When a politician says something, I don't want to chalk it up as just lip service. Wallis wants the future president to cut the child poverty rate by half in five years, and this is just part of the challenge he poses. We should no longer measure welfare reform by the reduction of welfare rolls, but rather by reduction in poverty. It's a matter of making a commitment and calling the nation to that commitment. Many of the problems addressed by Call to Renewal are the consequences of a culture of poverty, and Wallis sees this as a good place to start.
Poverty touches education, family life, street violence.
It touches prison issues and issues of race. We in the churches are willing to step up and do our part, but we can't do it alone. We need to touch the heartstrings of the American people and talk about saving the children. Wallis was adamant in his stance that change requires a fresh perspective, a biblical approach to righting society's wrongs. Neither Republican nor Democrats have been successful in combating poverty, he says, so it is time people of faith enter into the discussion.