Revolution of Values: Reclaiming Public Faith for the Common Good

One way to cut through the noise of public discourse is to focus on the values that animate our opinions and decisions. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's latest book is a must-read for anyone desiring to engage in the issues of today using a Jesus-centered lens. By illuminating the animating spirits of power and influence, he explores the moral narratives that have infused the religious and political rhetoric in recent decades, and then exposes their contrast with the words of Jesus. He draws from a wealth of personal experiences that add texture to the topics of poverty, voting rights, immigration, law and order, women's rights, creation care, and militarism. And it is in those pragmatic and life-affirming experiences that the words of Jesus can haunt us the most - how do we treat the least? His invitation to join a revolution that re-orients and re-prioritizes our values has not arrived a day too soon. Should we fail to notice the profound and repeating disconnect between the presumed moral narrative driven by power accumulation and the amoral outcomes of those policies, it will not be for lack of effort through the careful and thoughtful work of scribes such as Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Another timely and poignant book from Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Those on the far right will probably come to it with hostility, because they know Wilson-Hartgrove doesn’t pull punches with regard to the right’s treatment of the poor. The far left will probably come to it with suspicion, because it’s written by a white evangelical pastor. People who stand with those who are hurting, marginalized and oppressed will welcome it as it tells the courageous stories of "the least of these" who are overcoming the misguided movement of Christian nationalism and as it also offers ways to bring the right and left together to address our nation's injustices. It may not be your go-to for Advent reading, but it should be the first book you pick up in 2020. With an election year ahead of us, Lord knows we’re going to need wise voices like Wilson-Hartgrove’s to guide us forward together.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's Revolution of Values is like a political devotional of sorts. Chapter by chapter, it’s a story about how God takes shape in the actions we think small, the values we think scandalous, and the people we call poor. It’s a story about how the weary are still rejoicing, even now, even still. If you, like I, need to see hope in print, need an answer to your low-level anxiety, need an imagination for God-at-work-in-America, this book is a place to start and Wilson-Hartgrove is a wise and experienced guide. Buy one for you, one to thank someone who is doing the work, and one to gift someone who is ready to change the conversation. Because this book, like this country, is best shared

This powerful new book is a great gift for American Christians who are confused about issues of morality and politics and who long for reality-based, more genuinely Biblical guidance. In a number of focused case studies, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove shows that what currently passes for morality-based politics actually hurts those people who should be sympathetic to it: family-minded, law-abiding evangelical Christians and also pastors. On this basis, he develops his argument for a 'revolution of values' (words of Martin Luther King), to realign policies with moral values. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a preacher, writer and activist with a wide range of experience. One of the strengths of this book is that it builds on Black, Latino and Native American perspectives but also sticks to a political middle ground. It could well be paired with other books using a similar approach, such as Mary Robinson's "Climate Justice". Both books inject a much needed sense of reality into public discourse, basing themselves on the experiences of ordinary people. In addition, Revolution of Values offers a good number of very useful notes for further study and social engagement. Perhaps most importantly, this is a book that could help conversations between people who love each other as friends or family but are divided by politics. Its moral vision is distinctively Christian, but for all who agree that such a perspective remains relevant this book provides a path for people to understand each other better. It may even help to depoliticize some of the issues that the United States face. After all, enlightened self-interest is generally a stronger motivator for sound politics than morality, but current party politics divide people in such a way that they are induced to vote against their interests. In other words, there may be room for a broader and more pragmatic argument than Wilson-Hartgrove provides or even recognizes. But if so, that is good news. Let us hope that Christian economists, political scientists and activists will be encouraged by it.

This book is exceptional, and exceptionally timely. The title comes from Martin Luther King, Jr's Riverside Speech, in which he said, "We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered...." In this book, Wilson-Hartgrove argues that right now in America we need another revolution of values. There was a time—not that long ago—when religious leaders viewed voting rights, equal protection under the law, economic justice, peace, and the environment as moral issues. But those once-esteemed values have been the victims, not the beneficiaries, of the religious right's culture war. In this book Wilson-Hartgrove seeks to shed light on the history of how we got to where we are as a culture right now, and how we might together make a better future. I'm tempted to quote his entire introduction here, but I'll limit myself to this: "The culture warriors who challenged me to practice my faith in public life were not wrong to suggest that the gospel of Jesus is political. Their error was in believing that the enemy of morality was progressive values and not the genocidal white supremacy and patriarchy that have compromised Christian witness throughout US history. This was not an innocent miscalculation. As this book shows, people of considerable means invested an incredible amount of resources in encouraging this particular lie.... If a multiethnic democracy is possible in twenty-first century America, it will depend on a moral movement that resists the false gods of Christian nationalism and rediscovers a biblical vision for justice and mercy in our common life." Something I especially appreciated about this book was that while Wilson-Hartgrove writes from the perspective of a religious leader, he explicitly includes a broad range of voices in this work, both Christian and non-Christian, and draws on wisdom from black, native, Latinx, and Asian communities. Highly, highly recommended.

