Hearing the Call: Liturgy, Justice, Church, and World is collection of passionatley written essays from seasoned philosopher and theologian Nicholas Wolterstorff.
written over the span of his 50-year career, topics range from worship, liturgy, church architecture, music, lament, and women's ordination, to the spiritual health of institutions including churches, colleges, businesses, and government. Yet, throughout these diverse essays an overarching theme runs through: "God loves justice," not retributive justice, but that which creates a merciful, holy community where human rights are honored and every member flourishes.
Several essays address formative experiences with Christians challenging injustice in South Africa, Honduras, and Palestine while illuminating Wolterstorff's own awakening to oppression and his subsequent call to speak up on behalf of those communities.
Through the lens of the Reformed Tradition, Wolterstorff's intellectually rigorous reflections encompass church fathers, reformers, and liberation theologians. American Christians who promote the "prosperity gospel" and sanction torture elicit his strong condemnation. Opening and closing biographical essays address the author's lifelong involvement with academia, including his student and professorial years at Calvin College, Yale, and Harvard, and the loss of his adult son, which inspired profound reflections on lament. An afterword contains two recent interviews that synthesize themes presented in this masterful work.
