Listeners' Reflections

This is your place to publicly comment on the topics and issues addressed in Speaking of Faith programs. React in a personal way, and put into words what this program meant to you.

Submit Your Reflection about "The New Evangelicals, Part One."

Education and Poverty (December 13, 2007)
The poverty issue — I feel like education has the most to do with poverty. Education would give guidance regarding family planning, creative employment, etc. The problem I see with today's system of education is that not enough provision is made for future blue-collar workers. All seems to be geared for the office worker or administrator. In my own family, we have a plumber and a vet. I wonder about splitting students into suitable categories, after they are firmly based in the three R's. The plumber was a high school drop out because he was not able to see that anything he was required to learn was of any value to him. The vet, on the other hand, has finished college and is doing post-grad work. Idon't expect poverty to be a problem for either of them.

Helen Seek
Jefferson, ME (KOPB, 88.5 FM)

Culture (December 10, 2007)
When we don't help others we only hurt ourselves. The reggae artist Culture sums it up very well in song: "Share the riches with the poor before they share their poverty with you."

Shelley Barrett
Portland, OR (KOPB, 91.5 FM)

A Good Choice (December 9, 2007)
Thank you for chosing to interact with such significant Evangelical leaders. I'm fascinated with the development of their spirituality. As someone who identifies more with post-modern sensibilities, it was wonderful to be drawn to their compassion and faith, even if their feel and style are different than what I ordinarily resonate with. They deal in lots of acronyms, bullet-point messages, principles to live by, etc. — and yet I found them challenging and compelling. A good choice to exemplify the changing of the old guard within Christendom.

Mike Winkler
Orlando, FL (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Unbalanced Picture (December 9, 2007)
I just heard the interview with Rick and Kay Warren and went back and listened to the Jim Wallis interview. I am always frustrated when I hear programs like these on NPR because they leave the impression that no one else in the church community is doing anything about the problems in our world. My issue is with NPR particularly that they close out the faith community except to criticize it for its attempt to be involved with social issues.

An example of closing them out was a story they did from Kenya (several months ago) about "Helping Hands" and their work with AIDS and orphans of AIDS victims. They never once mentioned that this is, in fact, a function of The Church of the Nazarene in Kenya. Kay Warren is not the first American Evangelical to see the need in Africa. The Church of the Nazarene is a conservative Evangelical denomination headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. They have been at the forefront of alleviating poverty around the world for years in all kinds of ways. I suggest you contact them for a story. Contact Dr. Jim V. Morsch, Jerry Porter, and Louie Bustle. Or contact World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Compassion International. This is not new Evangelicalism!

An example of NPR criticizing the Evangelicals is common to most of the secular world and that is the issue of "separation of church and state" (S/C&S), which is not in our Constitution. But anything the church or Evangelicals in this country wants to do toward social justice is immediately cut off by S/C&S. As Rick Warren states, it requires public, Corporate, and church to get the job done. But not in America! Don't get the church involved with the government S/C&S.

An example of that would be Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship, which has been shown to reduce recidivism up to 80 percent, but Barry Lynn and his People for the Separation of Church and State are trying to stop their good work. I think if you will check it out, you will find that the Evangelical church has done more to help the victims of Katrina than the federal government. Do we hear that report on the news? The liberal media does not report what the church is doing except to criticize our positions on abortion and gay marriage. Anti-abortion, traditional marriage, mom and dad two parent families, adoption, lower taxes, elimination of marriage penalty — those things contribute to poverty amelioration too and sometimes can dodge the bullets of the ACLU, S/C&S, and the liberal media.

I am sorry Jim Wallis did not find an Evangelical church where compassion is foundational. I applaud him for his desire to want to change the world. Just don't forget the weightier issues that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ; He is the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved except the name of Jesus. The change He makes in the life of the individual is fundamental to the principle of "Redemption and Lift" out of poverty.

Marilyn Coffman
Sulivan, MO (KWMU, 90.7 FM)

Changing the Wind (December 8, 2007)
A groundswell of justice, of caring
comes from changing the winds
giving new direction for the weathervanes
politicians with their wet fingers up in the air
catching the wind and where it points
altering the compass heading, the pole, the goal
by changing the wind

Based on the comments of Jim Wallis on Speaking of Faith. He was talking about whether to change politicians or change the wind, to change the public opinion which guides politics. He used the example of President Johnson's statement to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that it would take five years for a voting rights bill but it actually took five months to pass the Voting Rights Act, after the March in Selma.

