Have You Heard of Jim Wallis Lying?

Not sure if you’ve heard of Jim Wallis. He’s been making the rounds in Christian circles for several years due to his books like God’s Politics: When The Right Gets It Wrong and The Left Doesn’t Get it, his blog God’s Politics, and his site Sojourners. His is also making the rounds in politics as he has thrust himself into policies and campaigns. Most recently, he his one of President Obama’s spiritual advisers.

Did you know Wallis is also a liar?

To tell you the truth, Wallace has always made me uncomfortable. I have seen and heard several interviews with him and there was always an uneasiness stirring in me as I listened. Perhaps this article from Christianity Today reveals something about his character and what I was sensing. For the record, in it he claims that he was not aware of a huge contribution. Call me a cynic but I do not believe that for a minute. He is the CEO. He knows what and who is giving, especially the big donors.

As you read the account below, I am sure you will be saddened by the blatant misrepresentation of the teachings and character of Jesus. I’m sure his organization has done some good, but the ends don’t justify the means.

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Here is the article by Sarah Pulliam Bailey:

Jim Wallis has admitted that Sojourners has received funding in thepast from liberal billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Institute.

Last month, Marvin Olasky asked Wallis to admit his affiliations on the left when reported on the money from Soros in World magazine.

George Soros, one of the leading billionaire leftists—he has financedgroups promoting abortion, atheism, same-sex marriage, and gargantuangovernment—bankrolled Sojourners with a $200,000 grant in 2004. A yearlater, here’s how Jim rebutted a criticism of “religious progressives”for being allied with Soros and MoveOn.org: “I know of no connections tothose liberal funds and groups that are as direct as the ReligiousRight’s ties to right-wing funders.”

Since then Sojourners has received at least two more grants fromSoros organizations. Sojourners revenues have more than tripled—from$1,601,171 in 2001-2002 to $5,283,650 in 2008-2009—as secular leftistshave learned to use the religious left to elect Obama and others.

In a Patheos interview, Wallis suggested that Olasky was lying.

“It’s not hyperbole or overstatement to say that Glenn Beck lies for aliving. I’m sad to see Marvin Olasky doing the same thing. No, we don’treceive money from Soros. Given the financial crisis of nonprofits,maybe Marvin should call Soros and ask him to send us money.

“So, no, we don’t receive money from George Soros. Our books aretotally open, always have been. Our money comes from Christians whosupport us and who read Sojourners. That’s where it comes from. In fact,we’ve had funding blocked, this year and last, by liberal foundationswho didn’t like our stance on abortion. Other liberal groups were happyto point out to them that our stance wasn’t kosher on abortion, so ourfunding was blocked.

“So tell Marvin he should check his facts, and not imitate Glenn Beck.”

Jay Richards of National Review and Olasky responded to Wallis. Here’s Olasky again:

Want to see for yourself what someone apparently did not want you to see? Click here to download the PDF, go to page 225, and you’ll see the grant to Sojourners.

You can also see the 2006 grant by downloading the 990-PF for that year and going to page 125. And by the way, look at page 114 of the 990-PF for 2007: another $100,000 grant to Sojourners “to support the Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform campaign.”

Wallis released a statement through a spokesperson to Patheos.

I should have declined to comment until I was able to review the blogpost in question and consulted with our staff on the details of ourfunding over the past several years. Instead, I answered in the spiritof the accusation and did not recall the details of our funding over thedecade in question. The spirit of the accusation was that Sojourners isbeholden to funders on the political left, which is false. Theallegation concerned three grants received over 10 years from the OpenSociety Institute that made up the tiniest fraction of Sojourners’funding during that decade — so small that I hadn’t remembered them.

CT has asked Sojourners if Wallis has any further response.

*online source