SAMANTHA BLONS
News Assistant
Nationally renowned author, theologian and Christian activist Jim Wallis spoke at convocation yesterday in Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse about the role students and Christians must play in eradicating social injustices such as poverty, HIV/AIDS and sexual slavery.
Wallis is the CEO of Sojourners, a Christian ministry which focuses on social justice in the context of the Bible. He is also editor in chief of Sojourners Magazine and founder of A Call to Renewal, a branch of Sojourners whose mission it is to overcome global poverty.
During his convocation speech, Wallis called upon Pepperdine students to follow the teachings of Jesus, especially regarding aiding the poor and the sick.
“I’m not inviting you to join politics, but to change it, to transform it,” he said. “We can change these things — poverty, war, and global warming. Washington won’t, but social movements can.”
Pepperdine political science professor Dr. Dan Caldwell said he considers Wallis one of the “foremost evangelists focusing on social issues such as poverty.”
Wallis’s message focused on the potential of young people, particularly college students, to stimulate progress, as well as the role of Christianity in social movements.
“If a new generation becomes engaged, we could reach a tipping point on issues like poverty, sexual trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and global warming.” Wallis said.
He cited social issues of the past, such as slavery and apartheid, that have been resolved through faith-based movements.
“I like the fact that he made it known that as college students, even right out of high school, we can make a difference through service,” said Pepperdine Senior Joshua Dildine. “I enjoyed it.”
In spite of Pepperdine’s well-known conservative student body, the school plans to host liberal Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to speak as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series in Smother’s Theatre, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m.
Kerry, considered one of the most influential Democrats in the Senate, ran on the party’s ticket in the general presidential election in 2004.
“I think it’s a good thing for candidates to talk about faith and policy,” Wallis said of the upcoming speech. “I hope Kerry gives a good speech.”
In his latest New York Times bestselling book, “God’s Politics; Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It,” Wallis evaluates and criticizes both the Republican and Democratic parties for “failing” the American people regarding moral issues.
“The Right: they talk about moral values, but they narrow them down to two issues: abortion and gay marriage,” Wallis said in an interview prior to the convocation speech. “I agree that moral values are significant — in fact they should be the future of American politics — but they can’t be narrowed to only gay marriage and abortion.”
Poverty, the protection of the environment and wars are moral issues as well. Leftist politicians, however, are more inclined to avoid or reject religious issues and language entirely, driving away Christian voters, he said.
“You have religious fundamentalists on one side, narrowing moral values to just two issues, and you have ‘secular fundamentalists’ on the other side who don’t want to talk about moral values at all,” Wallis said.
He rejects the premise that political apathy is infecting college campuses.
“College students are cynical about politics, but this does not mean that students don’t care about the issues,” Wallis said.
09-07-2006