Wallis Reflects on Last Week's Justice Debate

I found myself disappointed in last Thursday's debate about the role of justice in the gospel  between Sojourner’s Jim Wallis and Southern Baptist Al Mohler, largely because of the format (two sermons and two devotionals that rarely intersected), the live-stream (“technology is great, except when it’s not”... I guess we could call this the real “lame-stream media”), and because Jim Wallis, who represents my side of the issue, acted more as a preacher than a debater.  

It’s not that I wanted my “side” to “win.” Rather, I hoped the issues would be clearly delineated, debated, dissected, and contrasted. They were, but only if one listened very carefully (and ignored the stream of written comments by sophomoric observers whose smugness is downright scary, just like some of the ones you find after the article).

Wallis did a much better task of identifying the issue in his reflection afterwards, for which I give him a great deal of slack.  I, too, am much better in retrospect than on my feet. But boy do I wish the points he brings out in this article had been offered up for discussion and debate last Thursday.  Better late than never.  Here it is:

http://blog.sojo.net/2011/10/28/the-“atonement-only-gospel/