Throughout the Old Testament we see God's love for the entire nation of Israel, but we also see Him reaching out to individuals--the widows, orphans, and aliens. His instructions to His people included a charge to show mercy and bring justice to the needy. In the New Testament we see this played out in Jesus' life as well. With His hands he touched the sick, the lonely, and brought healing to both body and spirit. At Pentecost, when the Spirit invaded the hearts and minds of believers it continued the legacy of God's life poured into His people, for the purpose of pouring out mercy to the lost and least of these. Like a great revolving door of grace, God has been in the business of loving, saving, and equipping His people so they can love and save others throughout the whole of Scripture.

In Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church Tim Keller, explores the connection between when believers in Christ receive grace, and how that impacts the world around them. He argues that the Bible is a trustworthy guide for living a life of justice, and denies the claims of skeptics that the Bible has been a regressive influence in the world. Sharing examples from the lives of believers around him, and giving support from the Bible, Keller outlines a hopeful manifesto for all who seek to show God's mercy to the world.

Stereotypes die hard. One stereotype that haunts the church today is that conservative churches believe in evangelism without social action, and that liberal churches are concerned with social justice but do not care about evangelism. Like most stereotypes, there are some groups of Christians that critics of the church may point to as clear examples that this caricature is true. Most of evangelical Christianity, however, is rejecting this false dichotomy. Many Christians of a variety of theological and denominational backgrounds are realizing that personal evangelism and social action are both core commitments of disciple of Jesus Christ.

Timothy Keller is one of the leading lights in the New Calvinist movement. His writings combine a thoroughly missional vision of the church with a thoroughly Reformed theology. In Generous Justice, Keller focuses his considerable intellect upon the place of social justice in the ministry of the local church. The result is a concise, intelligent, and methodical argument in favor of Christians being passionately involved in social justice concerns in the church and in society.

Generous Justice is a thorough book. It examines the issue of social justice through an in-depth study of both the Old and New Testaments. After doing this, Keller puts considerable attention toward how we live out the ancient commands in our contemporary lives, and explaining how God’s specific emphasis on social justice is integral to strong, healthy Christians and strong, healthy churches.

Keller has done his research. Throughout Generous Justice he references the works of historic theological luminaries such as Jonathan Edwards and Abraham Kuyper. He also discerningly references more contemporary studies in academic disciplines other than theology.

One weakness of the book is that it primarily addresses justice as a domestic issue and a neighborhood concern. I would have liked to hear Keller say more about how to be generously just in the global village, instead of simply the social conscience we should have within our comfortable North American bubble.

Generous Justice is a very heady work. In my opinion, it is also easily accessible reading for most of the folks in the pews on Sunday morning that have questions about social involvement and equality. The New Calvinist movement needed a thorough, theologically-grounded statement on what the Bible says concerning social justice ministry and how to be involved in it. Keller does the church a great service with the publication of this wonderful book. I recommend it. – Clint Walker, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com

The pastor of New York City’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church offers a persuasive plea for evangelicals to embrace social justice efforts. Keller (The Reason for God), whose evangelical credentials are well respected, is among a new breed of conservative Christians eager to break out of the straitjacket that frowns on justice work as doctrinally unsound or the work of overzealous liberals. Without ever resorting to hyperbole, Keller carefully analyzes Old and New Testament passages to make the case that God’s heart for justice on behalf of widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor is indisputable, and that an encounter with grace will inevitably lead to a desire for justice. This short manifesto goes further: Keller argues that gospel preaching that aims only to change hearts while remaining oblivious to unjust social structures will never fully succeed. Keller recommends that evangelicals partner with non-Christians in pursuit of social reform while speaking distinctively in their own religious idiom. Emergent Christians as well as others serious about their faith and eager for a balanced and authoritative voice on the subject will appreciate this book. (Nov.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

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