Raymond Foss
Manchester, NH (WEVO, 89.1 FM)

Voice of Reason from Evangelicals (December 8, 2007)
I really appreciated your guest, Jim Wallis. I am not a member of the Christian Right, and I often feel frustrated with what I hear coming from that side of the public debate. I, as was pointed out by Mr Wallis, have the same experience as many where I see a difference between the teachings of Christ and the actions of his supposed followers. It was so comforting to hear someone with faith in Jesus actually concern himself with the morally significant issues, rather than just focus on the political issues that have captivated the Christian Right for so long.

The thing that touched me the most in the program was when Mr. Wallis stated, "Now, I want to say religion has no monopoly on morality." It was such an unexpected thing to hear someone in his position say, but it's something important. So much focus is given to having "men of faith" run this country, when what we really want are "men of morality." Whether that morality emanates from a faith in God or from secular naturalism is irrelevant. I literally cheered and clapped (not a safe thing to do while driving) when I heard him make that statement.

Michael Bailey
Provo, UT (KUER, 90.1 FM)

Statistic or Tragedy? (December 6, 2007)
30,000 children die in poverty every day? 30,000? Children? While listening to today's radio installment, I was struck by this statistic. Different words strike different people. As a mom this is unfathomable to me. If another tsunami hit or another terrorist struck, obliterating 30,000 people in one place, the generosity of the American people would be heard in such overwhelming chords.

That's one of the greatest problems; these poor children do not die together in one space. If they did their plight could be ignored no longer. As when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, we the American people could not turn a deaf ear nor a blind eye to the devastation. For once, the "in your face" media attention had a striking purpose: to strike us all square in the face, heart and pocketbook to DO something.

But these poor ones are spread out all over. They are born, they suffer, enduring their hunger and illness relatively alone, and then they die. When this happens they become the "statistic." Since when has the death of a hungry child been demoted from detestable tragedy to statistic?

I'm one person — one busy mom before Christmas. My "to do" list is just as long as every other lucky American Mom's. I almost wrote "every American Mom," but stopped myself because that is not so. There are so many moms out there who are not scrambling to buy presents for their children that their children don't really need. There are moms out there who are struggling to put a box of macaroni and cheese on their table for dinner.

We "lucky" moms must do something about this. Give to those Salvation Army bell ringers. Give to your church. Give to that homeless shelter. Go through all those clothes that your own children have long outgrown. It's the beginning of a cold winter in many parts of our country. Cold children become sick children. Sick children die. Statistic or tragedy? The spin you put on it shall dictate the way you respond.

Maureen Locher
Diamond, OH (WKSU, 89.7 FM)

Driving Me Crazy... in a Good Way (December 6, 2007)
Your last several shows and newsletters have driven me crazy in a nice way. The material in your shows brings up offensive things in my own life for reconsideration. The series on Evangelicals believing in social action just left me chewing on my steering wheel. I long ago left the Church because of the hatred they preached and the doctrines of personal hypocrisy that they held. I hated them, and hatred is not such a good thing for me. So, though your programs are driving me crazy they are also helping me to heal and release, in a healthy way, my anger toward so many things in the world of faith that have damaged me. Thank you.

Dan Richards
Norwalk, CA (Listens to SOF Podcast)

Driving Me Crazy... in a Good Way (December 6, 2007)
I have followed the thoughts and writings of Jim Wallis for many years, and have met him several times. To put it mildly, his voice is essential in our era of shallow, homogenized, mass market churchiness. I particularly appreciate his emphhasis on hands-on, concrete acting out one's faith — as opposed to the airy abstractedness of our typical TV evangelist. For a snapshot of my experience with the "real world" of faith, check out [my post]. There are prayers of words, and then there are prayers with muscle.

Morf Morford
Tacoma, WA (KXOT, 91.7 FM)

God and Jesus Are Unnecessary Endorsements (December 4, 2007)
I listened to the program about Jim Wallis' more progressive version of evangelism and thought that while he, for the most part, supported ideas I like (feed the poor, take care of the sick, etc.) there is great danger in basing support for these ideas on religion (whether Christian evangelism or any other).

In the end, saying that we should help the poor because Jesus says so is equivalent to saying we should exercise with the Thigh Master because Suzanne Sommers says so. The fact that an idea is supported by a celebrity spokesperson does not make the idea a good one. An idea or ethical proposition should rise and fall on its own merits. For every evangelist who claims that Jesus wants us to provide universal healthcare for the sick, there is another evangelist who claims that Jesus wants every man to learn to fish for himself.

