The Most Important Book to Read Right Now

This may be the most important book you read this year. The False White Gospel, Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True faith and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis is a stunning analysis of the religious landscape in contemporary American Culture and its impact on politics. “Wallis is America’s prophet and moral philosopher,” says Otis Moss III, Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ. He is passionately Christian and deeply faithful to the best of what Christianity stands for.

“It is time, says Jim Wallis, to call out genuine faith—specifically the ‘Christian’ in white Christian nationalism—inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. We need to raise up the faith of all of us, and help those who are oblivious, stuck, and captive to ideology and idolatry.

Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: Do we believe these teachings or not? When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate, and violence, we need a civic faith of love, healing and hope to defeat it. And that must involve all of us—religious or not. Learning to practice a politics of neighbor love will be central to the future of democracy in America.

More than ever, the words of Jesus ring, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” From the book jacket

If you read nothing else this year, please read this. New York Times best selling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy (which I also highly recommend) writes, “Wallis sounds the alarm—arguing that the rise of white Christian nationalism is not just another symptom of partisan conflict but a false white gospel that threatens to destroy both democracy and the integrity of white churches.”

Wallis is not one for hyperbole. He writes with fervent passion for scripture, an ability to see beyond what is obvious and a deep concise analysis of the contemporary landscape of religion and politics. This is NOT a partisan book; it is a Christian book. If you care about faith and democracy, this book should rocket to the top of your “to be read” pile. It did mine.