We just got back from selling books at Palmer Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.  We were at the conference organized by Evangelicals for Social Action, a gathering convened to study themes raised by Ron Sider’s new book, The Scandal of Evangelical Politics (Baker; $15.99.) I reviewed this book in our monthly website column in February and I hope you saw it; it is very, very important.  One of the opening speakers at the conference was Dr. David Gushee, whose excellent new book, The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center (Baylor University Press $24.94) makes a very strong case for what he calls a “centrist” evangelical witness. Gushee has been a friend and colleague of Sider and ESA for years and it was fabulous to be with him, again; the book is very good, and he has been in high-level conversations with evangelical leaders around these themes and has an insightful grasp of the movements, inclinations and future of the faith and politics debates.  Like these books by Sider and Gushee, the conference advanced the notion that although a “third way” and radically centrist alternative to the Christian right has been being researched and written about for years, the recent demise of the fundamentalist right really has created a new opportunity for responsible, Biblically-balanced perspectives to become better known.  Scholar/activists like Stanley Carlson-Thies and John DiIllo (both who have served in the White House in the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives) and serious political science scholar Jim Skillen (of the Center for Public Justice) were presenters, and both Sider and Gushee tipped their hat to the solid work Skillen has done for many, many years in helping us “think Christianly” about politics, citizenship and statecraft.

 Also, there were strong voices from outside the mainstream, white evangelical culture—ethnic minority leaders like the vibrant and forthright Louis Cortes (Esperanza) and Al Tizon (a young, Asian-American Prof. at Palmer who I was tickled to finally meet) and racial diversity trainer, author (and Hearts & Minds booster) Brenda Salter-McNeil.  Buster Soares preached up a storm in classic African American style on Sunday morning—showing how Jeremiah Wright could be best understood after spending time with Jeremiah the prophet, who, naturally, leads us to Jesus and his radical reorientation announced in Luke 4.  I’ve not been so challenged and moved by a sermon in years!  Testify, indeed!

 There were workshops on how to advance a consistently pro-life ethic in the public square, ways to help conservatives and liberals work together, especially on matters of common concern like religious liberty and overcoming poverty, and good stuff on creation-care.  It was a working conference, with panels and workshops and non-stop conversations.  We met some new folks, got re-connected with long-standing H&M customers, and hopefully added value to the event by offering resources, book-buying advise, and a general reminder that to make a difference as thoughtful Christians in the public square we simply have to read, study, learn, and reflect.  Selling books at events like the ESA conference is a large part of our calling, it seems, and we are glad to be able to tell you about it.

The “Scandal” event didn’t attract a huge crowd, but it generated the same hope and zeal that we are hearing about from the current Jim Wallis/Sojourners book tour (The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America) and the radical commitments to find real answers to societal crises such as thoseexplored by Brian McLaren in his stunning Deepshift/Everything Must Change tour, based on his book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, The Global Crises and a Revolution of Hope.  We sold some copies of Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne, of course, and, he, too, is soon to go out on a conference/book tour (although nobody else’s will have juggling, “Amish for Homeland Security” tee shirts, or a service component the way Shane’s surely will.)