“The economic crisis presents us with an enormous opportunity: to rediscover our values – as people, families, as communities of faith, and as a nation.”  So begins Jim Wallis’ newest book, which issues a rally cry to embrace a “transformational moment” in the history of America.  Wallis does this by identifying how we got here, what we got ourselves into, and the way out. 

Although I don’t agree with every point Wallis makes, he has challenged me to rediscover the core values of my faith and respond.  For example, as I try to live as a Good Samaritan, I was challenged to remember that “The gospel story of the Good Samaritan teaches an age old lesson that we must reach out to other human beings in order to be human ourselves and that we will likely have to cross some traditional social boundaries to do that.” 

Readers of the book will see how they can use this transformational moment to regain balance by remembering that enough is enough, that we’re in it together, and that our aim must be to “develop an ethic of a sustainable economy and sustainable communities and to teach that ethic to our children.” JY