Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street: A Moral Compass for the New Economy

Mr Wallis puts a new face on christian principles. He decries the greed that put us in our current economic difficulties and maps a path back to the people oriented business ethic. A must read for those of us that are put off by the right wing politics of the evangelical movement. May the real God bless America.

Jim Wallis has hit the nail on the head. We have indeed been asking the wrong questions, such as "When will this economic crisis be over?" Or "When can we get back to narmal?" It would be a serious mistake to try to get back to what we have thought of as normal in our economy. It is a matter of values that need to be rediscovered, values on which our nation was founded. The right question to ask is, "How can this crisis bring us to a 'new normal?'" This means that, as Wallis states in his Introduction, "We need a new normal, and this economic crisis is an invitation to discover what that means." Wallis deals in detail with a number of specific principles on which our country, our Congress, and our people need to focus. The book is thought provocing and ideal for small group discussion. A must read!

Mr. Wallis' book is required reading for anyone dissatisfied with the state of the nation today. With the dysfunctional Congress and failures of change by the White House. With the "greed is good" and "what's in it for me" attitudes of business and of the people who have, over the years, adopted these goals as socially acceptable behavior. All discussed in more detail in Rediscovering Values. The advice offered by Mr. Wallis can be applied to many arenas at many levels. Take, for instance, the neglected situation of unrecognized, de facto, authoritarian private local governments known as homeowners associations. These associations govern the subdivision with a court enforced "constitution" that places property values and adherence to HOA "state" objectives first and foremost, above individual rights and relationships. And many people see no wrongs. I adopted the advice of Mr. Wallis to this social and political environment in a Commentary: There are some things that we all should get angry about. First, we were told a lie. Second, the rules of the game failed. Third, our good was supposed to trickle down. Do we want [property] values to prevail everywhere and in all things? Are there some areas of life where [property] values should not determine what is most important -- personal and family relationships, ethics and religion, community and public service and social justice? Are there certain things degraded when [property values] are allowed to be the ultimate measure? Are there certain social values and practices that are higher than market values?

I've been reading Jim Wallis's writings for the past few years now on the Sojourners blog, but this is the first book I've purchased of his. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "To be great is to be misunderstood." When I Google Jim Wallis I notice that his critics all but accuse him of being a member of the communist party. These same critics are the ones that seem to think that if you don't believe the market should run everything, then you must be a Marxist! I think that Rediscovering Values can go a long way to silence Wallis's critics if they would just give him a listening ear. Jim Wallis is not saying that he favors a centrally planned economy over a market economy. Neither is he trying to replace capitalism with socialism....or any other "ism." What Wallis is saying is that the private sector, the public sector, and the civic sector should all serve as a system of checks and balances against the other, and neither can function properly without a moral compass that looks out for the common good of all. Very well written and highly recommended!

There is perhaps no more relatable ethicist in America than Jim Wallis. His common sense approach and easy to read prose get across points that would either be overcomplicated or fall flat in less adept hands. With "Rediscovering Values" Wallis aptly points out that the financial crisis was, in a broader sense, a moral crisis. As people have increasingly put their faith in the markets they abrogated any sense of responsibility to ensure their investments were indeed in capable hands. The increasingly higher returns lulled investors into a false sense of security which ultimately led to the calamitous collapse of the markets. And as with his earlier books Wallis does not let readers off easy, and instead argues that each individual has an obligation to renew their own sense of ethics and morality rather than assuming others will act in such a manner. But Wallis views this as an opportunity, or a teachable moment, rather than acting as a scold. The result is a book that is challenging, yet also invigorating. Wallis is preaching not just to individuals, but to society and specific businesses and leaders as well. What makes our society great is that we have an unspoken and unwritten contract between us all to act in an ethical and moral manner. Failing to do so will result in condemnation in the marketplace; something currently unfolding throughout our economy as we speak. Fail to act in an ethical and moral way and not only will your business face the consequences, but your career will as well; something aptly pointed out by all the out-of-work investment bankers. And rather than being an anti-business screed, "Rediscovering Values" lays out a number of principles for people to follow to set themselves on the right financial path going forward. These are all common themes in his other bookssuch as God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America, and Faith Works: How to Live Your Beliefs and Ignite Positive Social Change, but a nice reminder for someone picking up one of his books for the first time. Admittedly, Wallis will not appeal to "Prosperity Gospel" Christians, but he will appeal to "Social Activist" Christians to the left. In the end that may minimize the audience that Wallis reaches, but hopefully people will keep an open mind and a discerning heart as they read.