A number of recent publications have helped us enlarge our frame of what the gospel is beyond 'pie in the sky in the great by-and-by.' Lisa Sharon Harper's The Very Good Gospel (Waterbrook Press, forthcoming June 2016) is one such book. Harper helps us see the expansive implications of the biblical concept of shalom (peace). Our contemporary concept of peace is deficientour imagination forged in the eras of Cold War stalemates and our tenuous Post-9/11 world cries for 'peace in the middle east.' The biblical concept of peace is more robust than the mere cessation of conflict. It involves good news to the poor and oppressed, justice for all, and "God's vision for the emphatic goodness of all relationships" (14-15). In short shalom means that everything wrong can be made right.

Harper's voice is one I trust. I have read her online articles at Sojourners (where she is the chief church engagement officer), and The Huffington Post and I follow her on social media. With Leroy Barber she was on the ground in Ferguson training clergy on how to respond to the crisis. She is a passionate advocate for social justice tackling racism, economic injustice and systemic oppression. As an African American woman she brings perspective and insight to these issues; however, what also makes The Very Good Gospel so very good is her deeply rooted faith and her serious engagement with biblical theology.

Harper draws on the insights of Walter Bruggemann (who writes the forward), Miroslav Volf, and a host of other scholars, commentators and researchers). In this book she unfolds the biblical concept of shalom. She explores what it means to live at peace with God, and to live at peace with self, to have real peace between the genders, to live at peace by exercising proper dominion in creation, to bring peace to broken families, to have real peace between races and nations, what it means for Christians be witnesses to God's kingdom peace, and to have peace in the face of death.

This book goes a long way toward helping us see how robust Shalom really is. Harper blends personal anecdotes from life and ministry with biblical theology and astute cultural analysis. She shares some of the ways she has seen (or experienced firsthand) the lack of peace, and where shalom has burst into our broken world. She has practical suggestions for how to live into God's kingdom shalom. Harper shares painful moments and touching and poignant parts of her own journey (such as her final goodbye to fellow evangelical justice advocate Richard Twiss). This is a very good book and it oozes good news. Read it. I give it an enthusiastic five stars!

Note: I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. It was one of those book I thought was a different author then it was and I am glad I made that mistake. This book has meat to it. It's not a feel good, fluffy read.

Lisa has depth and she carries that throughout her book. She touches on tough subjects, things we often don't think about.

She isn't afraid to address issues that we tend to gloss over. As an African-American she brings a much different perspective to things and sees things that I wouldn't see.

She sprinkles her personal story throughout the book, which I always appreciate. She shares her hurts and struggles and how she had to find her own shalom with God.

I highly recommend this book as Lisa takes you from the beginning and the fall into God's ultimate plan for redemption and peace.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

"If the construction of human empire is our goal, we will become enemies of God's purposes on earth. If the flourishing of the image of God and all the relationships in creation is our goal, then we will become partners with God, exercising dominion that is in the likeness of God." ~Lisa Sharon Harper

This book is a like a stick of dynamite. Handle it with care or else it will explode, blowing away your preconceived notions and altering the landscape of your understanding.

And hey, maybe that's a good thing sometimes.

If you could go back to the beginning, what do you think you would have seen between God and the world? Imagine it- the formless and void now sculpted and filled, God himself resting in satisfaction, the newborn sunlight shining on First Man and Woman, and all creatures utterly at home in the earth.

The Hebrew word for this utter wholeness, intense health, and holy happiness is "shalom."

That "shalom" is everything we're craving, individually and nationally.

Lisa Sharon Harper understands that creation was steeped in shalom at the start, and she knows that our hearts long to return to that place. She believes that shalom can be brought back into the world when men and women commit to acting justly, with mercy and generosity.

If that's the case, then we as people of faith have some marching orders. Evil must be exposed, corruption reformed, and all oppression ended. Human dignity must be championed. Debate of the crucial ideas must be civil, and must not be censored. We must seek out "good governance" and keep our government systems accountable.

It's tempting to think of this all as abstract thought, but it isn't. We read the news of missing shalom every day. Bloodshed and violence, violated victims, lies and deception, economic struggle- we sleep in a planet-sized broken home.

As Lisa addresses these concepts she points us to current events. There are plenty to choose from, when discussing the need for shalom.

I came away from this book reminded that life is a gift, and we want to live well. And there's so many areas of need, so in whatever way we can let's make our life count. That will never look the same for two people in a row, but we can pursue the goodness of God while looking hard at reality and we can find a way to work for shalom.

I thank Waterbrook Multnomah for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.