We should not base our charitable and ethical decisions which proposition is supported by more biblical quotes or by more evangelists. People should learn to figure out, and do, what's ethically right because its right, and not because of the exhortations of unctuous orators like Mr. Wallis.

Scott Benjamin
Pelham, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Bringing Our Nation Together as One (December 4, 2007)
This message of hope for all can be embraced by the right and the left. Jesus was a true liberal and a conservative, which made him balanced. If the government converted old military bases to help the homeless and the people in times of national emergency we would attempt to convert this nation to a compassionate nation that was breaking down the barriers that divide us. If a candidate would embrace this one idea it would get everyone's attention within this nation and worldwide.

Alan Steinbicker
Pinnacle, NC (WFDD, 88.5 FM)

Heartening (December 3, 2007)
It was so refreshing to hear a person of faith discussing poverty as a major theme. I am going with a church group to Roderfield, West Virginia this week to bring food and Christmas presents to children in an extremely impoverished coal mining region. The food bank which feeds half the county's population is going to close because of lack of support. It makes you wonder if anyone of influence will ever really care.

Joan Kennedy
Clyde, NC (WCQS, 88.1 FM)

Walter Wink (December 3, 2007)
I listen to your program almost every week. Your interview with Jim Wallis was one of the most eye-opening I can recall. Bravo to you and to him! A review of Niebuhr's "Moral Man and Immoral Society" is on your page. Along these lines, William Stringfellow held, like Wallis, that the Bible is a political book, and developed a compelling biblical explanation for the injustice and oppression caused by institutions even when the individuals in a society are decent. Being deceased, he is no longer available for interview. However, Prof. Walter Wink, in several books about the powers and principalities, has developed his analysis further. I commend Wink to your consideration for a program in the near future. He should be both fascinating and timely.

Paul Emmons
West Chester, PA (WHYY, 91.0 FM)

Root Cause... (December 6, 2007)
Interesting, thought-provoking discussion — thank you. Was there even one word about the root cause: over-population of our Earth? If so I missed it. Bottom line: All the goods works in the world will not save those 30,000 children dying each day, until and unless we, the Earth's human inhabitants, act on the reality that our Earth cannot support even the population we have, let alone billions more. Global warming is bad, overpopulation is an even more certain end to humankind. Please factor this certain reality into your thinking, writing and speaking.

Dick Webster
Worthington, OH (WOSU, 820 AM)

Undermining Our Values out of Fear and Selfishness (December 3, 2007)
Jim Wallis expressed core Christian beliefs, which I have not heard since my parents taught us our values as children. I am a white male in my early 60s. I consider myself secular rather than religious person but the Golden Rule informs my daily life.

I turned away from religion many years ago because I was repulsed by the narrow and often bigoted positions of religious persons. I have found myself apologising to my non-Christian friend that what is prevalent today is not what I was taught nor is it what I believe. I am pleased to hear a major spokesman for these often misguided Christians espousing the beliefs I was taught. There is no place for bigotry in the Golden Rule nor can I accept protecting a particular group of people for economic or racial reason at the expense of others.

I find it sad that we have become so mean and self-centered. That we can not find it in our heart to help our emigrants rather than chastising them and tearing their families apart for small and base reasons. It saddens me that we have undermined our values out of fear and selfishness.

Robert Woertendyke
Brooklyn, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

What Is the Selma of 2008? v2.0 (December 3, 2007)
It is nice to hear the joyful discoveries in these other posts. I remember that same discovery a few years back when I came across Jim's God's Politics book. I started a group from the Sojourners Web site to discuss the book and have made wonderful friends from this. Yet I have to be honest that each time I hear him, including today, I feel something is missing in his message. Nothing wrong, well except where Krista rightfully comments, "that's a pretty big statement," when he almost sounded flippant toward understanding what really motivates a revolution. But overall I am not exactly sure why I cannot lose the feeling that he is guilty of some sin of omission or something. Maybe it is a generational thing. I think it may have more to do with his absence of controversy.

Jesus and Dr. Martin Luther King were murdered. I do not see that happening to Jim Wallis. I see his influence and his network getting bigger but in the end I fear he will be as the show title aptly named him, just a new Evangelical leader.

