Every night Jim Wallis goes to bed to the
sound of gunfire. He is not in
Bosnia. He lives just 20 blocks from the White House, in the
urban ghettos of Washington DC, where he heads a Christian community,
Sojourners. 'Where I live,' says Wallis, 'poor kids kill
each other for the latest design of basketball boots. Across
town, rich kids kill themselves because they don't know what they
are living for.
'Washington may be an extreme case,
but it is far from unique. The world is not working,' says Wallis,
and he has written a book, The Soul of Politics, focussing
some of the issues we face. The New York Times calls it
'a passionate, heartfelt book... If it succeeds in awakening a
nation's conscience, it will come as no surprise to Wallis. He
is accustomed to hope.'
'The problem,' says Wallis, 'is that
Mahatma Gandhi's seven social sins have become the accepted practice
of modern nations: politics without principle, wealth without
work, commerce without morality, pleasure without conscience,
education without character, science without humanity and worship
without sacrifice.' The results are tragic. He tells of the
hundreds of elderly who died in the United States during last
year's heatwave. Too scared of violence to open their doors and
windows, they suffocated in their own homes.
But the
situation can be turned around. Even members of the urban gangs
who terrorise these old people can find new aims. In 1993 a national
Gang Summit brought together 164 leaders, members and ex-members
of some of America's most feared gangs. Many of them, instead
of fighting each other, are now fighting drugs and other social
agonies. It happened because Wallis and others cared enough to
reach beyond the tough exterior of gang members and find the hurt
person underneath, often a victim of childhood neglect and abuse.
Wallis understands
their anger. He has been active in the American Civil Rights
movement and in many social and peace actions. Visiting New Zealand
recently, he urged young activists to keep protesting. But, he
said, 'protest must be driven by a new vision for society'. He
believes that society changes from the bottom up. 'New voices
lead to new visions, which in turn lead to projects, networks
and social movements. The collapse of communism does not vindicate
capitalism; neither system serves the deep needs of people. Higher
ground can be reached by working for change both in individuals
and in the structures of society.' Reading The Soul of Politics
is the easy part. It is well written, with plenty of examples
of people who are looking beyond the old structures of society
and working out entirely new ways. The harder part is to work
out new examples in our own communities, starting with ourselves.
That is Wallis' challenge to all who want to be agents of transformation.
Richard Davis, New Zealand
Richard.Davis@vuw.ac.nz
The Soul of Politics: A Practical and Prophetic
Vision for Change, by Jim Wallis (HarperCollins, 1995)
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