America's Original Sin

December 1, 2015

Author and Sojourners founder Wallis (God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It) employs a particularly evangelical take on the doctrine of original sin. None of us start with a clean slate; we are damaged by the past. Within this theological perspective, Wallis works to convince his fellow evangelicals that, in this sense, racism is America's original sin, further arguing that racism has been with this country before it was a nation, and that its effects are so pervasive and entrenched that even "race neutral" or "color-blind" policies can only serve to preserve the grievous fault. The author continues with a similarly evangelical remedy--repentance, insisting that the concept is not simply a matter of being sorrowful for past wrongs but a turning about that actively works toward being reconciled with one another. However, a secular translation that evangelicals can use across sectarian lines is less apparent. The balance of the book looks at the range of steps to effect that reconciliation. Wallis may be a bit too quick in outlining particular penances since he seems to offer no dialog with those of good will who disagree. VERDICT A thought-provoking plea to white evangelicals and white Christians in general.--James Wetherbee, Wingate Univ. Libs., NC

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