AS I SAY farewell to Sojourners, one word comes most to mind: gratitude. I feel deeply grateful for the past and very excited about the future. The love of my life and my vocation for more than 50 years has been centered on two other words: faith and justice. Therefore, it is a great joy—a dream, really—to take this big step into the next chapter of my life and vocation and be wonderfully invited into two new roles focused on both of those core words.
I have accepted an invitation from Georgetown University to become the inaugural Chair in Faith and Justice at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the founding director of the new Center on Faith and Justice. In these new positions, I will be able to focus on the things I most love: teaching and mentoring, writing and speaking, offering media commentary, convening and strategizing with both faith and political leaders across the theological and ideological spectrums, engaging in outreach to both policy makers and local practitioners, helping to change the narrative of faith and politics, and being an advocate for justice—all because of my faith. It is an incredible gift.
I am deeply thankful for the last 50 years with Sojourners; I am honored to be its founder (which I always say was more like a co-founder, along with many others) and will remain an ambassador of this unique organization going forward. And I could not be more supportive of Adam Russell Taylor, my successor as president of Sojourners. After three years of planning—and with my full endorsement—the board chose Adam to be my successor. He is a dynamic, new-generation thinker, activist, messenger, and mobilizer who is ready to lead Sojourners into the next 50 years of its prophetic ministry.
I’ll continue my vocation at Georgetown, where I have taught a course called “Faith, Race, and Politics” for nearly a decade. The issues of justice run deep; none are more important than the recent threats to democracy in America and around the world. These are not just political issues—they are tests of faith. The spirituality of democracy and the soul of the nation will be core to the work of this new center. Our key programmatic areas will be racism, poverty, peace, and justice—in all their religious, moral, personal, and systematic dimensions. We will teach and learn prophetic politics with the perseverance that comes from a long-term commitment to change and with the patience to act, wait and see, then act again with faithful persistence.
I have often told folks that Sojourners’ legacy would not be the things that we have accomplished as a community, publication, or organization but rather what we inspired others to do, including the changes they made in their lives, churches, communities, and movements. Of course, I want to stay connected to as many of you as I can; you can find my new contact information on Georgetown’s website. I look forward to this new chapter of my vocation and ministry, but I will always support Sojourners and will continue to be shaped for the rest of my life by its mission.
Jim Wallis is the founder and former president of Sojourners. He is the inaugural holder of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and director of its new Center on Faith and Justice. His latest book is The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!
