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joshuaray's review against another edition
4.0
A behind-the-scenes look at the approach that the Obama White House took to matters of faith. Covering issues such as adoption, abortion, healthcare, and marriage, Wear details his time working to reach out to faith-based organizations and individuals on behalf of Obama's campaigns and presidency. The final two chapters contain reflections on hope in politics and hope for the way forward.
We need more discussions like the one Wear begins with "Reclaiming Hope" and we need more people like Wear in the public arena. Maybe you'll become one after reading this book!
We need more discussions like the one Wear begins with "Reclaiming Hope" and we need more people like Wear in the public arena. Maybe you'll become one after reading this book!
andeez's review against another edition
5.0
I needed this book. I heard about Michael Wear's work before the election. Little did I know then the sinking feeling in my gut I'd have over 2 months later. I'm losing hope.
Wear's book shares what it was like to work in a faith office under President Obama. I appreciated his reports of the good and the bad during Obamas 8 years. There are matters I had forgotten; such as the meetings with evangelical leaders Obama held at the beginning of his first term. Hearing some evangelicals talk about Obama today, you can imagine why this memory is so distant. Wear talks about Obamas movements in faith, in abortion/adoption numbers, in healthcare, and more.
But the hope...the hope for me came at the end of the book. Wear reminds me that "Christians have an obligation to be involved in politics, but we do not belong to our politics.". It's true. And while I am so overwhelmed by national politics at the moment, he gives advice in participating locally.
The election did not turned out as I'd hoped. But it did give me energy to do something about it. "Reclaiming Hope" motivates me further.
Wear's book shares what it was like to work in a faith office under President Obama. I appreciated his reports of the good and the bad during Obamas 8 years. There are matters I had forgotten; such as the meetings with evangelical leaders Obama held at the beginning of his first term. Hearing some evangelicals talk about Obama today, you can imagine why this memory is so distant. Wear talks about Obamas movements in faith, in abortion/adoption numbers, in healthcare, and more.
But the hope...the hope for me came at the end of the book. Wear reminds me that "Christians have an obligation to be involved in politics, but we do not belong to our politics.". It's true. And while I am so overwhelmed by national politics at the moment, he gives advice in participating locally.
The election did not turned out as I'd hoped. But it did give me energy to do something about it. "Reclaiming Hope" motivates me further.
adamrshields's review against another edition
4.0
Short Review: This is part memoir, part history of the Obama presidency, part policy exploration and part political theology. Overall I think it was well balanced, readable and worth paying attention to. Hope, although tinged with realism, is throughout the book and that is not incidental. Wear has real hope that politics is not completely lost. He has hope that Christians can be engaged without being inappropriately partisan or by ignoring our faith. But he is realist enough to see that simply being a person of faith isn't enough. Part of what has happened is that the GOP became the faith party and Democrats abandoned faith as a core component. That has left Christians in GOP less able to make a difference because GOP views Christians as a group that will always be with them (Trump's election confirmed that.) And Democrats have been weakened by not understanding many religious issues because too many of the policy staff are just ignorant of religious issues. Wear makes the argument that we need people of faith on all sides of politics and that all sides of politics needs to be open to hearing, and being changed by, political conscious of faith.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/reclaiming-hope/
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/reclaiming-hope/
gjones19's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading this book! It’s a fascinating look into President Obama and his administration’s interaction with faith and public life between 2008-2012. Michael Wear offers a healthy balance of affirmation and critique, and he shares really interesting stories. This was a great find!
goldengirl13's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the book for the most part. The author takes a pretty balanced view of almost everything that went on, but at times, it seems like he was a little hard on President Obama, especially since it sounds like he didn't have a whole lot of contact with him. This seems to be the case particularly with the change of stance on gay marriage; it seems like the author was personally hurt by the change in stance of the Obama administration on this topic, and because of that, I feel he was a bit harsh on Obama, particularly by disbelieving that Obama's stance had changed, as he claimed, and accusing him of holding that view the whole time. (Of course, working in the administration, the author may have had information that we aren't aware of that made him believe this, but if he did, he didn't disclose this to his readers.) I did definitely enjoy reading about Obama, his administration, and his campaign, particularly in regards to religious matters.
hannahelise's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting perspective for anyone interested in the intersection of faith and politics and how it actually bears out in the modern day. Wear answers a lot of questions I often got as a Christian working in Democratic politics. Obviously I don’t agree with all his takes but appreciated his candor on tough subjects.
davehershey's review against another edition
4.0
This book provides a glimpse into the Obama White House by a man who worked on relations with faith groups. Wear shares his story of how he came to evangelical faith and joined the hope filled Obama campaign in 2008. He talks about his work not just on the campaign, but also in the administration. This includes everything from the annual prayer breakfast to the contraception mandate and Obama's "evolution" on same sex marriage. Wear points out both the positives and the negatives of working in government in general and the Obama white house specifically.
The biggest negatives, for Wear, were seen in the shift from a hope-filled bridge-building campaign in 2008 that sought to include all Americans to a defensive, attack-filled campaign in 2012 that seemed to shut people out who did not agree on all the issues. Wear argues that the demand in recent years for everyone to agree on everything within a party is not good for the parties or for America. It leads to a hardening of parties as those who do not agree on everything walk away which in turn puts the two major parties further apart (as only the fringe remains) and contributes to our warring political discourse. In the end he remains hopeful though and the book ends on a hopeful note, a hope driven by his own faith in the God of hope who is working in history (as MLK said, the arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice).
The biggest negatives, for Wear, were seen in the shift from a hope-filled bridge-building campaign in 2008 that sought to include all Americans to a defensive, attack-filled campaign in 2012 that seemed to shut people out who did not agree on all the issues. Wear argues that the demand in recent years for everyone to agree on everything within a party is not good for the parties or for America. It leads to a hardening of parties as those who do not agree on everything walk away which in turn puts the two major parties further apart (as only the fringe remains) and contributes to our warring political discourse. In the end he remains hopeful though and the book ends on a hopeful note, a hope driven by his own faith in the God of hope who is working in history (as MLK said, the arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice).