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The Justice Calling

Where Passion Meets Perseverance

Bethany Hanke Hoang and Kristen Deede Johnson

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Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Brazos Press
Publish Date: Feb 16, 2016
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587433990
ISBN-13: 978-1587433993

Christianity Today 2017 Book Awards Winner

“To say that The Justice Calling is a timely gift to the contemporary church is a profound understatement.”

— Christina Edmondson

Justice requires perseverance–a deep perseverance we can’t muster on our own. The world’s needs are staggering and even the most passion-driven reactions, strategies, and good intentions can falter. But we serve a God who never falters, who sees the needs, hears the cries, and gives strength–through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit–to his people.

Offering a comprehensive biblical theology of justice drawn from the whole story of Scripture, this book invites us to know more intimately the God who loves justice and calls us to give our lives to seek the flourishing of others. The authors explore stories of injustice around the globe today and spur Christians to root their passion for justice in the persevering hope of Christ. They also offer practices that can further form us into people who join God’s work of setting things right in the world. Now in paper with an added reader’s guide.

Authors

Bethany Hanke Hoang

Bethany Hanke Hoang (MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary) engages leaders around the world with the critical connection between justice and spiritual formation. She advises and speaks on behalf of International Justice Mission (IJM) and served with IJM as director of biblical justice initiatives, such as the Global Prayer Gathering and the IJM Institute, for more than a decade. Hoang was named among “50 Women to Watch” by Christianity Today and one of “20 Women to Watch” by Catalyst. She has also published Deepening the Soul for Justice.

Visit Bethany's Website

Kristen Deede Johnson

Kristen Deede Johnson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is associate professor of theology and Christian formation at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. She teaches and writes in the areas of theology, culture, formation, and political theory. Her previous publications include Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism: Beyond Tolerance and Difference.

Content

Introduction: Justice and God

1. Engage the Whole Story
Justice and Righteousness

2. Receive God’s Vision of Flourishing
Justice and Creation

3. Move toward Darkness
Justice and the Fall

4. Lament
Justice and Israel

5. Live as Saints (Not Heroes)
Justice and Jesus

6. Be Sanctified and Sent
Justice and the Church

7. Persevere in Hope
Justice and All Things Becoming New

Conclusion: Abide in Jesus
Justice and Perseverance

Video

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Download Reader’s Guide

Endorsements

This is a deep, wide, wise contribution to a truly comprehensive Christian understanding of justice. I can’t imagine a better biblical and theological introduction to the topic of justice, combined with pastoral wisdom and the urgency that comes from direct engagement with the brokenness of our world.

— Andy Crouch
Executive Editor, Christianity Today
Author of Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power

I suspect that The Justice Calling will become one of those books I turn to again and again. Its message is grounded not only in a few key biblical texts but in the full story of God’s people from Genesis to Revelation. As one seeking to live justly in places of deep brokenness and violent conflict, I am grateful for the thread that stitches this whole book together: the possibility and promise of persevering hope.

— Lynne Hybels
Advocate for Global Engagement
Willow Creek Community Church

A resource for the church that is theologically rich, biblically faithful, and practically engaging. I’m genuinely inspired by this book and pray that it will encourage, challenge, and inspire others not only to the work of justice but also to the God of justice.

— Eugene Cho
Senior Pastor, Quest Church
Founder, One Day’s Wages
Author of Overrated

There is so much joy to be found as we follow God into the work of justice, so much strength to be gained in the Scriptures given to us. The Justice Calling takes us deep into all these gifts. As we face the giants of injustice in the season ahead, this is a book I’d urge every follower of Jesus to dig into and carry close at hand.

— Gary A. Haugen
President and CEO, International Justice Mission
Author of The Locust Effect

This book calls people from the comfort of their own homes into the terrifying realities of those dispossessed and violently used… The Justice Calling [is] essential reading for those who are beginning the journey of considering how justice is integral to the life of following Jesus.

— Brian Bantum
Christian Century

Resources