Synopses & Reviews
America's problem with race has deep roots, with the country's
foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people and the
enslavement of another. Racism is truly our nation's original sin.
"It's
time we right this unacceptable wrong," says bestselling author and
leading Christian activist Jim Wallis. Fifty years ago, Wallis was
driven away from his faith by a white church that considered dealing
with racism to be taboo. His participation in the civil rights movement
brought him back when he discovered a faith that commands racial
justice. Yet as recent tragedies confirm, we continue to suffer from the
legacy of racism. The old patterns of white privilege are colliding
with the changing demographics of a diverse nation. The church has been
slow to respond, and Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of
the week.
In America's Original Sin, Wallis offers
a prophetic and deeply personal call to action in overcoming the racism
so ingrained in American society. He speaks candidly to
Christians — particularly white Christians — urging them to cross a new
bridge toward racial justice and healing.
Whenever divided
cultures and gridlocked power structures fail to end systemic sin, faith
communities can help lead the way to grassroots change. Probing yet
positive, biblically rooted yet highly practical, this book shows people
of faith how they can work together to overcome the embedded racism in
America, galvanizing a movement to cross the bridge to a multiracial
church and a new America.
Review
"A thought-provoking plea to white evangelicals and white Christians in general." Library Journal
About the Author
Jim Wallis is an author, activist, preacher, teacher, and pastor.
He is a bestselling writer, convener of faith-inspired movements for
justice and peace both outside and inside politics, public theologian in
a secular culture, renowned speaker in the United States and abroad,
and international media commentator on ethics and public life. He is the
founder and leader of Sojourners, a publishing platform, organization,
and global network whose mission is to put faith into action for social
justice. Wallis has written more than ten books, including The (Un)Common Good and the New York Times bestsellers God's Politics and The Great Awakening.
He has written for major newspapers, does regular columns for top
digital news networks, and appears frequently on a wide variety of
television and radio networks. Wallis also teaches at Georgetown
University and has taught at Harvard University. He is husband to Joy
Carroll, one of the first women to be ordained a priest in the Church of
England, father to two teenage boys, Luke and Jack, and a decades-long
Little League baseball coach.