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Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, And Your Street: A Moral Compass For The New Economy (2010)

by Jim Wallis(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1439183120 (ISBN13: 9781439183120)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Howard Books

review 1: Jim Wallis is helping to restore my faith in Christianity. Christian preacher, speaker, and CEO of Sojourners magazine, Wallis is both a Christian AND a liberal. His Sojourners magazine, of which he is also editor-in-chief, helps to highlight major social justice issues from a Christian perspective. As someone who was beginning to feel that being a liberal Christian was a lonely (and even oxymoronic) existence, I am happily renewed in the knowledge that there are many more liberal Christians out there than I once thought. I don't feel so awkward anymore in calling myself a Christian while believing in things like gay rights, environmentalism, and helping the poor. Wallis has written several books, all highlighting his thoughts on faith, politics, and social justice. In "Re... morediscovering Values: A Moral Compass for the New Economy", Wallis tackles the issues of the economy during this Great Recession. It is a refreshing, hopeful, and important book. In the first part of the book, Wallis examines how we arrived at this difficult time in our economy. It is, Wallis claims, through a philosophy of institutionalized greed, rampant self-interest, and out-of-control consumerism that contributed to the current mess we are in. Several other factors seem to be preventing us from getting out of the quagmire. One is what Wallis calls "the Great Lie": a cultural belief that "claims that those who are wealthy are so because they are responsible and righteous, and those who are poor must be irresponsible or even immoral. The rich have done all the right things, and the poor must have done something wrong. It is the belief that great physical riches indicate that God must be pleased with your actions and that poverty suggests God's disfavor and even punishment. (p. 90)" This helps to explain the apparent vitriol and hatred that many politicians and fundamentalists harbor against the poor, the "welfare queens" and ungrateful masses suckling at the teat of the government's entitlement programs. Another factor is the antagonism and unwillingness to even address the concept of "redistribution", a word that Wallis claims has unfortunately become virtually a four-letter word and one that results in political suicide for anyone who tries to address it. "The R word", as Wallis calls it, is "a bad word that no "responsible" person is allowed to say out loud. It would plunge us into "class warfare"!"He adds, "And yet, redistribution is exactly what the most wealthy and their political representatives have accomplished---redistribution to them, with little attention and even less accountability. They're right; it is class warfare. And the upper class has won the battle for the last three decades---at the expense of the poor and middle class and the health and well-being of the economy, and at the cost of some very important social values. (p.83)"Tied in to this Great Lie and anti-redistribution mentality is an attempt to stifle any criticism or questioning of the actions and behaviors of the rich. For example, after the bailouts of 2008, some of the banks who were rescued began to give out record compensation bonuses to themselves. Meanwhile, average workers' wages continued to drop and the unemployment rate continued to rise. Wallis writes, "Yet today, if anyone questions whether these bonuses are actually deserved and whether we, as taxpayers who financed all of this, should be able to share in any of the profits, they are accused of being a socialist, a communist, or worse. (p.222)"Wallis provides wise counsel, most of which is derived from Scripture, but he is also quite fond of quoting some of our Founding Fathers, and their thoughts on the subject. He provides some useful suggestions as to how we, as individuals, can change the system and restore our economy. If you, like so many others, are upset at how the economy does not seem to be improving in ways that matter, and if you are a person of faith (Christian or otherwise), Wallis's book is highly recommended reading.
review 2: I thought it was a great book. A lesson for the faith community to become involved and speak out about your values. Let the politicians know how you feel and that you want to know what their values are before you vote for them. If there was ever a book to read for this economic crisis, to better understand the countries need to rediscover their values to save our nation, it's this book. A great book to motivate you to action. Read it Now. less

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