On God's Side

“Personal/political, religion/politics, faith/power, ideology/pragmatism . . . Jim Wallis is a wrestler of values, ideas, and policies and how they interact to shape the world we live in. His deep, melodious voice is easy to listen to, but what he says takes a harder commitment to live by.”
—Bono, lead singer of U2; cofounder of ONE.org

“Jim Wallis and I have a variety of differences on domestic and international policy, but there is no message more timely or urgent than his call to actively consider the common good.”
—Michael Gerson, op-ed columnist, The Washington Post

“I love the work and books and existence of Jim Wallis. His is a profound and always-entertaining voice of reason, reconciliation, and passion for social justice and peace. Each of his books makes me wish I could get it into the hands of more politicians, right-wing Christians, left-wing Christians, secular humanists, economists, and regular people—everyone—so we could see how much we have in common and how much is at stake. Jim Wallis and I do not share many of the same political views, but we share the same heart and soul and love for God and all of God’s children. Plus, he’s a marvelous storyteller.”
—Anne Lamott, author of Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers

“In low-key, almost seductively quiet and unpretentious prose, Wallis persuades more powerfully here than ever before. Arguing that it was ‘the world’ that was missing in the theology of the church in which most contemporary Americans grew up and that a long-standing emphasis on an ‘atonement-only gospel’ has obscured Christian allegiance to Jesus’s ‘gospel of the kingdom,’ he lays out the theology of the latter and then issues to all Christians a rallying cry to apply that theology both in private life and in the arena of public activity.”
—Phyllis Tickle, author of Emergence Christianity

“I have read all of Jim Wallis’s books, books that call evangelicals to full conversion and an ecclesial faith that works. On God’s Side is Jim’s best book; it is personal, pastoral, and prophetic—a summons to a deeper conversion, to bridge-building commitments to the common good, and to a family life that grounds active faith in a common, caring community.”
—Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary

“This is the finest of all Jim Wallis’s writings. It reminded me that my actions as a citizen are a natural extension of my life as a Christian. Jim’s comprehension of how Scripture and political issues relate to each other is surpassed only by the number of bridges he builds so that we can all solve problems together. Reading this book will help you be more like Jesus, especially in the public square.”
—Joel C. Hunter, senior pastor, Northland—A Church Distributed

“Jim Wallis is this country’s major prophetic evangelical Christian voice. He has a sense of urgency and hope seldom seen in our cynical time. I hope and pray his voice resounds across this land—and that we pay heed to it.”
—Cornel West, professor of philosophy and Christian practice, Union Theological Seminary

“Jim Wallis is asking a question whose time has come. Are we pursuing a national agenda that seeks the common good or are we seeking to baptize our political agendas with faith? Leaders both religious and political must take Wallis’s challenge seriously when pondering the future of our life together.”
—Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

“Jim Wallis’s voice rings out on each page of this book, calling us to be on God’s side in a renewed global engagement in which the measure of ‘success’ is the well-being of all. Following his prescriptions would result in approaching the true common good: good news for the 100 percent!”
—Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, executive director of the Roman Catholic social justice organization NETWORK

“For decades, Jim Wallis has been an instrumental voice in God’s movement toward a better world. Here’s his latest gift to the movement—a book that isn’t just about where we went wrong, but about how we can join God in making things right again. And, thank God, it’s not just another book about God blessing us . . . it’s a book about us blessing God, by caring for God’s people, especially the most vulnerable ones among us.”
—Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and recovering sinner, www.thesimpleway.org

“This sweeping tour de force by America’s most prominent religious social justice activist is at once deeply personal and powerfully universal. Rooting its progressive vision of American social justice in religious ideas that transcend both its Christian aesthetic and America’s vexing liberal-conservative divide, it is a must-read book for policy makers, religious leaders, and anyone looking for a moral basis to address America’s urgent problems.”
—Rabbi David Saperstein, director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

“No one cuts through the confusion of our times with clarity and compassion like Jim Wallis. He is at his best in this book—bridging a cosmic vision of what humankind could be with a concrete plan for how we get there.”
—Eboo Patel, founder and president, Interfaith Youth Core; author of Sacred Ground

