“America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and a Path to a New America” by Jim Wallis

This was a book selection by my new book group at church. I looked forward to it, as I’m all about a path to a new America, and I respect Jim Wallis, who is a force. He’s editor-in-chief of Sojourners, a progressive monthly magazine and daily online publication of the American Christian social justice organization, Sojourners. He served on President Obama’s White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. He currently serves on the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum.

It was clear, as I started reading AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN that Jim Wallis knows his stuff. He recounts the racially motivated brutality in Charleston, Ferguson, and Baltimore in great detail, and delves into the significance of the Letters from Birmingham Jail, in which Martin Luther King argued that he and his fellow demonstrators had a duty to protest inequality. He explores the horrific Jim Crow laws and the restorative justice needed to counteract them. He uses Christian terms–“the original sin” of racism and the “repentance” necessary for the priveleged white to show they are truly sorry for that sin, the “welcoming the stranger” that must happen in our congregations and communities. He distinguishes between “warriors” and “guardians” and points out that our law enforcers should be guardians of the people and must protect racial minorities. He believes in racially integrated churches and in having conversations between the races to promote real understanding. He believes we can cross the bridge to a new America where everyone is valued.

I was impressed by Wallis’s scope of knowledge and by his passion for racially equality. But I wasn’t long into AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN before I tired of the lengthy explanations and historical detail and rather dreaded reading it. I’ve never liked textbooks, and this book reminded me of one, as I was informed but not emotionally “moved”. This may be a case of “It’s not you, it’s me,” and I can imagine more scholarly people eating this book up. My disappointment may also stem from my need to hear less about what we should be doing and more about how to actually do it. I ended AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN a tiny bit more “woke”, but with little idea of what to do next.

I do look forward to discussing the book with other readers at church. If AMERICA’S ORIGINAL SIN prompts us to search harder for ways to build a path to a new America, and if it generates even one good idea, I’ll see it as well worth the read.

#