Jim Wallis helpfully frames why white Christian nationalism is antithetical to the Christian gospel, and makes compelling arguments for a public faith witness that is beneficial to all in society. He strikes similar themes to his previous books, which may be repetitive for some readers.

*A *MUST-READ* for those who have left the evangelical church and have struggled with that and the responses they have gotten from others about it [the notes at the end of the book will help one form answers to give to those people who judge people for leaving].

*Shows how "christian nationalism" has taken over the church, removed Christ from their services, ignores the Bible and what it *REALLY* teaches and has since embraced worshiping a golden calf instead of God [for me, who grew up and for a long time LOVED my church, this was some of the hardest parts to read because it was 1. part of the reason I walked away from the church, and 2. was something I was seeing long before it became as extreme as it is now. It breaks my heart that people I have known since I was a very young girl have thrown away all they knew to embrace something so wrong and extreme; I will forever struggle with that].

*The author is able to back everything that he teaches up with excellent research, personal experience, Biblical knowledge [the book is filled with Biblical verses and commentary on them - the author spends much of his time in the book of Matthew and it was lovely to revisit verses and parables that I have loved since I was a child], and what he has learned from other Faith leaders [I just love how much he he loved and admired Archbishop Desmond Tutu and how he talks about how much the Archbishop helped him in his own faith practice - those parts of the book were just so encouraging] and authors [there are shout-outs to many authors that are currently writing about this very subject and how brave they are] who are also fighting the fight against the very evil of christian nationalism.

*Throughout this whole book, I never, ever, felt I was being preached at [taught yes, but never preached AT], judged or taken to account for leaving the church [much like I do with some other books I have read and from many of the people I still encounter from the churches I have left]. I, for the first time in a long time [outside of the friends who have also left the church], felt like I was supported and encouraged because I took umbridge with what I was being "taught" and chose to leave. I know when the book was done, I wished that I could hear this man speak in person and then thank him for this book. It really has helped me in so many ways and I hope it reaches so many people who are, or have been, where I am and that they too are encouraged by this and realize that leaving the church doesn't mean you have to leave your belief system and that it IS okay [and not only just okay, it is needed].

Thank you to NetGalley, Jim Wallis, and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Essentials for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The False White Gospel" by Jim Wallis
5🌟/5🌟

This book is going to be very controversial. Even the title is begging for discussion and disagreement. It's political, it's theological, and it asks some hard, thoughtful questions! That said, I loved it.

White American evangelicalism likes to say faith is personal as if that absolves us from Jesus's command to love neighbor as ourselves, advocate for the oppressed, and seek justice for the refugee, orphan and widow. This book takes that command seriously and asks the reader to consider how American white evangelicalism has historically responded to this command by examining the politics, policies, and leaders of the evangelical movement. 

Jim Wallis is a well-known and well-respected writer and theologian, and I think readers need to give this book a chance. I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot. In the book, he explains the Christian nationalist movement and how it relates to Amecian white evangelicalism and white supremacy. Acknowledging some very challenging truths and becoming more informed about evangelicalism in America isn't easy, but it is needed for the American church to live out the great commandments of Jesus.

Ultimately, this book is one of hope, challenging the reader to follow Jesus boldly, living a live of peacemaking and loving your neighbor better than you love yourself. 

These are my favorite quotes in the book:

"Peacemaking is never passive. It's an active pursuit that requires courage, conviction, and sacrifice. Facing conflict is the charge, the calling, and the distinguishing feature of the peacemakers."

"Those brutal inconsistencies go to the heart of the problem of this kind of white Christianity --then and now-- which is the privatizing of religion; that is the great heresy of American religion, and evangelical Christianity in particular. You can focus on your own relationship with God, to the point where your religion has no relationship to the people around you , especially people of color. It is all about "you and the Lord."

"I believe that white Christian nationalism is the single greatest threat to democracy in America and to the integrity of the Christian witness..."

#thefalsewhitegospel #evangelical #exvangelical #newevangelical #christiannonfiction #christianbookreview #christianbookstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #nonfiction #readersofinstagram #theologymatters

I don’t agree with everything in this book, but the author makes some great points and supports them with quotes and information from history, from people such as Martin Luther King jr., Bryan Stevenson, pastor and theologian Brad Braxton, and democracy scholars Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. I like the overall message of the book and the practical application suggestions it provides. It is a polarizing and thought-provoking book, sometimes a bit too biased and patronizing for my liking, but overall a book I’d recommend to trigger constructive and meaningful discussion (even though I also believe that it would turn into heated discussions; there is nothing wrong with heated discussions as long as everyone remains respectful and takes the time to listen without interruption and bias). I also have to warn you: Some parts of the book are a bit too generalized, stereotyping while accusing others of stereotyping.

For a more detailed review, including quotes, see my blog post: https://simmysmusings.com/2024/03/19/book-the-false-white-gospel-jim-wallis/

Thank you, St. Martin and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book! The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

White Christian nationalism is an important topic, and this book provides a helpful overview of it. I would recommend this to someone who is processing the intersection of faith and politics and is interested in what more of a left-wing Christian approach might look like. That being said, there are quite a lot of people writing about this issue (which is much needed!), and I wouldn't say this one necessarily stands out from the others like it, even though it has some good content.

"The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy", by Jim Wallis, caught my attention because of the title. The United States is having a real issue with Christian Nationalism, and I thought this book could help explain the issue. I appreciated that Wallis insists that God is personal but never private. He should not be used as a weapon against others that are different than us. The author also asserts that "the question 'Who is my neighbor?' is the most central to our faith and democracy today." The readers are encouraged to make the following ten commitments: education, solidarity, truth-telling, proximity, show up, citizenship, safety all, security, prophetic, and stewardship.

This was a well-written and helpful book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.