the call to conversion

I've been doing a bit of reading to get ready for my next teaching series in August ("Who is My Neighbor?"). It is a series that will look at the local and global implications of being a Christ-follower.

One of the books I just picked up at Barnes & Nobles is "The Call to Conversion: Why is Always Personal But Never Private" by Jim Wallis. It was originally published in the 1980s but was revised in 2005. I didn't go to Barnes & Nobles intending to pick up a book by Jim Wallis. I've heard of Wallis throughout the years and mainly looked at him as a left-leaning wishy washy evangelical. He is the founder of Sojourners, a ministry described as "Christians for justice and peace." You can read his bio on the Sojourner website here.

But I must admit ... this book is beginning to change my opinion of Jim Wallis -- not that my opinion matters to him! In the opening chapters he describes the meaning of conversion and how it applies to both the private and public aspects of life. In essence, as Christ-followers we are enlisted into a new kingdom -- one that has very public manifestations. One of my favorite lines is where he is describing the self-centered nature of American Christianity and talks about our tendency to pray more for parking spaces than world peace.

I must also admit that it has been a pretty hard-hitting book. Not something you would expect from a wishy washy evangelical :-) I'm already thinking that I may make a few copies available next month at LifePoint. Who knows, I may invite Jim Wallis to come out and speak!