Author Archives: wallwritings

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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.

The Secret Mission of William J. Burns

by James M. Wall “The Secret Mission of  William J. Burns” is a true story that begins in Amman, Jordan. The year is 1983. William J. Burns, a 27-year-old U.S. Foreign Service officer, is on his first overseas post to … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, John Kerry, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, Obama | 7 Comments

Menendez to AIPAC: You Have My Hand in Friendship and the Power of My Office, Shalom

by James M. Wall When President Barack Obama named Senator John Kerry as his Secretary of State, he opened the door for a new chair to assume control of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: New Jersey’s Democratic Senator Robert Menendez. Menendez … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Congress and Israel Against Obama and Kerry; “Which Side Are You On?”

by James M. Wall This week, two intrepid American Jewish journalists, Richard Silverstein and MJ Rosenberg, reminded somnolent Americans that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has declared diplomatic war against the White House. It is not a new war. What is different … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Media, Middle East | 9 Comments

John Kerry: Unfiltered In His Own Words

by James M. Wall John Kerry took the unusual step of agreeing to a November 6, Jerusalem television interview with two reporters, an Israeli and a Palestinian. He did so in order to send a public message to Israeli Prime … Continue reading

Posted in John Kerry, Media, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu | 19 Comments

Do Peace Talks Point to a Carthaginian Peace?

by James M. Wall On December 24, 2009, the Israeli oil exploration company Givot Olam, posted two media announcements a few hours apart. Givot Olam’s first announcement revealed that “significant quantities” of oil had been found in the mud of … Continue reading

Posted in John Kerry, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, Obama, US govermemt | 4 Comments

“Laying by time” Gives Diplomacy a Chance

by James M. Wall In the rural South of the 1930s, “laying by time” usually came, according to one writer, “when the last weed-hoeing was done, marking the start of a down-time until harvest”. It was also a time of anxiety as … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, Obama, United Nations | 11 Comments

U.S. Jews Battle Over Blumenthal’s “Goliath”

by James M. Wall Max Blumenthal is a young Jewish American journalist whose father, Sidney Blumenthal, was a senior adviser to President Bill Clinton from August 1997 until January 2001. Preparing to write his latest book,  Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater … Continue reading

Posted in Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, Obama | 6 Comments

Israel Hides Nukes Behind “Ambiguity” Wall

by James M. Wall This week’s Geneva nuclear table talks pit Iran against the Big Five Security Council members, plus Germany. Iran sits alone at the table, seeking release from its “sanctions jail” incarceration from its jailers, the Big Five … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Middle East, Middle East Politics, United Nations, US govermemt | 8 Comments

Bob Dylan: “For the times they are a-changin”

by James M. Wall “For the times they are a-changin”, is a line from the third verse of Bob Dylan’s 1964 classic American protest hymn, released as the title track of Dylan’s 1964 album. In 1985, Dylan told Cameron Crowe, who … Continue reading

Posted in Iran, Iran, Middle East Politics, Netanyahu, United Nations | 8 Comments

Netanyahu and Obama Seek “The Truth”

by James M. Wall Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the United States this week, vowing to expose “the truth” about Iran. The exposure vow from Netanyahu was just the opening barrage in what is expected to be a … Continue reading

Posted in John Kerry, Media, Middle East, Netanyahu, Obama, United Nations | 13 Comments