I spent most of the 2016 election cycle watching people I loved fall in line behind "spiritual advisers" guiding them to vote for Donald Trump. I was raised to be a Donald Trump voter; but God changed my path shortly before 2016. I knew that what was happening before my eyes was evil, but I did not have the words or the tools necessary to voice my concerns. I have spent the last few years trying to figure out where the American Church went wrong; when we wed ourselves with a set of "values" that ended up with Donald Trump in the White House, and how we can find our way back to truly being who God called us to be in relationship to our neighbors. Revolution of Values is the first book that I have found that begins to answer all of the questions burning in my soul from 2016. The book is woven with history, Scripture, and the stories of people who have and are fighting for their neighbors. It is both a balm for my soul and a call to the hard work of returning myself and the Believers around me to being people who fight for the common good of our neighbors next door, across town, and on the other side of the border.

People of faith need a better story to tell about how our faith inspires us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. Revolution of Values retells the story of faith through the stories of people of faith helping to bring about God’s kingdom on earth. In a deluge of noisy Christians who mistake nationalism for discipleship, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s voice is a welcome relief and guide to a life giving vision of Christianity.

I grew up in the same conservative southern culture that Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove did and have appreciated his work as a guide in my own faith journey. I'm thankful for the way this book deconstructs the culture wars and shows how white Christian nationalism won the narrative battle of faith in the public square over the past 50 years. Not only that, he shows us a way out of this entanglement by amplifying the stories and faith perspectives of those most harmed by the public policies of white nationalism. With his help and many others, I am being set free to read the Bible and practice my faith in the public square as part of Jesus' movement to preach good news to the poor, heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, and set the captives free. This book is a must read for people of faith who want to be a part of doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God in our current context of white christian nationalism.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove takes to task the monopolization of 'values' by the religious right and calls ordinary people to action to defend those values from the very people who say they claim them. Revolution of Values is filled with stories of people that embody the title, ordinary people whose accounts demand we live a different way and do so loudly and with purpose.

This is a wise book and helpful book. It’s author retraces history in a way that opens the door to thoughtful dialogue from both the “right” and the “left”. It addresses a many of the most important issues we are facing today -race and gender relations, peace and war, climate issues, and offers an opportunity to retrace and understand how we got where we are today.

One way to cut through the noise of public discourse is to focus on the values that animate our opinions and decisions. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's latest book is a must-read for anyone desiring to engage in the issues of today using a Jesus-centered lens. By illuminating the animating spirits of power and influence, he explores the moral narratives that have infused the religious and political rhetoric in recent decades, and then exposes their contrast with the words of Jesus. He draws from a wealth of personal experiences that add texture to the topics of poverty, voting rights, immigration, law and order, women's rights, creation care, and militarism. And it is in those pragmatic and life-affirming experiences that the words of Jesus can haunt us the most - how do we treat the least? His invitation to join a revolution that re-orients and re-prioritizes our values has not arrived a day too soon. Should we fail to notice the profound and repeating disconnect between the presumed moral narrative driven by power accumulation and the amoral outcomes of those policies, it will not be for lack of effort through the careful and thoughtful work of scribes such as Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Another timely and poignant book from Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. Those on the far right will probably come to it with hostility, because they know Wilson-Hartgrove doesn’t pull punches with regard to the right’s treatment of the poor. The far left will probably come to it with suspicion, because it’s written by a white evangelical pastor. People who stand with those who are hurting, marginalized and oppressed will welcome it as it tells the courageous stories of "the least of these" who are overcoming the misguided movement of Christian nationalism and as it also offers ways to bring the right and left together to address our nation's injustices. It may not be your go-to for Advent reading, but it should be the first book you pick up in 2020. With an election year ahead of us, Lord knows we’re going to need wise voices like Wilson-Hartgrove’s to guide us forward together.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's Revolution of Values is like a political devotional of sorts. Chapter by chapter, it’s a story about how God takes shape in the actions we think small, the values we think scandalous, and the people we call poor. It’s a story about how the weary are still rejoicing, even now, even still. If you, like I, need to see hope in print, need an answer to your low-level anxiety, need an imagination for God-at-work-in-America, this book is a place to start and Wilson-Hartgrove is a wise and experienced guide. Buy one for you, one to thank someone who is doing the work, and one to gift someone who is ready to change the conversation. Because this book, like this country, is best shared