Reclaiming Hope

Reviews

'According to my friend Michael Wear, too many of us left the party early! I've known Michael for years and greatly appreciate his commitment to the church and his personal faith in Jesus. Reclaiming Hope will certainly give you a fresh perspective on politics--but, more importantly, it may also give you a fresh perspective on faith.'

'As a pastor who has been close to President Obama’s personal journey of faith, I was fascinated by Michael Wear's insider account of the events and influences that formed this administration. Surprisingly honest and compelling, this book helps us understand the forces at play in President Obama's leadership decisions. Reclaiming Hope will give you a sense of hope for a future we can help shape.'

'Michael Wear is a man of deep faith who clearly brought his love for Jesus to his work in the White House. Reclaiming Hope offers important insight about his time working in the public square for the legitimate and necessary place of both faith and people of faith in today’s political environment, and it deserves serious attention.'

'Michael Wear's grasp on how sacred and secular coexist is second to none. His tone is both loving and challenging. A must read.'

'Michael Wear's Reclaiming Hope is an engaging, sympathetic but not uncritical account of life in the Obama White House. Wear cares about politics, but he cares about his Christian faith even more. The result is a balanced, thoughtful look at how politics and faith intersect, what the pitfalls and possibilities are, and why we cannot give up hope. At a time when too many Christians in public life are discrediting their public witness, Michael Wear is offering an admirable alternative.'

'Michael Wear's reflections on life as a young evangelical Christian working for President Obama are not your typical Washington memoir. There’s no 'If only they’d listened to me' bravado nor is there the catty score-settling we've grown to expect from the genre. Instead, this book offers Oval Office insight with road-to-Damascus vulnerability. Whether or not you agree with the author's politics, you can learn what it means to bear witness in a time riddled with culture wars and political strife. Michael Wear is part of why I think a new generation can bring a new shape to American public life, one in which we can disagree without tearing each other apart. We can hope, and this book can help us.'

'More than a story about how faith and politics entangle in the rarified atmosphere of the White House, this fine memoir is also a road map for how we can pick up the broken pieces of our political life and reassemble a national commitment to a common good.'

'Reclaiming Hope is both a fascinating insider's look into the Obama administration’s faith-based initiatives and a stirring call for Christians--indeed for Americans of all faiths--to rediscover a sense of hopefulness. Even as we find ourselves in a crisis of disillusionment, and even despair, about the state of American politics, Wear reminds us that we must hold fast to the belief that we can change our country and our world for the better. Each of us would do well to adopt at least a bit of Wear’s realistic hopefulness.'

'Reclaiming Hope should be read by Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and all who are concerned about the state of our politics. Wear's refreshingly earnest book offers rare insight that just might help us reject the harsh polarization of today's politics, embrace a redemptive faith, and find hope once again.'

'This is an important and extremely timely book. It is partly a memoir, partly a reflection on the relationships between faith and governing power, and partly a road map for navigating the unprecedented social and cultural changes we are facing. It's readable and thought-provoking. Get it, read it, and talk to others about it.'

'This is an unusually important and moving book. Reclaiming Hope is a fascinating portrait of a critical moment in American public life, exploring the role of Christianity--and faith more broadly--during the Obama era. Part memoir, part exhortation, Michael Wear offers us an intimate look at the power and relevance of religion at a time when so many have discounted it. The reflections on President Obama's evolution on gay marriage are by themselves worth the price of admission. Marked in parts by disillusion, Wear ends the book with a powerful meditation on hope that, while directed to Christians, will appeal to anyone interested in the complex intersection of faith and politics.'

Michael Wear makes a powerfully compelling case for engaging the intersection of politics and religion. Drawing from his personal and singular experience in the White House under the Obama administration, Wear writes a lifeline for these times--that despite any personal differences, hope can unite. The pages in your hand could give you hope and lead and guide us forward as a nation. We can all reclaim hope and carry it with us.

This is an important book on many levels: it addresses faith's role in politics and public policy; it reveals Barack Obama's personal faith and beliefs; it calls for Christians to engage in the public square; and it offers hope for America's future. For anyone interested in the intersection of faith and politics, Reclaiming Hope is a must read.