The author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It" got something right when he spoke Thursday night at The Peoples Church, 200 W. Grand River Ave.
Jim Wallis, a 1970 MSU graduate, Christian leader and best-selling author, came to preach social justice and explain why the tactics of the religious right don't speak to the majority of Americans.
We're a country at war, quickly approaching midterm elections, and we need more moderate voices like Wallis speaking out and representing the citizens who don't fall into either the "far right" or "far left" categories, which are generally represented in politics.
"People are tired of the dialogue of the religious right," Wallis said before the event. "Our faith has been hijacked by the religious right. They use issues to divide people and win elections."
And he's right. In a time when we're forced to choose between polar opposites on the political spectrum, we've lost an important space for the moderate voice — a voice that speaks to a larger population.
Often the only voices we hear from the political world are the loudest, but these voices also are often extreme and not completely representative of the larger majority.
Wallis addressed another important issue: dealing with the relationship between religion and politics. He maintains religion should not dictate a person's political choices. Politicians and pundits in the media may make it seem like if you're Christian, you have to support the Iraq war or agree with the Bush administration's choices — but the reality isn't so stark.
Although religion and politics don't necessarily go hand in hand, Wallis said he believes religion can be used to help improve the lives of the hungry and poor.
He has gained support from both Republicans and Democrats for addressing poverty and world hunger. While religion obviously isn't always necessary to combat these issues, facing them from some direction is imperative.
Wallis' voice is important to hear. Not only does he work toward improving the social fabric of our world, but also he has experience in promoting change.
As a social science major at MSU, Wallis was involved in several activist movements, including organizing demonstrations opposing the Vietnam War.
Rather than pretend everything is OK, Wallis believes we need to advocate for change.
"We can't ignore politics, we have to change politics. Young people at this university and around the country changed the policy in Vietnam," Wallis said.
Students still have that same power today, but perhaps what we need are more moderate voices to remind us that issues are not always so black and white.