I do not like feeling this way, it tempts me to seriously consider myself as a huge hypocrite and a grump for not fully endorsing this proven activist, who was and still is a warm meal and a blanket for thousands and a breath of fresh air for me and millions more. Although I wonder if he is not going further up the river to see who is telling who to throw bodies in the river. This leveling of the praying field is a cute phrase. I am no historian, but I would guess leveling, balance, and centrism never caused a revolution or a revival.

I think Jim is optimistic because he sees the great compassion of the American people and because he also meets so many bright-minded and well-meaning politicians who hope or even promise to do something about these tragedies. Yet, unlike politicians, he himself has also aided and seen first hand the tragic reality of the hungry, the sick, and the homeless. His methods work and his work really matters but his speeches do not stir me to go to prison or risk my income!

I wish when Krista asked "what is the Selma for the 2008 election year?" He would have said, well it is the same thing Dr. King fought for, the right for citizens to vote. The huge gap between the compassion of the American people and the compassion of the U.S. government should point him directly toward the pure lack of voter representation. This should be the new Selma. The prejudice of today is not the Negro of the yesterday, the Negro of today is the common man versus the elite few. It is the two-party system, the lack of reasonable ballot access, open debates, the winner take all system of government, and the corporate influence of lobbyists. Politics should be about compromise; religion should be about not compromising. There are two questions not just one. How can we compromise like we need to when the winner takes it all? And how can we let our religion influence our politics when neither side can represent our faith?

If Jesus were asked on NPR what was more important, abortion or the poor?, he would say the same thing he said the first time they asked him this. Give to the Constitution what belongs to the constitution. Namely: That this is a nation of the people, by the people, for the people. The two-party system has clouded the Constitution in the same way the Pharisees clouded the law of Moses. We are not represented because rules of access have been crafted only by those that are currently in power. Yet the Constitution never mentions nor validates the two-party system. For instance Texans need 90,000 petitions to get on a presidential ballot as an Independent and this must be done years in advance of the election, where as only 2000 petitions are needed for a Democrat or a Republican. Legal internet petitions do no exist. Jim is a much needed lobbyist for the poor, but I do not think he is cutting at the root of civil rights and its tragic impact on the poor like Dr. King did.

Tim Gapinski
Noblesville, IN (WFYI, 90.1 FM)

Refocusing, but Skeptical (December 3, 2007)
I've been a Unitarian humanitarian atheist for the last 40 years. And I have always considered the Evangelical movement to be a threat to our society. In the last 20 years they've taken control of Congress pushing a Christian agenda I believe the goals of that movement are to ban abortion and then ban birth control. I was encouraged to hear Jim Wallis talk about the wrong direction the Evangelical movement has taken and that their focus should be on humanitarian efforts to end world poverty and hunger. I've always considered the movement to be hypocritical — they're concerned about the 800,000 abortions that took place last year in this country, yet seem to have no concern for 40,000 children that die every day in the world from hunger and preventable diseases. I hope Jim Wallis can change the direction of the Evangelical movement from political to humanitarian.

Bill Smythe
Greshem, OR (KOPB, 88.1 FM)

No Difference from the Taliban (December 3, 2007)
Regarding the point on a recent broadcast on Evangelical leaders and separation of church and state: whenever they are not separate, whether in the new or old evangelism (the old is an arm of the Republican Party), voters who are swayed by religion and equate it to morals open the whole country to the American equivalent of the Taliban. We had it in lynchings in the South. Were Evangelical leaders overwhelmingly denouncing state and local politicians who condoned lynchings in the South (or earlier in the North for that matter)?

When they endorse a political candidate because of a stand against abortion, for example, they implicitly condone whatever else that leader may undertake — such as a war for his own purposes: to oppose a cooked-up war can be seen as denouncing God's candidate. He is permitted anything because he is morally right on abortion. Or when they support those who advocate teaching creationism in public schools because it appears to agree with the Bible though the overwhelming position of science is that creationism is not science? There is no difference in principle between this and what the Taliban do. Instead we have political candidates pandering to the religious vote, dangerous given our history of bending to the dictates of religious extremists.

Ken Dymond
Annapolis, MD (WAMU, 88.1 FM)

Different Places, Same Goals (December 2, 2007)
I heard Jim Wallis this morning and I have to say I never knew there were progressive Evangelicals, so hearing him was a pleasant surprise. The words Evangelical and Christian in the same sentence generally strike terror in my heart, but I resonated with pretty much everything this man said (although I confess I have some concern over possible unsaid points.) And while I personally don't live with the comfort of religion, it's fine with me if, for him, the core of the beliefs I heard about this morning is his religion. That's just not my business. I will be seeking the same goals as he is from a different angle.

