By Jim Wallis
While Wallis (CEO of Sojourners) wrote this book to address the issues that led to the great recession of 2008, his observations remain relevant in 2019 as well. He asserts that a moral deficit underlies the crisis that led to the lost jobs, bank foreclosures, and loss of savings; "the market" has replaced the values of compassion, as persons and institutions without restraint or ethics have placed self-interest and profit above the needs of others. Wallis suggests replacing self-interest with humility and community.
Over recent years there has grown a huge economic gap between the rich and the poor. While a few have admittedly prospered, the wealth has not been shared - a sign that a crash is likely to come. He also laments the need for Christians to care about the planet, knowing that the neediest feel the results of climate change the most. Looking to the future, Wallis also stresses that today's leaders need to invest in the future, to help mentor the leaders of tomorrow - rather than just take the IBG (I'll be gone) attitude
Our government's spending reflects its values: sadly, in the two decades preceding publication of this book, spending on corrections systems increased by 127% while on higher education only 21% - causing many college graduates to be saddled with huge debt.
Wallis refers to the "bad morality play" unfolding in the 2007-09 time frame. After "Main Street taxpayers" bailed out Wall Street executives, Wall Street invested their profits not in new jobs for the taxpayers, but in extravagant bonuses for top tier executives. The banks were rescued because they were considered too big to fail. Today, based on the banks' selfish misuse of profits, we might conclude that they have become too immoral to succeed.
In his work with Sojourners, Wallis currently lives in Washington DC and notes that he has been arrested over 20x for nonviolent protests of government policies. He closes with a parable about his hometown of Detroit, once the center of a thriving auto industry, later a failing city whose jobs went overseas, but now a place of hope as the community has come together to help each other.
Wallis provides 20 "moral exercises" to impact one's own lifestyle and that of the community, eg, examine your calendar and budgets to see if your resources reflect your values; welcome neighbors; find opportunities to volunteer; join a campaign (e.g., to improve schools or address poverty); build a better book club. Don't lose hope; we can all make a difference.
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