virtually all matters except abortion. He is very tolerant of all theologically liberal varieties of Christianity and indeed all religions....except the religious right against which he rails irrationally. He seems to be trying to fool people into thinking he has a new way of thinking but in reality he just another ultra liberal.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't finish it to be honest. It was kind of like listening to a broken record. I get it, the Religious Right has lost it's power and people are starting to care about social justice. I don't need 3 chapters to tell me that. I will say that it slightly altered my view on politics in that I'm sort of involved in them whether I want to be or not. I'm a part of a Christian community that lives in a manner they would hope the rest of the world to live. That's pretty political, I guess.

[The American Conservative]

'Hopelessly jumbled and largely substance free on both policy and theology, The Great Awakening is a masterpiece of wishful thinking from a man desperate to reconcile his lifelong faith with his progressive politics. In the end, the only thing that is clear is that when it comes to religion, Wallis is indeed confused.'

Read the full review, "Out for Justice," on our website:
http://www.theamericanconservative.co...

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent book for any Christian to read. Most of the book is about how to accomplish several things Reverend Wallis thinks are important in today's world. I really liked his views on the environment and social justice. His views on the role of America in foriegn policy were more controversial to me. If you have an interest in current events from an evangelical Christian perspective, you should definitely consider reading this book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as in "God's Politics", Wallis challenges Christians (and those of other faiths and traditions) to put faith into action by serving those most in need. His call to a consistent public moral conscience rather than divisive "left" and "right" in religion and politics gives hope for the future to those of us tired of unhelpful rhetoric and partisan bickering.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got about 150 pages into this and ran out of steam. I'm a regular reader of Sojourners and sojo.net, heard Jim Wallis speak pre-release ... so maybe I just didn't have the opportunity to be surprised or challenged. Or better yet, perhaps the movement Wallis hopes for is already becoming reality in Obama's campaign. Hope to come back to this someday.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow...this book really should be like 5 different books! Jim Wallis has so many great ideas...some are so exciting, but you wonder if what he suggests is possible. But that doesn't belittle that he HAS these ideas...and cuts to the heart of the matter with what God would have us do with the world.

This would be a great book to read with others and discuss. It's a bit overwhelming!

[Mary Fahnlander · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got as far as chapter 8. It was feeling a bit like a chore to finish it for a couple reasons. A) I had heard Wallis do a 1-hour interview on MPR, so had heard several of his main topics discussed there. B) I liked what he had to say, but it was a bit like "Preaching to the choir," I agree with most of what I was reading. It was due at the library, so I just took it back.

[Conrad Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Wallis does a good job of bringing faith and politics together in an clear, open way. He inspires you to consider what lays before us in our times, drawing upon recent history and the teachings of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths.

[Milan Homola]

A book that starts poorly and ends well. The first three chapters seem like repeated social justice rhetoric. But then Wallis addresses specific subjects that are relevant. By the end he hits all the right keys...good leadership requires spirituality...and the section on humility is spot on. He gets the balance right

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I have ever wanted to say is spelled out in this book! It shows the good and bad from both political spectrums and how they can cooperate to truly help those in need. I hope this becomes a best-seller!