Scan barcode
Reviews
America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America by Jim Wallis
always_a_scientist's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a powerful exhortation to white Christians to learn about and combat the systemic injustices in our society that operate against people of color. He brings statistics, personal stories (his own and others), and biblical arguments together well. If you are already willing to believe in white privilege and the stories of communities of color, this book will be an excellent resource and motivator.
I read this book as part of a Christian men's group that meets every Friday morning. One of members decided to drop out of the group for the time we read the book. His reason was the same as many others who will never open this book: the name on the cover. For better or worse, many conservatives see Jim Wallis as a puppet of the radical Left, funded by the likes of George Soros; therefore, whatever good is in this book, they will never read it.
The book also has some structural difficulties. While each of the chapters is well-written and stands well on its own, they lack a overall coherence. For example, after multiple chapters talking about African-Americans, he devotes an entire chapter to immigrants. This is a very important and moving discussion, but it does not fit well in the flow of the rest of the book. Two of the chapters are not as much his work as summaries of other very important documents (the Justice Dept. report on Ferguson and the President's task force on 21st Century Policing).
The final chapter does a good job of bringing these threads together and offering advice on how to move forward and cross the bridge in the title. He thinks it will be the result of the actions of millions of individuals meeting and learning from people different from themselves. We each have a responsibility to break out of our homogeneous social circles and become friends and neighbors with people of different colors and economic situations than ourselves.
I read this book as part of a Christian men's group that meets every Friday morning. One of members decided to drop out of the group for the time we read the book. His reason was the same as many others who will never open this book: the name on the cover. For better or worse, many conservatives see Jim Wallis as a puppet of the radical Left, funded by the likes of George Soros; therefore, whatever good is in this book, they will never read it.
The book also has some structural difficulties. While each of the chapters is well-written and stands well on its own, they lack a overall coherence. For example, after multiple chapters talking about African-Americans, he devotes an entire chapter to immigrants. This is a very important and moving discussion, but it does not fit well in the flow of the rest of the book. Two of the chapters are not as much his work as summaries of other very important documents (the Justice Dept. report on Ferguson and the President's task force on 21st Century Policing).
The final chapter does a good job of bringing these threads together and offering advice on how to move forward and cross the bridge in the title. He thinks it will be the result of the actions of millions of individuals meeting and learning from people different from themselves. We each have a responsibility to break out of our homogeneous social circles and become friends and neighbors with people of different colors and economic situations than ourselves.
readhikerepeat's review against another edition
5.0
Do white Christians play a role in perpetuating racism in America and, if so, what can be done about it? These are the questions Jim Wallis explores in his latest book, America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America. In it, he explains why racism is incompatible with Christianity and that it’s time for white Christians to work to end racism in America. It’s clear in the first few pages that this is not a book about a post-racial society because we don’t live in a post-racial society, with Bryan Stevenson pointing out in the foreword that “Slavery didn’t end in 1965 – it just evolved.” And so begins a story of racism in America, how Christianity plays its part in perpetuating it, and why “it’s time for white Christians to be more Christian than white.”
America’s Original Sin is part narrative non-fiction, part social commentary. The book is organized around Wallis’ own thoughts but his use of Bible verses and statistics raises it above the level of pure opinion. Where Wallis really excels is in his ability to write about such a heavy topic in an approachable way. Although it was published by a Christian press and is about Christianity, it is not a book solely for the religious. In fact, it’s as much for non-churchgoers as it is for churchgoers, and many of the calls to action can be broadly applied.
It’s also not a criticism of Christianity, but rather a criticism of how the Bible is sometimes used to exclude and divide, whether explicitly or implicitly, when it should be used to include and unite. The book is organized around three central themes: racism’s incompatibility with the Bible, repentance, and change, which are discussed below. These are only a few of the issues raised in the book, so if you’re worried that reading the discussions will give away too much, don’t. America’s Original Sin offers a sweeping commentary on everything from Wallis’ own experiences to those of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown to immigration issues. Religious readers will likely be more impacted by the Bible verses than the non-religious, but Wallis’ calls to action can resonate with anyone.
For the full review, visit The Book Wheel.
