{"id":143,"date":"2013-02-25T07:21:47","date_gmt":"2013-02-25T07:21:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingtheology.com\/?p=143"},"modified":"2016-01-18T18:30:22","modified_gmt":"2016-01-18T18:30:22","slug":"pursuing-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readingtheology.com\/pursuing-justice\/ ","title":{"rendered":"Pursuing Justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can’t more highly recommend a book which explores the topic that Jesus himself instructs us to seek first above all other things: God’s Kingdom and Justice.<\/p>\n

In the book, Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things<\/a>\"\", Ken Wytsma sets out to explore the proper place and broad reaching effects that pursuing a life of justice ought to have among the followers of Jesus.<\/p>\n

\"Ken<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

For me a book about justice seemed a bit daunting at first, and so you too might be hesitant or suspicious that this is another book meant to guilt you and twist your arm into caring about many issues that may be beyond your natural sphere of concern. Who wants more of that? You might already have enough on your plate within your own purview. This fear is not necessary..<\/p>\n

Ken carries you through his program with conviction and passion for sure, but not with any emotional and manipulative tricks up his sleeve. Instead, he points you towards seeing the intrinsic joy and beauty that accompanies those who begin to join God in his Kingdom and Justice dreams for this world.<\/p>\n

\"Ken<\/a>
\nKen Wytsma<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

He lays the ground work very well, philosophically and theologically, towards a big picture view of justice; including it’s individual\/personal as well as its societal implications.<\/p>\n

Some have recently gotten stuck in the false dichotomy of pitting the “social gospel” folks against the “heavenly\/spiritually minded” folks and acting like you must choose between these bounded polar ends. Ken steps into this discussion with some helpful context and offers us a 3rd option or rather builds a bridge and life line between the two isolated extremes and shows us how they are better together, serving to compliment the bigger whole.<\/p>\n

While Wytsma does name many of the pressing justice related issues of today, rather than presume to offer up an exhaustive schematic that all should now follow, he cleverly goes only so far in his prescriptions, and thus leaving work for his readers both to imagine and appropriate how they might go about pursuing a life of justice in their unique situation.<\/p>\n

I found the chapter most personally intriguing\u00a0in which Ken tells an anecdote from his relationship with a friend of his from Rwanda. His friend C\u00e9lestin, a Hutu who had lived through the Rwandan Genocide between April and July 1994 has now become one of the world’s more respected voices on reconciliation and forgiveness.<\/p>\n

While visiting Ken’s church recently C\u00e9lestin said that \u201cAmericans tend to think that punishment is the only way to satisfy justice, when in fact punishment is only one of several ways to satisfy it. The evil must be punished, but the goal is not just to punish the perpetrator; the goal is to restore the community.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

And further, \u201cThere is no justice without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without justice. Before I forgive something, I have to judge it as evil.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

This whole discussion about the many possibilities or means of achieving a restored shalom\/justice really got my head churning and I begun connecting the dots from this idea to the life and mission of Jesus.<\/p>\n

This has catalyzed my thought process, and I am now desiring to further investigate my forming theology around the significance and meaning of the central work of Jesus. If achieving justice need not be limited to a punitive means simply, then how might that reality shape my understanding of what Jesus’ sacrifice means. How do I read it? I already see some possibilities but won’t continue in that vein here.<\/p>\n

There was so much more that the book stimulated my thoughts and hopefully soon my actions towards. I simply am mentioning this one bit -to encourage you that the words can have fruit. I found the book not static in nature, but leaving me with a sense of action.<\/p>\n

I pray that “Pursuing Justice” will do just that for you, imagining a world of justice, God’s dream, and beginning to see and act on that vision in your life.<\/p>\n

-Nick Watts<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If the last few words aren’t enough, this creative spoken word by Micah Bournes just below hits at the heart of the message..<\/p>\n