Jim Wallis on the Daily Show

Jim Wallis, head of Sojourners, a Christian activist organization that is often taking on the Religious Right and advocating for a more politically progressive Christianity focused on issues of poverty and environmental stewardship, was on the Daily Show the other night to promote his new book The Great Awakening. You can watch the interview here. (Sorry, but I can’t get the video to embed properly, just click the link.)

Wallis made several comments during the interview that I think folks here will likely appreciate. For instance:

“The dominance of the Religious Right over our politics is finally finished.”

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“The country isn’t hungry for a Religious Left to replace a Religious Right. They don’t want to go Left or Right, they want to go deeper, to a moral center.”

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“Religion has no monopoly on morality. All these great movements like Civil Rights, there wasn’t one of them that didn’t have significant involvement by people of faith, but not just them.”

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“When people of faith get to the public square they shouldn’t say “My religious view is this.” They should speak in moral language that is inclusive of everybody, because you don’t get to win because you’re religious, you’ve got to win the debate. You’ve got to say what’s best for the common good.”

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“[Romney] said you can’t have religion without liberty or liberty without religion. But I disagree with that.”

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“I’m one who has defended how Dr. King invoked Jesus and Jeremiah, there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way, but I’m one who has defended the use of faith. But I want to say that sometimes it crosses a line. There shouldn’t be a religious litmus test for politics. I care not about someone’s religion, but what their moral compass is.”