America’s Original Sin is part narrative non-fiction, part social commentary. The book is organized around Wallis’ own thoughts but his use of Bible verses and statistics raises it above the level of pure opinion. Where Wallis really excels is in his ability to write about such a heavy topic in an approachable way. Although it was published by a Christian press and is about Christianity, it is not a book solely for the religious. In fact, it’s as much for non-churchgoers as it is for churchgoers, and many of the calls to action can be broadly applied.
It’s also not a criticism of Christianity, but rather a criticism of how the Bible is sometimes used to exclude and divide, whether explicitly or implicitly, when it should be used to include and unite. The book is organized around three central themes: racism’s incompatibility with the Bible, repentance, and change, which are discussed below. These are only a few of the issues raised in the book, so if you’re worried that reading the discussions will give away too much, don’t. America’s Original Sin offers a sweeping commentary on everything from Wallis’ own experiences to those of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown to immigration issues. Religious readers will likely be more impacted by the Bible verses than the non-religious, but Wallis’ calls to action can resonate with anyone.
For the full review, visit The Book Wheel.
missamandamae's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a good read. While I can't say the author introduced any real new material or way of thinking for me, I do very much appreciate the tone he uses. I think it helps make the information and thought processes more palatable or understandable for those who might initially be resistant to talk about race. Lots of great pull quotes I intend to use in a church setting given the opportunity. I also appreciate the personal stories and testimonials that given the talk about race extra punch and vigor so it stands out to the average reader. Good book to read if you're looking for talking points with relatives and friends who may not be as open on the subject of race.
corngod31's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A great book for Christians- should be read by all.
esnapp1's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book evaluating racism and white supremacy by a white, male, Christian pastor. I mistakenly expected there to be more theological evaluation or exploration of the negative impact that the Christian church has had on race relations. What I found was more so the author patting himself on the back for his work throughout the civil right era and beyond.
As I mentioned, this book is written by a white man and it’s definitely written for white Christian people, so my expectations may have been high to begin with. It felt a little too white savior-y for me and he also got a bit too pro-police for me, as well.
Interesting bit though - my city was used as an example for its racist policing record. I volunteer with an organization here that has been bringing this up (the exact same stats) for the last year, and the city officials continue to dismiss us or accusing us of falsifying the stats. I’m going to gladly read this quote for them at the next city council meeting though ☺️
As I mentioned, this book is written by a white man and it’s definitely written for white Christian people, so my expectations may have been high to begin with. It felt a little too white savior-y for me and he also got a bit too pro-police for me, as well.
Interesting bit though - my city was used as an example for its racist policing record. I volunteer with an organization here that has been bringing this up (the exact same stats) for the last year, and the city officials continue to dismiss us or accusing us of falsifying the stats. I’m going to gladly read this quote for them at the next city council meeting though ☺️
treehuggeranonymous's review against another edition
2.0
My first thought on reading this book (once I got past the guest intro obviously) was that the last thing anyone needed was a straight middle-class white guy (we need a good shorthand for that) lecturing people about race. And that thought was pretty pervasive. Like I guess he made some good points, but I would have appreciated a book about racism more if it came from a less privileged perspective.
I'm probably too much of a liberal for this book, but I guess there are some sections of society who need to hear it from their own perspective before they can start to accept it from others. So, like definitely recommend this book for a racist uncle or an aged relative that says unintentionally racist things, but maybe not for your godless youth who thinks they know better cos they're on tumblr.
I'm probably too much of a liberal for this book, but I guess there are some sections of society who need to hear it from their own perspective before they can start to accept it from others. So, like definitely recommend this book for a racist uncle or an aged relative that says unintentionally racist things, but maybe not for your godless youth who thinks they know better cos they're on tumblr.
ardenzb's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 or possibly right under 4 stars. Incredible analysis of so much information and data with clear calls to action. At times it felt like a compilation of other books I've already read without anything necessarily new to add. Packs a lot of good information and important things in such a short book. I think it'd be a lot stronger if it had been longer. Important book and would still recommend.
birdy1luv's review against another edition
4.0
This is a solid primer on the major justice issues that are being discussed from an evangelical faith perspective in the U.S. Would be great to use as a Sunday School class to introduce our congregation to these topics.