Diane Barton
Milwaukee, WI (WUWM, 89.7 FM)

Under the Radar for Years (December 2, 2007)
When the statement was made about eliminating poverty, it provokes the prospect of socialism; hopefully my inference is wrong. In regard to the statement that liberals seem to be more sensitive to social needs, I take serious issue with this. Conservatives are not without many, many socially conscious who volunteer, contribute to many worthy causes, and are going about this without fanfare. We do this by choice and have been doing so for many years, long before the recent fad to be generous by pop figures.

Sue Harris
Owasso, OK (KWGS, 89.5 FM)

Reaffirming Jim's Message (December 2, 2007)
Thank you for your interview with Jim Wallis. How incredibly refreshing to hear someone on public media who expresses the views of many of us Christian "evangelicals" who are embarrassed to be lumped in with the "Religious Right"! I was pleasantly surprised to hear what he had to say being broadcast on PBS! Good for you, Krista! I affirm what he said, the public would be surprised at how many (evangelical) Christians are more concerned about homelessness, poverty, and social justice issues than about gay and lesbian rights and "family values." I also agree that a revival of faith is needed (and feels like it's coming), and that there is a wave of change that has begun in Christians (especially younger Christians)in this nation — an awakening of passion for the things Jim "cut out of his Bible." (I don't think I have ever commented on a broadcast before, but was so encouraged, excited, and impressed to hear you and Jim speaking about my views and discussing things that really resonated with my heart; I just needed to say thank you!)

Robin Brady
Cloquet, MN (WSCN, 100.5 FM)

This Is the Way to Change the World and to Survive (December 2, 2007)
I am German and lived since 11 years in the USA, in Biloxi, MS. I can't tell how much I was touched and moved (to tears or clapping my hands sitting here by myself) by what Jim Wallis said. This is so fundamental and true and the only chance to change the world! It is the first time since I live here that I heard somebody so clearly, so logically, so correctly, and so from the heart talking about something so important. Jim Wallis is absolutely right and I feel finally so confirmed, because this is the way I think too, but I have a hard time to be understood. Taking care for the poor, giving them a chance to help themselves (a decent education and a functional healthcare system) are fundamental to create a better society. The way he explained what God wants and Jesus showed us, that is the absolute truth and the only way to survive as human beings.

I wish I would have the chance for a conversation with Jim Wallis (I know it's just a dream) because I also would like to know about his opinion or way to make this justice system more "just" and reasonable. I am very pleased that he is on the side of our President candidates, I hope they listen closely. Thank you so very much.

Diethild Vogt
Biloxi, MS (WUWM, 93.9 FM)

Beyond Faith Communities (December 2, 2007)
It turns out that Jim Wallis and I are neighbors in Columbia Heights, although neither of us would have known it until I heard this interview, and Mr. Wallis still won't know it unless this note is shared with him. My point is this: It's so wonderful to hear that progressive Evangelicals are focusing on what has on a previous SOF program been called "public" moral values like poverty amelioration (rather than "private" ones like gay marriage). However, I couldn't help noticing that all their efforts seem to be limited to traditional communities of faith.

I'm not a member of an Evangelical faith community but would relish the opportunity to join this movement, as I suspect would many others. If Evangelical Christians make up 30 percent to 40 percent of the U.S. population, how and where are progressive Evangelicals framing their arguments so that they appeal not just to communities of faith but also to the 60 percent to 70 percent of the population who are not among their number, but who feel the same moral call?

Elaine Clisham
Washington, DC (WMAH, 90.3 FM)

Secular Humanism (December 2, 2007)
I rejected Evangelicalism years ago and have recently left the Christian Church over its lack of interest in reining in its extreme right wing. I am what I guess would be called a secular humanist. I am at any rate a humanist who found no interest in humanity within the Christian Church. I am certainly a liberal and a progressive.

I would not hold anyone's Evangelical beliefs against them so long as they do not rub my nose in it. But I must say that if today's young Evangelicals wish to be known for working to end poverty, AIDS, and the other dreaded diseases that go with our current global economics, and for bringing some justice into human relations, they should start by taking responsibility for what they have wrought with their "innocent" political action over the last several decades. We have hundreds of thousands of dead Afghans and Iraqis. There are about four million Iraqi refugees within and without their own country. We have brought the world to the very brink of nuclear war with India and Pakistan and have threatened the use of nuclear weapons ourselves, against Iran. We countenance Israel's bullying, both nuclear and conventional. We have restarted the arms race. Our constitutional republic lies in shambles and a military state for us lurks just off stage. And all because Evangelicals wanted to express a simple and pure anti-abortion and nativist morality by putting George W. Bush into the White House. Twice!

