Sojourners in the News

Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, a Christian social-justice organization, is convinced that reform is inevitable. “Immigration reform is going to pass — there’s no doubt about that. We’re not going to deport 11 million people,” he said. “The question is, how much longer must we wait, and how much more suffering will be inflicted on so many more people?” The next weeks and months will be filled with renewed activity, as a coalition of law-enforcement officials, the faith community and business and labor groups come together to get reform across the finish line, he said. “Washington, D.C., is the most dysfunctional city in the country. We’re known for our political conflict. Immigration reform has the chance to really be an exception — an exception to our practices of political conflict,” he added. “We’ll fix our politics by fixing our broken immigration system.”

Jim Wallis’s On God’s Side comes in two parts. In the first, he argues that biblical Christianity involves not only the personal, individual standing of the Christian before God and the individual’s relationship with Christ, but also a deeply communal element that inspires genuine concern for one’s neighbors. In the second, he fleshes out how these sometimes-competing concerns ought to inf luence Christian political thought and engagement. Wallis’s inspiration for the title of the book is a quote from Abraham Lincoln—“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side”—and he uses this second half of his book to explore exactly what being “on God’s side” would entail, tackling several prominent and hotly debated issues ranging from the structure of the American political system to specific policy issues.

Dillard University will welcome renowned gospel artist Kirk Franklin to the campus on Feb 6., an appearance made possible by the university’s signature ‘Brain Food’ presidential lecture series. Franklin will be the latest in a cast of diverse, distinguished presenters on the historic New Orleans HBCU campus this semester, joining Martin Luther King Jr. speechwriter Clarence Jones, CNN Political Analyst Sunny Hostin, and faith-based social justice activist Jim Wallis.

The Rev. Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners, said the campaign is for all immigrants. “This is not just about Latino communities,” Wallis said. “It’s about all of us.” Wallis said the movement is important and requires a group of people to change the broken political system and the broken immigration system. “We are a wind changing group,” Wallis said. “We are a social movement changing politics.”

But there is no doubt about it, according to Jim Wallis, founder of the faith in action group Sojourners. "I think he will raise this tonight,” Wallis says. “It's a high priority for the president, and I think it's a social movement now. “Doing something right, doing something for the common good and doing it together – I think that's very possible now." Wallis says he expects the faith community in New York and the nation to play an even greater role this year, and he believes a comprehensive immigration reform plan will be passed in the next six months.

"The transformation of the world, which many of us long to see, requires the changing of frameworks, ethics, and, most of all, our decisions; and that will not happen without taking risks, a true leap of faith."

The Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, says the campaign for immigration reform unites people of faith.

The Rev. Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, says the campaign for immigration reform unites people of faith.

Catherine Woodiwiss offers guidance for those who want to help a friend or loved one going through trauma or suffering. Among her suggestions? “Do not offer platitudes or comparisons. Do not, do not, do not”: