Hear that long sigh? That's me watching Jim Wallis on The Daily Show. Watching and sighing with contentment as a Christian finally made Jesus look good on television. Wallis was plugging his new book, and he handled Jon Stewart's sarcasm well. He even handled the questions about Jews and heaven well. It was such a relief not to see Jerry Falwell, Al Mohler, or Jesse Jackson representing Jesus.
Wallis scored points immediately by suggesting that Jesus' agenda probably wouldn't have included capital gains tax cuts and the occupation of Iraq. He said we needed to broaden the definition of moral values to include poverty, just war, and the environment. He was a breath of fresh air. Speaking of which, he's on Fresh Air on NPR tomorrow. The last Christian I heard on Fresh Air was Tim LaHaye, so this is definitely an improvement.
The most interesting comment of the night was Wallis saying to Jon Stewart that the Hebrew prophets used humor and truth-telling much like Stewart does on The Daily Show. Jon Stewart, prophet? Why not? He makes more sense than most pastors I've heard.