James Van Der Pol
Kerkhoven, MN (KNCM, 88.5 FM)

The Questions (December 1, 2007)
If you died right now and faced Jesus Christ in that instant, why would he let you into Heaven or would he? If the Dali Lama died and faced Jesus Christ in that instant, why would he let him into Heaven or would he? Could you give a doctrinal statement of how you understand Jesus Christ and the Bible? Do you believe there is a Hell of eternal fire and torment? Do you believe Jesus is the Creator? What do you make of other religions who deny that Jesus is the Creator and/or who think they are getting into their after life by obeying laws? How you answer will speak volumes of what you are all about would it not?

Ross Whetson
Farmdale, OH (WYSU, 88.5 FM)

What Does Religion Have To Do With It? (December 1, 2007)
I was very impressed with Jim Wallis' dedication to a cause that we all need to commit to, improving the health and living conditions of those less fortunate than ourselves all over the world. His principles are thoroughly commendable and I agree with them 99.9 percent. The .1 percent that I dispute is putting these virtuous ideals into the context of religion.

It is true that Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King were religious men of great compassion, but would they have done less if they were agnostics or even atheists? Without religion would there be no empathy? I contend that these men, and, I would hope, millions more would render acts of kindness without thinking, "That's what God would have wanted me to do."

I was brought up in the Jewish faith. I am 61 years old, and to this day doubt His existence. From recent discovery of her personal writings, Mother Theresa had the same doubts. Not to shower myself with adulation, but to make a point, though I am not a person of great faith, I did do volunteer work with developmentally disabled children in a Sunday program at college, upon graduation from college joined Volunteers in Service to America (the domestic Peace Corps), became a teacher of developmentally disabled children, volunteered to work with the Boy Scouts for eight years, and have been on marches to protest JP Morgan Chase's investments in PetroChina oil which lends financial support to the genocide in Darfur. Upon retirement, I now volunteer in programs for meals-on-wheels and developmentally disabled adults. Lastly, I donate platelets once a month and have recently sponsored a developmentally disabled child living in an orphanage in Vietnam, who I plan to visit in the spring.

Again, the point of my mentioning all this is not to praise myself but to ask the question, "What does religion have to do with it?"

Jay Blackman
East Meadow, NY (WNYC, 93.9 FM)

Kudos to Jim Wallis (November 30, 2007)
I've known of Jim Wallis for many years through his writings and his activism. He reminds the rest of us that the gospel of Christ is a call to a holy lifestyle grounded in our love of God and that there is no real holy lifestyle without compassion for and caring toward God's hurting children. No true disciple of Christ can ignore the cries and needs of the poor. I greatly appreciated some of his closing comments wherein we're reminded that, empowered by God's Spirit, we can bring about change and we can work to eradicate poverty. And Krista Tippett did a good job of facilitating the conversation.

Richard Smith
Murray, KY (Listens to SOF OnDemand)

Origins of Quote (November 30, 2007)
Jim Wallis was talking about the great awakening. He said we must hope for the new order, the kingdom of God on Earth. I know it's in the Lord's Prayer, but does he know where this quotation came from: "The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System — the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." It' so very heartening to hear Jim Wallis' impassioned dedication to changing the world.

Jane Wilder
East Flat Rock, NC (WCQS, 88.1 FM)

Proposed Future Guest (November 29, 2007)
Is there a current presidential candidate who opposes both abortion on demand and aggressive war?

Wes Gordon
Charlotte, NC (WFAE, 90.7 FM)

Proposed Future Guest (November 29, 2007)
Certainly enjoy the show and the diversity of guests that you interview. As a sincere Christian that is serious about spirituality and progressive politics, and put off by much of the noise of right-leaning Christians, I am greatly enjoying reading Gary Wills book on Head and Heart American Christianities. I believe his incredible scholarship and balanced insightful presentation of his subject matter would make for a most interesting hour for your listeners, including me. Keep up the good work; thank heavens for podcasts as they keep switching around your show time here in Georgia.

Bob Hayes
Atlanta, GA (WABE, 90.1 FM)