Is Jim Wallis an Evangelical Christian? (Vanity)

Curiosity | 2/15/2005 | Juan Medén

[Blzbba]

" but belongs to an 'independent' church in Maryland - can't remember the name, but it had 'Cedar' in it. "



I too heard this part of the radio interview. I thought he said "Cedar Ridge Church", somewhere in Maryland.

Hope this helps.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

I met Jim Wallis when I was in seminary. I don't recall whether he had finished attending Trinity Evangelical Seminary, but he was working on what was the predecessor of Sojourners. There are five main theological threads in the Christian Church and with that other poster, Wallis would fall into that Social Justice strain. It's the media that has dubbed him Evangelical. And he did attend a seminary with Evangelical in its name. And it is a bonified Evangelical seminary in outskirts of Chicago. One ought to be careful in labeling folks. Democrats to that. Jim Wallis is no threat to Freepers. And I prefer to let God decide which get into Kingdom, so he passes my litmus test as a Christian, but he only has power as much as media gives him.Don't feed into the media frenzy.

[mlmr]

"Plymouth Brethren"

I'm not familiar with that particular church, but it sounds like it's from the Pietist or ana-baptist tradition, which has always tended towards pacifism and - in modern times - far-left politics. The American Friends Service Committee, for example, is about as far left as you can get; it's a church Ramsey Clark would feel quite comfortable with, i.e., America is ALWAYS wrong, (left-wing) dictators are ALWAYS right.

The Brethern are from Anabaptist roots.

[mewzilla]

I'd like to know where Sojourners gets its money from. The Tides Foundation, maybe...?

[Juan Medén]

Thanks. Here is an article that links Jim Wallis with Brian McClaren, pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Maryland: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/august2004/300804godisnot.htm.

McClaren is a left leading "evangelical" writer who recently teamed up with Tony Campolo, another lefty favorite, for Adventures in Missing the Point, an attack on evangelical Christianity. The web-site of Cedar Ridge is http://www.crcc.org/

[MissMagnolia]

I'm pretty sure this isn't it. For some reason (I have a terrible short-term memory) Landover, MD is what I think I remember. Wallis actually gave the street address, too. I wonder if you can get a transcript of Hannity's radio interviews?

[MissMagnolia]

OK, how about this? There is a 'transdenominational' church in LANHAM (not Landover) Md. called the Cedar Ridge Community Church, 8919 Hickory Hill Ave. (My apologies to this church if they aren't associated with Wallis)

[kpp_kpp]

yes i know. i was raised in one of the groups.

[Steve_Seattle]

"The Brethren are from Anabaptist roots."

Thanks; I thought they might be - any denomination with the word "brethren" in its name is usually from that tradition of radical, pacifist, anti-clerical, anti-sacramental church.

[Not A Democrat]

I first heard of Jim Wallis almost 20 years ago while I was a student at a Baptist college. His views fall in line with most of the professors I had during that time.

I heard the exchange between Wallis and Falwell yesterday. I then did some research on the church question, as Falwell nailed Wallis on church membership.

The connection and link for Cedar Ridge church in suburban Maryland is correct. http://www.crcc.org/ Brian McLaren, the senior pastor, also has an article on Sojourners' website.

I cannot doubt their faith in Christ. I can, however, seriously question their theology. I also have a problem when someone is so dedicated to socialism and big government to solve the needs of the poor, that they would accept the Democrat party line of legalized abortion and increased acceptance of homosexual behavior. It's one thing to believe in big government (though I don't), but it's another thing when belief in government social programs trumps traditional Biblical morality.

Wallis' answer to Hannity's question on legalized abortion really saddened me. At the end of the day, as a Christian, I can accept his views on the role of government and the military, though I definitely disagree. However, as a Christian, I believe that traditional Biblical morality is non-negotiable.

Traditional values such as opposition to abortion and homosexual behavior should transcend party lines. The Republican party too often pays lip service to those with traditional values. However, it wins elections by paying respect in a general way for God, the traditional family, and the military. A great number of people that may not necessarily be committed Christians are nevertheless offended at the Democrats' attacks on God, the family, and the military. The Democrat party thumbs its nose at those so-called "values voters", concentrating on its donors and supporters that primarily have a secular worldview. Now, it is looking for a way to attract some of those votes in red states, without offending its core. A skunk by any other name still smells, and I hope and pray that enough will recognize the smell when Hillary runs in 2008, so that she is defeated.

