Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)
    Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)
    Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)
    Ebook66 pages1 hour

    Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)

    By Jim Wallis

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    There is a war going on in our nation's political discourse. Polarizing labels--left/right, Republican/Democrat, young/old, rich/poor, traditional/progressive--define and divide us. And in the process we've lost a vision for the common good.

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBaker Publishing Group
    Release dateAug 15, 2013
    ISBN9781441245960
    Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)
    Author

    Jim Wallis

    Jim Wallis is a bestselling author, public theologian, speaker, and international commentator on ethics and public life. He been named to serve on the White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. His latest book is Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street--A Moral Compass for the New Economy. His two previous books, The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith Politics in a Post-Religious Right America and God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It were both New York Times bestsellers. He is President and CEO of Sojourners; where he is editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine. Wallis frequently speaks in the United States and abroad.

    Read more from Jim Wallis

    Related to Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Conservatives, Liberals, and the Fight for America's Future (Ebook Shorts)

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      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

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1