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ST. PAUL, MN – On Thursday, May 9, 100 community and neighborhood leaders joined bestselling author, Jim Wallis, at Macalester College as he spoke about his latest book; “On God’s Side; What Religion Forgets and Politics Hasn’t Learned About the Common Good.”

Wallis, a nationally renowned public theologian, preacher and activist for justice and peace, is the founder of Sojourners, a nationwide network of progressive Christians, and is the editor of Sojourners magazine, covering faith, politics, and culture.

Wallis began by explaining how the title and inspiration for the book comes from a quote by Abraham Lincoln: “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side.” He draws on that inspiration to reflect on the common good outside of political labels. He believes that instead of money, power, and prestige, people of faith should be concerned about the biblical “least of these.” Wallis explores how Jesus’s agenda can serve the common good and what it takes to sustain a lifelong commitment to social justice.

In the midst of contentious national debates on gun control, immigration, budget deficits, and more, this book moves the conversations beyond current media and political warfare to bring together a divided country.

“Politicians are always testing to see which way the wind is blowing. The only way to effect change in our country is to change the wind. How do we become wind changers on the issues we care about?” said Wallis.

The Rev. Paul Slack, pastor at New Creation Church in North Minneapolis and President of ISAIAH and Peggy Flanagan, Organizer for Wellstone Action also spoke at the event and drew from their experiences and the work of their respective organizations to connect Jim’s national message about the common good to local work.

Flanagan began by quoting Paul Wellstone; “We all do better when we all do better.” She shared her experiences during the voter ID campaign in getting real people to tell real stories about how the amendment would negatively affect their lives. “Seeing a human face and hearing a human story has the power to change people’s hearts and minds.” She describes what she does as working to create a Minnesota where people have a commitment to each other and where we invest in each other’s lives and the common good.

Pastor Slack has currently been active in Faith in Minnesota’s Future, a legislative campaign led by ISAIAH, which is designed to urge legislators to act from a shared set of values to make choices that put people first in policy decisions. “What we’re working for in ISAIAH is for people to have a voice and have a say in public decisions. We want the lives of people to change. We want to close the racial education achievement gaps; give people access to transit and create healthier communities. It will take courage from our leaders. It will mean putting people as the center of their decisions instead of the next election.”