Sojourners' bumper stickers are basically right: God is not a Republican or a Democrat. God is too holy and too big to be a Republican. However, the values of the Democrat party truly sadden Him, and beg for his justice, righteousness, and forgiveness, as does all of our sin.

[johnb838]

Ask the gaybish. Ask any congregationalist.

[johnb838]

> His background is Plymouth Brethren;

I believe that's congregationalist. Also known as the United Churches of Christ.

[Matchett-PI]

To find out everything you'd ever want to know about Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, Tony Campolo, and the rest of the left-wing Marcusian Marxists in the religious left this is a MUST READ BOOK:

The Religious Left - Who they are and what they believe - by Dr. Ronald H. Nash, PhD.

http://www.kfuo.org/ie_main.htm has the audio of an interview with Ron Nash. On right side of page, click on October 2004 Scroll down to October 11.

They employ the "moral" deceptions of Saul Alinsky, Hillary's mentor.

*

Hillary's Marxist mentor (the one about whom she wrote her college thesis at Wellesley), Saul Alinsky wrote two books outlining his organizational principles and strategies: Reveille for Radicals (1946) and Rules for Radicals (1971).

.....Rules for Radicals teaches the organizer that he must give a moral appearance: “All effective action requires the passport of morality.”

The tenth rule of the ethics of means and ends states “that you do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral arguments ... Moral rationalization is indispensable at all times of action whether to justify the selection or the use of ends or means.”

*

Sojourners Magazine March/April 2000 issue - Jim Wallis Editor

"Saul Alinsky Goes to Church"

Faith-based community organizing is taking off---with benefits for both community and church. by Helene Slessarev

The origins of community organizing are generally traced to the pioneering work of Saul Alinsky, who built the first community organizing effort in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood in the 1930s. Alinsky created the early community-based efforts by organizing existing groups into collective action around particular issues.

Today many communities are much less cohesive, so it is necessary to build relationships first and then take on issues that grow out of those stronger bonds. In poorer communities, churches are often experiencing the same loss of cohesiveness as they struggle to survive in an increasingly barren environment. Thus, organizing becomes a means for such congregations to reconnect with their own members and with the broader community around them. ... [snip]
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=Soj0003&article=000311

[kpp_kpp]

no it is different: http://withchrist.org/MJS/pbs.htm

[fish hawk]

he is an evangelical Christian like Ward Churchill is a Native American.

[noah]

Jim Wallis
To the best of my knowledge he's Mennonite which is an old evangelical, protestant, Pacifist sect. They come to their positions honestly.
They are pacifist because they believe they are members of a Kingdom which is not of this world and do not wish to become entangled with the life and death issues of this world. History has also taught them that religion backing a political party has been the most potent force persecuting belivers over the long haul. That's why they are sceptical about the alliance of the Christian right with the Republican party.
They need to be reminded that their support for the Democratic party is at least as dangerous. Their support for the POOR is heartfelt and genuine, but they need to be reminded that its private charities that give the poor something to live for, not government programs that enslave the poor. It's convenient for them that much of what they want coincides with the Democratic party. However they need to feel MUCH MORE ANGST about the SECULAR direction of their party. However because of their preference for the ABSOLUTE SEPARATION of Church and State they tend to support this in politics.

[crusher]

I heard Wallis this AM on Laura Ingraham, and he is clearly from the marxist wing of “christendom” (not capitalized on purpose because it is not Christianity IMHO). We are commanded NOT to make judgements about someone’s relationship to God (“Judge not lest ye be judged...”), while we are instructed to determine the depth of discipleship by judging their life (“By their fruits ye shall know them...”). And the fruits of Wallis’ crowd is death and destruction writ large on a global genocidal scale.

I’ve known some (Plymouth) Brethren including a Pastor, who rankled at the perception of some fellow local pastors who did not include him in their prayer breakfasts because they did not believe he preached Christian doctrine. After talking to him at great length I concluded that the fellow pastors were correct. This ”pastor” (the one I knew) held beliefs indistinguishable from a Universalist Unitarian, which is just paganism in disguise (again, IMHO). And a friend of mine once characterized UU’s as atheists who couldn’t quite kick the church habit.

The Wallis wing of “christendom” are as contemptuous of the First Commandment as they are the Second Amendment (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”). They definitely have a god before Jehovah, and that god’s name is Big Brother.

I attend a Grace Brethren Church in near Andrews AFB, and I gotta say they are theologically identical to the independant Baptists I grew up with. Definitely NOT the (Plymouth) Brethren.