Prodigal Christianity: Jerry Falwell and Jim Wallis

Yes, indeed... Jim and Jerry are two sides of the same coin, which I have been suggesting for years. I am loving this book, Prodigal Christianity.
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Most of us are tempted to join larger, more magnanimous justice efforts in the world that promises big things. There is an allure around the promise of changing the world through "the world's ways": big government, big fundraising campaigns and heroic relief efforts. Frankly, a lot of good has occurred through these efforts. But many times these campaigns distract us from just being present with the poor in the simplest, most patient everyday ways that God can use to bring the kingdom.




There is a time for discussion on the political issues of our day, but we must be careful when these political efforts lead us back to where we started this whole chapter. Whether it's Jerry Falwell (or his successor) or Jim Wallis, they turn the church into a recruitment center for individuals to go out and seek a justice in the world that is more conceptual than real. And the church itself, the embodiment of the lordship of Christ on earth, is never considered as an entity that lives God's justice and reconciliation before the world and in the world. This is where the prodigal justice of God must begin: in common communities of people who share the new reality of reconciliation and renewal, love and transformation in their neighborhoods (Prodigal Christianity, pp. 139-140)..