The Call to Conversion [Paperback]

Jim Wallis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Put Your Faith into Action

A leading voice at the crossroads of faith and politics offers a prophetic appeal for our times: faced with a growing gap between the rich and poor, bombarded by national security alerts that ratchet up our stress levels, taxed by a government that spends billions of dollars on war -- where do we find hope? In this revised and updated edition of his classic, Jim Wallis insightfully critiques contemporary culture and politics, inspiring us with stories to convert our way of thinking and point to a solution to our current social and political dilemmas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A book too important to ignore….Wallis convincingly presents Jesus as the original anti-poverty prophet who recognizes that despair leads to a host of other problems….You won't read it in one go because you have to soak it in, think about it, and maybe even be, well, converted by it." — YouthWorker Journal

(YouthWorker Journal )

From the Back Cover

A leading voice at the crossroads of faith and politics offers a prophetic appeal for our times: with a growing gap between the rich and the poor, with our fears surrounding national security, with the enormous costs of war, where do we find hope? In this revised and updated edition of his classic book, Wallis provides an insightful critique of our culture and politics, offering inspiring stories that show a way out of our social and political dilemma. He elaborates on the concept of conversion, surveying both the biblical and historical meanings as well as the experience itself. He shows us how to reassess the significance of conversion in today’s world. By gaining a profound understanding, Wallis argues, we will come to see how economic injustice and the threat of war can serve as the tests for measuring the depth of both our personal and our shared spirit.

This new edition is updated throughout, with a new introduction, as well as extensively rewritten chapters on the most recent thinking and statistics on poverty, and on contemporary warfare with the current threat of terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear capabilities of third-world nations.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; Rev Upd edition (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060842377
• ISBN-13: 978-0060842376
• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #885,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Wallis is a bestselling author, public theologian, speaker, preacher, and international commentator on religion, public life, faith, and politics. He is president and CEO of Sojourners, where he is editor-in-chief of Sojourners magazine. He regularly appears on radio and television, including shows like Meet the Press, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the O'Reilly Factor, and is a frequent guest on the news programs of CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and National Public Radio. He has taught at Harvard's Divinity School and Kennedy School of Government on Faith, Politics, and Society. He has written eight books, including: Faith Works, The Soul of Politics, Who Speaks for God? and The Call to Conversion.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True conversion, April 7, 2006

By 

S. Cornforth "Steve Cornforth" (Liverpool, UK England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Call to Conversion (Paperback)

I first read this book almost twenty years ago. It had a profound on my thinking and my faith. In particular it was a challenge which caused me to re-order my priorities. What was more important - forms of worship or a world where children starve? Of course both are important but Jim Wallis reminds us with considerable clarity and skill that God's heart is well and truly on the side of the poor rather than the theologically correct.

This latest edition brings us up to date to take into account 9/11, Iraq and anti poverty initiatives such as Make Poverty History. The context is different but the message is the same. If we truly claim to be different then our lifestyles and values will also be converted. That will be seen in how we respond to the poor and the weak. In how we are seen to be peacemakers.

He writes with authority having devoted much of his working life to the poor in Washington DC through the work of Sojourners. He pulls no punches - 'The poor are not our problem, we are their problem.'

This is not a comfortable read. It is not a comfortable message. But is essential reading for any who wish to take their faith seriously. Don't miss it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reinagining what conversion should look like, April 8, 2010

By 

Jonathan Pedrone (Miami Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Call to Conversion : Why Faith Is Always Personal but Never Private (Paperback)

In The Call To Conversion Jim Wallis invites his readers to a greater understanding of the meaning, and scope of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. According to Wallis, the Kingdom of God has arrived, and that arrival calls all true Christian believers into a radical change of lifestyle.

Wallis rightly understands repentance as a turning away from an old way of life, priorities, and goals and reorienting ones compass so that the goal becomes a life characterized by the Sermon on the Mount. Wallis contends that America's individualistic culture has brought us to the point where Christians have relinquished their proper responsibility to share with those in need, and to provide for the needy.

Wallis wrote The Call To Conversion in 1981, but any reader of his more recent and popular work can find the genesis of his thoughts in this book. In this edition, Wallis calls out Christians to re-examine their views on global poverty, war, and community.

Wallis appeals to the early church fathers in his chapter on poverty, and generosity, with quotations that will challenge modern day Christians. In the first few centuries of the church, Christians were known for being a people who shared their belongings with others. They understood the poor to be their responsibility, regardless of their affiliation or proximity to them. A stark contrast is drawn between believers of times gone past, and today's new batch of Christians. America's individualism and greed are confronted in this text, and a challenge goes forth to all believers to consider why their faith should never be confined to their private quarters, but must instead reach out and extend to those around them.

This book reads much like Wallis' later works. Fans of his writing will find this book a helpful basis for his future work. I found The Call To Conversion to be an interesting read, although it clearly does not stack up to Wallis' later works. The book is well written, but at times simplistic, and it lacks the anecdotal character of some of Wallis' later work. Overall, it is a worthwhile read, especially for the first time reader of Jim Wallis.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome return to civility and original intent., August 3, 2006

By 

D. Lockwood "spritegeezer" (Elk Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Call to Conversion (Paperback)

While some of the references in this book are a bit dated it has been brought current in this new edition. A welcome reminder of the true basis of Christianity. It renewed the energy with which I pursue enlightenment. A very nourishing read.