Jim Wallis
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and former editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.–based Christian community of the same name. In 2021, Wallis joined Georgetown University as the inaugural Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice. He also leads th
Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown
Wallis is known for his advocacy on issues of
peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...
and social justice. Although Wallis actively eschews political labels, he describes himself as an evangelical and is often associated with the evangelical left and the wider Christian left. He worked as a spiritual advisor to President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
. He is also a leader in the Red-Letter Christian movement.


Early life

Wallis was born in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, the son of Phyllis () and James E. Wallis, Sr. He was raised in a traditional Plymouth Brethren family. As a young man Wallis became active in Students for a Democratic Society and the civil rights movement. Wallis graduated from
Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...
and attended Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, where he joined with other young seminarians in establishing the community that eventually became Sojourners. The journal ''Sojourners'' originated in Deerfield, Illinois, as ''The Post American'' in 1971.


Theology

Wallis wrote in 1974 that, "The new evangelical consciousness is most characterized by a return to biblical Christianity and the desire to apply biblical insights to the need for new forms of sociopolitical engagement." A reviewer of Wallis's 1976 book ''Agenda for Biblical People'' summarized the Christological basis of Wallis's political theology:
Christ's life, death, and resurrection have brought
victory The term victory (from ) originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes a strategic vi ...
over 'the powers.' He shattered the myth of their absolute authority by demonstrating his freedom in relation to them. He challenged their rule and would not submit to them. Indeed, the fallen powers were so exposed and threatened by Christ's actions that they acted in collusion to kill him. The cross symbolizes that freedom in which death is swallowed up in victory. Christ's resurrection vindicates his manner of life and death, seats his victory, and allows others to live freely and humanly in the midst of 'the powers' by their 'being in Christ.' This must be the proclamation and witness of the church of
Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
. The church is a new force in history which is a sign to 'the powers' that their dominion has been broken. The very presence of a body of people who exercise their moral independence is an essential element for Wallis because 'without a visible and concrete demonstration of independence, all the church's outward attacks upon the institutions of the world will be doomed to failure.'
Writing in ''Sojourners'' in 1980, Wallis said, "Proclamation of the
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
, charismatic gifts, social action, and prophetic witness alone do not finally offer a real threat to the world as it is, especially when set apart from a community which incarnates a whole new order. It is the ongoing life of a community of faith that issues a basic challenge to the world as it is, and offers a viable and concrete alternative. The church must be called to be the church, to rebuild the kind of community that gives substance to the claims of faith."


Political and social influence

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. In February 2007, he wrote in ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' about the post-Religious Right era and the resurgence of mainstream Christianity, with evangelicals "deserting the Religious Right in droves". Wallis has served on the Advisory Council to President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He served as a spiritual adviser to President Obama. In addition to President Obama, Wallis has developed personal friendships with former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. In his 2010 book ''Rediscovering Values'', Wallis writes, "I consider Rudd one of the most hopeful young political leaders in the world today, a committed Christian who seeks to apply his faith to his public service; we consider each other good friends." In discussing the 2004 American presidential elections, Wallis said "
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
didn't speak at all about
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...
. There are about 12 verses in the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
that touch on that question. Most of them are very contextual. There are thousands of verses on
poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
. I don't hear a lot of that conversation." Regarding same-sex marriage, Wallis made the following remarks in 2008: "I don't think the sacrament of marriage should be changed. Some people say that Jesus didn't talk about homosexuality, and that's technically true. But marriage is all through the Bible, and it's not gender-neutral. I have never done a blessing for a same-sex couple. I've never been asked to do one. I'm not sure that I would. I want churches that disagree on this to have a biblical, theological conversation and to live with their differences and not spend 90 percent of their denominational time arguing about this issue when 30,000 children are dying every single day because of poverty and disease". In a 2013 interview, Wallis changed his position and declared his support for same-sex marriage. He said: "Marriage needs some strengthening. Let's start with marriage, and then I think we have to talk about, now, how to include same-sex couples in that deeper understanding of marriage". In a 2008 interview with '' Christianity Today'', Wallis expressed strong support for abortion reduction, adding that "I don't think that abortion is the moral equivalent issue to slavery that Wilberforce dealt with. I think that poverty is the new slavery. Poverty and global inequality are the fundamental moral issues of our time. That's my judgment." A 2008 ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' article states that "Jim Wallis devoted a significant chunk of his latest book, 'The Great Awakening,' to outlining his views on abortion. The evangelical leader wrote in favor of 'protecting unborn life in every possible way, but without criminalizing abortion.'" Wallis added, "Everybody tends to agree that preventing unwanted pregnancies is a good thing. I'm saying, let's take it to the next step and say that abortion reduction is a good thing too. It's about providing options—not taking away a woman's right to choose, but making things like adoption easier." In August 2009, Wallis signed a public statement encouraging all Christians to "read, wrestle with, and respond to Caritas in Veritate", the social encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI. 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. Wallis supported President Obama's health care legislation, and reportedly signed a letter urging that the legislation be passed even if it did not contain language explicitly banning federal funding for abortion. In 2009, Wallis issued the following malediction upon Sarah Palin in the context of the healthcare reform debate in the United States: In 2010, Wallis admitted to accepting money for ''Sojourners'' from philanthropist George Soros after initially denying having done so. When conservative writer Marvin Olasky pointed this out, and that Soros also financed groups supporting
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
,
atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...
, and
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...
, in a ''
World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...
'' magazine column, Wallis said, "Glenn Beck lies for a living. I'm sad to see Marvin Olasky doing the same thing"; he subsequently apologized to Olasky for the comments. In 2011, Wallis acknowledged that Sojourners had received another $150,000 from Soros's Open Society Foundations. Regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement, Wallis wrote, "The Occupiers' desire for change and willingness to take action to do something about it should be an inspiration to us all." Wallis endorsed Democratic presidential nominee
Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...
in the 2024 presidential election.


