From the Salmon

I saw Jim Wallis speak Friday night before a crowd of 500 or so in Berkeley. He spoke for about an hour and took questions (more than graciously handling the requisite Berkeley rantings in search of a question, including one that charged that our government was involved in the planning of 9/11). The evening had more of a rally feeling than I expected, which made me slightly uncomfortable for reasons that I can’t quite put my finger on yet. But his presentation was inspiring and provocative nonetheless. I don’t really have the time to write a full review of his talk right now, so I’ll save that for when I get around to starting his book.

But I’ll share one of the many things that he said that struck me. Mr. Wallis said that churches really only ask for the edges of our lives. And yet they’re surprised when that’s all they get from us. He thinks that this is a tragedy, and I guess I have to agree.

Update: If you missed Mr. Wallis when he came through your town or if his book tour didn’t include your area, Sojourners has posted a streaming video of his appearance in Menlo Park, a few days before I saw him in Berkeley. You can view the appearance here. His visit with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show is there as well. (Note: you’ll have to sign up for an email list before you will be able to access the Windows Media Video or the mp3 file of his appearance.)