Faith Works
Jim Wallis, in his book Faith Works: How to Live Your Beliefs and Ignite Positive Social Change, published in 2005, says that "two of the most powerful forces in the world right now are service and spirituality...together they provide the most potent combination for changing our communities."
He offers a recipe of 15 lessons about faith and action, learned over three decades of being a preacher, activist, author, convener of Call to Renewal* (founded in 1995 and united into Sojourners in 2006) and editor in chief of Sojourners magazine:
- Trust Your Questions
- Get out of the House More Often
- Use Your Gift
- Do the Work and You'll Find the Spirit
- Recognize the Three Faces of Poverty
- Listen to Those Closest to the Problem
- Get to the Heart of the Matter
- Throw Away Old Labels - It's Values That Count
- Find New Allies and Search for Common Ground
- Tap the Power of Faith Communities
- Be a Peacemaker
- Be a Contemplative
- Keep It Human
- Have a Dream
- Change the Wind
*On June 26, 2006, Barack Obama, before he launched his presidential campaign, spoke at Jim Wallis’s Call to Renewal conference, laying out a critique not only of the Religious Right but also of the secular left.
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