Author Archives: wallwritings

About wallwritings

From 1972 through 1999, James M. Wall was editor and publisher of the Christian Century magazine, based in Chicago, lllinois. He was a Contributing Editor of the Century from 1999 until July, 2017. He has written this blog, wall writings.me, since it was launched April 27, 2008. If you would like to receive Wall Writings alerts when new postings are added to this site, send a note, saying, Please Add Me, to jameswall8@gmail.com Biography: Journalism was Jim's undergraduate college major at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He has earned two MA degrees, one from Emory, and one from the University of Chicago, both in religion. He is an ordained United Methodist clergy person. He served for two years in the US Air Force, and three additional years in the USAF reserve. While serving on active duty with the Alaskan Command, he reached the rank of first lieutenant. He has worked as a sports writer for both the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, was editor of the United Methodist magazine, Christian Advocate for ten years, and editor and publisher of the Christian Century magazine for 27 years. James M Wall died March 22, 2021 at age 92. His family appreciates all of his readers, even those who may have disagreed with his well-informed writings.

Samia Khoury and Trump’s Deal of the Century

By James M. Wall Samia Khoury has been my friend since before the first Intifada. My first of 20 trips to Palestine and Israel, always as a journalist, was in 1973.  All too slowly, since that first trip, I grew … Continue reading

Posted in Donald Trump, Human Rights, Israel, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Israel Creates A New Political Normal

by James M. Wall Adam Shatz, writing in the London Review of Books, described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legislative victory on April 9, as a “tribute” to his “transformation of the political landscape”. He wrote: At no point were [the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

“Listen, my children, and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere”

by James M. Wall “Listen, my children, and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Paul Revere”, launches the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882). Those opening words came to memory as I read the … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Judiasm, Middle East, Palestinians, Religious Faith | 4 Comments

Updated: “I Once Was Blind. . . But Now I See”

The recent death of Albert Finney brings attention to his many appearances in film and television and on stage. Finney was 82 when he died February 7, 2019. One of his more memorable films was Amazing Grace. The Wall Writings … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Children and IDF are Israeli Occupation Pawns

By James M. Wall There are times when one picture says it all. This picture at right shows a terrified Palestinian child between two Israeli soldiers who, from my perspective, are ashamed of what they are doing. Ponder that picture … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Middle East, Palestinians | 5 Comments

Why MLK Would Back Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

by James M. Wall Juan Cole’s column, published today on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, links King to 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress.  This nation honors King on each third Monday of January, … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Martin Luther King Jr., Palestinians, Politics and Elections | 5 Comments

“There is No Crisis at the Border”

by James M. Wall On January 11, the Washington Post took readers back to April 8, 1952, the day President Harry Truman (right) declared the nation was in a crisis. That journey resonates with our present moment as President Trump … Continue reading

Posted in President Harry Truman, Trump | 4 Comments

“One Bright Shining Moment”

By James M. Wall Christmas Day comes and goes. You take a walk, or you sit in your easy chair, and think, who could I call to discuss the political miasma of the closing days of 2018? Has it been … Continue reading Continue reading

Posted in Donald Trump, Politics and Elections | 10 Comments

A Sequel: The Best Film Ever Made About Politics

“This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”
Continue reading

Posted in -Movies and politics, Movies | 2 Comments

Thanksgiving Good News from Palestine

by James M. Wall I have it on good authority that almost the only Thanksgiving celebrations in Palestine this week are those enjoyed by U.S. expats, that is, those who “leave one’s native country to live elsewhere”. That does not … Continue reading

Posted in Gaza, Palestinians, Thanksgiving | 8 Comments