Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America

Description

Now in paperback with a new afterword from the author. "An important and extremely timely book...Get it, read it, and talk to others about it." --Timothy Keller In this unvarnished account of faith inside the world's most powerful office, Michael Wear provides unprecedented insight into the highs and lows of working as a Christian in government. Reclaiming Hope is an insider's view of the most controversial episodes of the Obama administration, from the president's change of position on gay marriage and the transformation of religious freedom into a partisan idea, to the administration's failure to find common ground on abortion and the bitter controversy over who would give the benediction at the 2012 inauguration. The book is also a passionate call for faith in the public square, particularly for Christians to see politics as a means of loving one's neighbor and of pursuing justice for all. Engrossing, illuminating, and at time provocative, Reclaiming Hope changes the way we think about the relationship of politics and faith. "A pre-Trump book with serious questions for our politics in the age of Trump...More necessary than ever before." -- Sojourners "Should be read by Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, and all who are concerned by the state of our politics." --Kirsten Powers, USA Today columnist and CNN political analyst "Reclaiming Hope will certainly give you a fresh perspective on politics--but, more importantly, it may also give you a fresh perspective on faith."--Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Ministries "An important contribution in this age of religious and political polarization." --J.D. Vance, author of Hillbilly Elegy "A lifeline for these times." --Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts and The Broken Way "We can hope, and this book can help us." --Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

As one of President Obama's "ambassadors to America's believers," Michael directed faith outreach for President Obama's historic 2012 re-election campaign. Michael was also one of the youngest White House staffers in modern American history: he served in the White House faith-based initiative during President Obama's first term, where he led evangelical outreach and helped manage the White House's engagement on religious and values issues, including adoption and anti-human trafficking efforts. Today, Michael is founder and CEO of Public Square Strategies, LLC, a strategic consulting firm that serves leaders and organizations at the intersection of faith and public life. Michael writes and speaks about faith and politics in major forums across the country. He is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. He is also the coauthor of the award-winning Compassion & Conviction, and has contributed to several other books. Michael is married to his high school sweetheart, Melissa. They live in Baltimore, where they raise their two daughters, Saoirse and Ilaria.