Christ in Crisis Quotes

“Republican strategist Peter Wehner says, “Trumpism is not a political philosophy; it is a purposeful effort, led by a demagogue, to incite ugly passions, stoke resentments and divisions, and create fear of those who are not like ‘us’—Mexicans, Muslims, and Syrian refugees. But it will not end there. There will always be fresh targets.” Conservative evangelical Wehner contrasts that with the principles of Jesus, saying, “[A] carpenter from Nazareth offered a very different philosophy. When you see a wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, Jesus taught, you should not pass him by. ‘Truly I say to you,’ he said in Matthew, ‘to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’ . . . At its core, Christianity teaches that everyone, no matter at what station or in what season in life, has inherent dignity and worth.”15 Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter and top policy adviser to George W. Bush, and an originator of “compassionate conservatism,” says, [O]ur faith involves a common belief with unavoidably public consequences: Christians are to love their neighbor, and everyone is their neighbor. All the appearances of difference—in race, ethnicity, nationality and accomplishment”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“And when it comes to the dangers of political autocracy and the rise of authoritarian behavior, people in the faith community must be among the first to raise the challenge. Our “Reclaiming Jesus” declaration concludes its proposition on our commitment to “Christ’s way of leadership” with this commitment: “We believe authoritarian political leadership is a theological danger threatening democracy and the common good—and we will resist it.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“Pastors should preach truth from the pulpit. Teachers and parents should clearly point out when the president is lying and teach children what the truth is. We can all use social media to confront lies with facts. The truth will indeed set us free, but the unwillingness of the faith community to speak truth to power could push us toward political bondage.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“I am asking why the white evangelical leaders of the religious right haven’t drawn a moral line in the sand on the racial idolatry of white nationalism and supremacy that is directly and distinctively anti-Christ—as they have with issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. That choice not to draw a moral line sends a clear signal to people of color around the world in the body of Christ as to what is a political deal breaker for American white evangelical Christians and what is not.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“this is what Jesus meant when he said to love our neighbor—to get outside of our tribal pathways and listen to the lives of the ones whose pathways have been so “different” from ours and whom Jesus defines as our neighbor. They are the test of loving our neighbor—not merely the people we meet on our narrow pathways every day. That biblical and spiritual reality has never been more true in my lifetime than it is right now. We need to reclaim Jesus’s message here, by seeking and finding our true neighbors, if we are going to have any integrity for our faith or any health in our democracy.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“Martin Luther King Jr. said in the final sermon of his life, the day before he was assassinated, about the dangers of the Jericho Road: It’s a winding, meandering road. It’s really conducive for ambushing. . . . In the day of Jesus it came to be known as the “Bloody Pass.” And you know, it’s possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it’s possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”1”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“When power becomes the goal over service, self-interest over public interest, conflicts of interest over the common good, winning and losing over mutuality and compromise, and personal narcissism over shared benefit, we are headed for deep trouble. Autocratic behavior becomes more acceptable and even admired by people who are already subject to anxiety and anger. And before long, the road to authoritarian rule is a threat to freedom.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“Perhaps my favorite story about Francis is that first encounter he reportedly had with his guard after becoming pope. As I have heard it, Argentinian cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio had just spent his first night sleeping as Pope Francis. In the morning he went outside of his new simple guest room and discovered a Swiss Army guard, who traditionally protects the pope. “Who are you?” Francis asked. “I am your guard” came the reply. “Where is your chair?” asked Francis. “My commandant says we must stand while we guard.” Then Francis told the guard there was now a new commandant. “How long have you been here?” asked Francis. “All night,” replied the guard. The pontiff told the guard to wait a minute, then came out with a chair for him to sit on. When Francis asked him if he had had something to eat, the guard started to say, “My commandant . . .” then trailed off. “Wait a minute,” said Francis again, then came back with a sandwich, and the two sat and ate together. A closed and judging church was trying to become an open and encountering church.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“he reminds us of Christ. When he asks, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”9 he reminds us of Christ.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“The profoundly new leadership of Pope Francis seeks to change the Roman Catholic Church from closed and judging to open and encountering. After his selection, praises for the new pope were soon flowing around the world, commentary on the surprising pontiff was on all the news shows, and even late-night television comedians were paying humorous homage. But only a few of the journalists covering the pope were getting it right: Francis was just doing his job. The pope is meant to be a follower of Christ—the Vicar of Christ. Isn’t it extraordinary how simply following Jesus can attract so much attention when you are the pope? Every day, millions of other faithful followers of Christ do many of the same things. They often don’t attract attention, but they help keep the world together.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“One megachurch pastor told me, “I only have our people for two hours per week, if I am lucky, and Fox News has them 24/7.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“While precise numbers from the FBI’s antiterrorism efforts aren’t available regarding white-power violence specifically, it’s instructive and disturbing that of 5,000 currently open terrorism investigations, only 900, or less than 20 percent, are focused on domestic terrorism.18 This clashes with the recognition by ADL and many others that right-wing terrorism, especially of the white supremacist variety, is the most deadly terrorist threat in the United States.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus

“In a statement issued by the Reclaiming Jesus church elders, we called this “an unbiblical sacrilege that is cruelly contrary to the love of Jesus Christ” and “a terror to families and an infliction of evil on children.”9 As Christianity Today wrote, “believers of all stripes were united on this one point of public policy. When Jim Wallis and Franklin Graham, and nearly everyone in between, condemn the administration’s policy, it’s practically a miracle. And for this, we should be grateful.”
― Jim Wallis, Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus