Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)
By Jim Wallis
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About this ebook
Jim Wallis believes our life together can be better. And he thinks both conservatives and liberals have something to offer in finding answers to today's complex problems. Personal responsibility and social responsibility are equally important: we must make good individual choices and also care for our neighbors. Wallis explores the role government can play in promoting the good of society, showing how its balanced presence can make a difference in the lives of the poor and vulnerable, and he offers hope for a more respectful conversation. He suggests making "Ten Personal Decisions for the Common Good" as you envision a more hopeful future.
This is a selection from The (Un)Common Good: How the Gospel Brings Hope to a World Divided.
Jim Wallis
Jim Wallis is the author of the New York Times bestseller God's Politics, which electrified Americans disenchanted with how the Right had co-opted all talk about integrating religious values into our politics by offering an alternative voice. Wallis is a leading figure at the crossroads of religion and politics in America today, the author of eight books, and the founder of Sojourners, a global faith and justice network. He is a public theologian, an internationally renowned speaker and preacher, a faith-based activist, husband, and father to two young boys, and a Little League baseball coach.
Read more from Jim Wallis
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Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts) - Jim Wallis
© 2013 by Jim Wallis
Published by Brazos Press
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287
www.brazospress.com
Excerpted from On God’s Side: What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned about Serving the Common Good
Ebook edition created 2013
ISBN 978-1-4412-4596-0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America’s Future
Epilogue: Ten Personal Decisions for the Common Good
Notes
About the Author
Back Ad
Back Cover
Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America’s Future
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
—attributed to Edmund Burke
It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.
—Hubert H. Humphrey[1]
Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.
—Reinhold Niebuhr[2]
I am a democrat [proponent of democracy] because I believe in the Fall of Man. I think most people are democrats for the opposite reason. A great deal of democratic enthusiasm descends from the ideas of people like Rousseau, who believed in democracy because they thought mankind so wise and good that everyone deserved a share in the government. . . . The real reason for democracy is just the reverse. Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. . . . I reject slavery because I see no men fit to be masters.
—C. S. Lewis[3]
There is a war going on today in our nation’s political discourse. And the casualties are many. We’ve lost our civility, the ability to have public discussion that isn’t harsh or dismissive but respectful and genuinely open to dialogue and disagreement. We’ve also lost our ability to really listen to one another and even to learn from people who don’t have all the same views, perspectives, and experiences that we do. We’ve lost our capacity for political compromise, for actually finding solutions instead of just continually blaming each other for the problems. And we’ve lost our problem-solving commitment, which sometimes depends on different kinds of contributions and answers from varying points of view. We’ve certainly lost the kind of news and information outlets that regularly broadcast or publish different and even conflicting political opinions and therefore challenge our previously held thoughts and persuasions.
Perhaps the greatest loss is to the common good—because I believe that both conservative and liberal insights and commitments are necessary for it to exist. In short, I am convinced that the common good requires us to be both personally responsible and socially just. These are the two best big ideas of conservatism and liberalism respectively. Let’s unpack them.
Your Conservative Uncle or Liberal Aunt
With it [the tongue] we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. (James 3:9–10)
Imagine one of your favorite aunts or uncles, or one of your closest cousins, or a very dear friend of your family whom you have known for a long time. Remember all the wonderful times you’ve had with this person and the memories that will last forever. Now, if you are politically liberal, imagine that fond family member or friend is a conservative. Or, if you are a political conservative, imagine one that is a liberal. It is a very