Jim Wallis, leader of Sojourners (Christians for Justice and Peace) gave the Democratic Radio Address today. The Sojourners are one of those Christian groups that restores the credibility to Christianity that many have lost for it. Their message is not of one of liberalism or conservatism, but one that makes evident how Scripture can be visible through government work, but doesn't make everything a divisive issue.

Frankly, the issues of gay marriage, abortion, and stem-cell research are things that Christians use against other Christians for political gain. As we turn our back on the poor, whore out Mother Nature, and promote division and War in the world, the Sojourners are a welcome relief to the Ralph Reed's, Ted Haggard's, and Jerry Falwell's.

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Because we have lost a commitment to the common good, politics is failing to solve the deepest crises of our time. Real solutions will require our best thinking and dialogue, but also call us to transformation and renewal.

Most Americans know that the important issues we confront have an essential moral character. It is the role of faith communities to remind us of that fact. But religion has no monopoly on morality. We need a new, morally-centered discourse on politics that welcomes each of us to the table.

A government that works for the common good is central. There is a growing desire for integrity in our government across the political spectrum. Corruption in government violates our basic principles. Money and power distort our political decision-making and even our elections. We must restore trust in our government and reclaim the integrity of our democratic system.

At this moment in history, we need new directions.

Who is left out and left behind is always a religious and moral question. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the health of a society was measured by how it cared for its weakest and most vulnerable, and prosperity was to be shared by all. Jesus proclaimed a gospel that was "good news to the poor."

I am an evangelical Christian, and a commitment to "the least of these" is central to my personal faith and compels my public actions. It is time to lift up practical policies and effective practices that "make work work" for low-income families and challenge the increasing wealth gap between rich and poor. We must find a new moral and political will to overcome poverty that combines personal and social responsibility with a commitment to support strong families.

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