Faith Works: Lessons on Spirituality and Social Action (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jim Wallis is the theological equivalent of a jackalope. He's an evangelical protestant with a strong streak of sympathy for works righteousness. As he explains in Faith Works: Lessons from the Life of an Activist Preacher, "in the Bible, faith is not something you possess but rather something you practice. You have to put it into action or it really doesn't mean anything. Faith changes things. It's the energy of transformation, both for individuals and for a society." For decades, Wallis has channeled the boundless energy of his faith into religious activism. He may be best known as the editor of Sojourners magazine and a founder of Call to Renewal, an evangelical ministry to the poor. Faith Works is a genre-busting book that includes elements of memoir, self-help, sociology, politics, and theology. Each of its 15 chapters conveys a spiritual lesson designed to compel readers to put their faith into action and make a difference in their communities. Here are the first three lessons, which will give you some idea of the respectful, humorous, and demanding tones that sound throughout this book: "Trust your questions," "Get out of the house more often," and "Use your gift." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Wallis has correctly surmised that people long for an alternative to the blame-placing, cynicism-producing and often hate-filled debate between the Left and the Right about social issues. In this engaging and timely collection of sermonlike essays, Wallis, the pastor who founded Sojourners Magazine and the Sojourners community in Washington, D.C., tells story after story of people living out just such an alternative, and in doing so, shows that meaningful activism is possible, palatable, soul-healing and even fun. Arguing that the health of a society can be measured by the way it treats the poor, he chides conservatives and liberals alike for their failures in this area but also affirms their strengths and challenges them to work together toward values both groups share, such as child welfare. Wallis validates the most sensible ideas of liberals and conservatives, in the church and in politics. While he never shies away from harsh truths about the widening wage gap in the U.S., devastating poverty in the developing world and our wealth-obsessed culture's apathetic response, Wallis ultimately inspires as much hope as he does outrage. Hope, in fact, is a theme in this book, which sets it apart from the angry bulk of anti-poverty literature. Wallis sees this hope as a gift from God; he believes that one must have a spiritual well to drink from in order to maintain hope. His book is a welcome primer for any aspiring activist, regardless of spiritual inclination. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: SPCK Publishing (August 23, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0281055254
• ISBN-13: 978-0281055258
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,993,784 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Just Stand There, Do Something!, March 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Faith Works: Lessons from the Life of an Activist Preacher (Hardcover)

I really liked the preview of this book. Jim says many things we have all heard before but says it so well! I too believe we need to look beyond our backdoor or comfort zones and really open our eyes to what's going on around us. By that I mean nationally and internationally. There are many things wrong in this world and unless we as Christians are willing to take up the cross of Jesus in mission and doing for the least of them, things will remain as they are. Mr. Wallis has written a book previously entitled Who Speaks For God? It is excellent and explains the Sojourners magazine he is the editor of. I would encourage all readers to explore his work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars as usual, Wallis cuts through poltical hatred and gets to the point, October 25, 2005

By	Lurlene Lumkin (San Francsico, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Works: How Faith Based Organizations Are Changing Lives, Neighborhoods, and America (Paperback)

Jim Wallis is a brilliant and compassionate man who preaches his faith like nobody else. He is level-headed and not at all inflammatory, which is beautiful and so rare these days. I am not a particularly religious person, so when he speaks of 'faith' I think of it as 'faith' in humanity and the substitution works just fine. This book is for people who are done hating and being angry about the current state of our country (no matter your political persuasion) and who are truly looking for some way to help bring about change. For someone to have that strong a reaction against a man like Jim Wallis is, who unlike everyone these days has no hidden political agenda, is very bizarre. He is a TRUE Christian (yes, some still exist) and his priority is practicing and teaching the lessons of Christ, which don't include starting wars, sentencing people to death, degrading the poor, quieting dissenting voices, etc. FYI, those who read that last sentence as a poltiical statement rather than an honest recitation of the teachings of Christ are not ready for Jim Wallis's message (like, I suspect, the man who gave this one star).

6 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars More BS from Jim Walls, January 21, 2005

By	Charles Stand (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Works: How Faith Based Organizations Are Changing Lives, Neighborhoods, and America (Paperback)

Gee, we have to have "Faith Based" organizations to change lives and neighborhoods across America. What a load of BS. From the day this country was formed there were people taking care of people whether faith was involved or not. Walls just loves to get preachy on the platform of righteousness. People who care about others are religious or not. They just have a basic need to get outside of EGO and place the welfare of others equal to their own. To place Religion doctrine (which is NOT necessarily "Christian") before the feeding of the hungry is as anti-Christian as it gets.