Criticism of the Democratic Party

Wallis has been critical of what he calls the " cultural left" influence in the Democratic Party. He has criticized
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
and the Democratic Party for failing to embrace a "middle ground" approach to abortion. He stated that both Clinton and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
were "flawed choices" in the 2016 United States presidential election, but he also understood why many conservative Christians were unwilling to vote for Clinton due to her support for access to abortion. He also criticized Clinton's refusal to say that abortion should be "rare".


Activism

As of March 2009, Wallis had been arrested 22 times for acts of civil disobedience. He was involved in antiwar activism during the Vietnam War, and wrote in 1974 that it was a "brutal, criminal war." In spring of 2011, Wallis participated in a liquid-only fast in light of the congressional budget compromise. During the fast, Wallis said "The budget issue really energized and mobilized the faith community… It is our vocation as the people of God to protect the poorest and most vulnerable." Wallis is said to have coined the phrase “a budget is a moral document.” In December 2013, Jim Wallis penned an op-ed in
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
discussing SEIU's Fast for Families. Faith leaders and young Dreamers alike completed the 22-day fast to “remind oliticalleaders what is really at stake in the fight for immigration reform.” In October 2014, Wallis was among the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim clergy arrested for disturbing the peace after a planned act of civil disobedience outside the police headquarters in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting death by police of Michael Brown. About his experience at Ferguson, Wallis said “It’s not just about admitting wrongdoing but also committing to making changes that prevent further harm from being done, and there has not even been any admitting of wrongdoing yet by any of the powers that be in Ferguson.”


Writings and awards

Wallis is the author of multiple 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). His 2015 book '' America's Original Sin'', deals with systemic racism in the United States.


Personal life

Wallis is married to Joy Carroll Wallis, who was one of the first female priests in the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
and upon whom the title character in the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
sitcom '' The Vicar of Dibley'' was partially based.Carroll, Joy. ''Beneath the Cassock: The Real-life Vicar of Dibley'', HarperCollins, 2002. They have two sons. Jim Wallis has coached their Little League teams.Wallis, Jim. ''Rediscovering Values'', Howard Books, 2010. Acknowledgements p. x.


Publications

* ''Agenda for Biblical People'', Harper & Row (1976) . * ''The Call to Conversion'', Harper & Row (1981) , HarperCollins (Rev. ed., 2005) . * The New Radical, Lion Books (1983) * ''Waging Peace: A Handbook for the Struggle to Abolish Nuclear Weapons'' (editor), Harper & Row (1982) .
''The Soul of Politics: A practical and prophetic vision of change''
Fount/HarperCollins (1994) , Tandem Library . * ''Who Speaks for God? A New Politics of Compassion, Community and Civility'', Delacorte (1996) , Random House (1997)
''Faith Works: Lessons from the Life of an Activist Preacher''
Random House (2000) (Rev. ed. with new subtitle: How to Live Your Beliefs and Ignite Positive Social Change, 2005)
''God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It''
HarperOne (2005) .
''Living God's Politics: A Guide to Putting Your Faith into Action''
HarperOne (2006) .
''The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America''
HarperOne (2008) .
''Rediscovering Values: On Main Street, Wall Street, and Your Street''
Howard Books (2010) . * ''On God's Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn't Learned'' (2013) * '' America's Original Sin'' (2015) * '' Christ in Crisis?: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus'' (2019)


See also

* Engaged Spirituality * Evangelical left *
Progressive Christianity Progressive Christianity represents a range of related perspectives in contemporary Christian theology and practice. It is a postmodern theological approach, which developed out of the liberal Christianity of the modern era, although progressive C ...
* Social Gospel


References


External links


Sojourners
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wallis, Jim 1948 births Living people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American theologians 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American theologians 21st-century evangelicals American activists American Christian religious leaders American Evangelical writers American male non-fiction writers American religious writers Christian radicals Editors of Christian publications Evangelical theologians Michigan State University alumni Trinity Evangelical Divinity School alumni Writers from Detroit