“Jim Wallis’s new book elegantly summarizes key themes from his earlier work, but it also addresses with wisdom and clarity crucial issues that we must grapple with in the decade ahead: economics, ecology, polarization, peacemaking, the role of government, and more. And every page reflects the fact that this book was written during a sabbatical—emerging from a place of spiritual reflection and renewal, augmented by family, baseball, and fun. Arguably Jim’s best book ever.”
—Brian D. McLaren, author/speaker (brianmclaren.net)

“There are few people on the scene who can put together mature Christianity with mature politics without compromising either. Jim Wallis does it best—and does it again here.”
—Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

“Jim Wallis has once again issued a passionate, stirring challenge to the church. In this hopeful, incisive book that pulls few punches, he challenges the church to engage in the ‘next battle’ to ‘occupy the gospel’ and thus to join in God’s reclamation of God’s cherished world. As always, Jim gives us a way of rethinking today’s pressing social issues in a vibrantly Christian way, producing fresh insights on almost every page. He also gives Christians some specific personal decisions we can make to better align ourselves with God’s continuing revolution in Jesus Christ.”
—William Willimon, professor of the practice of Christian ministry, Duke Divinity School; former bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church

“Let me be honest: I don’t believe in ‘must-read’ books. But On God’s Side is a very important book, especially in a time of increased polarization and lack of civility. As a pastor, I thank Jim Wallis for writing this book because it will be a vital resource for many—especially for the church, as we seek to invite, empower, and equip people for the work of the common good. In an increasingly cynical world, On God’s Side is a fresh and hopeful word.”
—Rev. Eugene Cho, senior pastor, Quest Church; founder and visionary, One Day’s Wages

“The Christian faith requires more than mere belief. It is a faith intended to change the world because it demands that Christians work with passion for the good of their neighbors. This is the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus first proclaimed in Luke 4, and it’s a message that Jim Wallis helps us better understand today.”
—Richard Stearns, president, World Vision US; author of The Hole in Our Gospel

“Without trust, no democratic society can survive. Trust is ultimately based on values. Jim Wallis’s book On God’s Side provides us valuable insight for our private and public lives.”
—Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman, World Economic Forum

“If Jim Wallis and I were to sit down and discuss every word he wrote in this book, we would undoubtedly find some points of disagreement. However, Jim’s challenge to followers of Jesus to grapple with what it means to live out the kingdom of God here on earth is precisely the challenge I need today. Maybe it’s precisely the challenge you need, too. Read On God’s Side and find out!”
—Lynne Hybels, cofounder, Willow Creek Community Church

“Vintage Wallis—a challenging call to reclaim concern for the common good, which has fallen into political, cultural, and even religious neglect. To follow Jesus Christ, the Word who created the world and the Lamb who redeemed the world, means to love near and distant neighbors and work for the common good. Read it and roll up your sleeves!”
—Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology, Yale Divinity School; founding director, Yale Center for Faith and Culture (yale.edu/faith); author of A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good

“A generation is rising that is committed to reconciling Billy Graham’s message of salvation through Christ with Dr. King’s march for justice. Jim Wallis in On God’s Side presents a framework for prophetic activism, seeking a conciliatory platform for those wanting to go beyond the world of rhetoric and to reconcile covenant with community, all for the common good.”
—Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president, The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (Hispanic Evangelical Association)

“At such a critical crossroads in our country’s history, people are looking for commonsense voices on the right and left who are willing to ask difficult questions. Jim Wallis is one of those voices—winsome and reflective, yet forceful and unafraid. In On God’s Side, Wallis again challenges Christians to think deeply about our world’s greatest problems. You might not always agree with his conclusions, but every chapter of this book will stretch your mind, challenge your thinking, and push you to consider the hope summed up in its opening words: ‘Our life together can be better.’”
—Jonathan Merritt, author of A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus beyond the Culture Wars

“On God’s Side provides an alternative to the ‘me-first’ ethos that has infiltrated the American consciousness. Jim Wallis weaves together Scripture, theology, and personal reflection to call us to a deeper spirituality resulting in a lived spirituality. This book is a prophetic call to the Christian community to live into the hope that our life together can be better.”
—Soong-Chan Rah, Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, North Park Theological Seminary; author of The Next Evangelicalism