One of the messages that I would love to do this weekend, but will not be able to is about justice and about the equality of people in the sight of God. The movie deals with the slave trade and the faith informed fight for justice that Wilberforce et al engaged in 18th century. God’s heart for justice is all over the Bible. It’s one of the major themes of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible. It’s what Jesus called the “weightier provisions of the Torah”.
If you want to read 2 fantastic books on justice pick up these
Good News About Injustice by Gary Haugen
Gary is the head of IJM, International Justice Mission and is doing wonderful work around the world in combating a variety of injustices especially sexual slavery. My daughter, Charissa and a couple of other students traveled to India to shoot a video curriculum a few years ago. What an eye opening experience. This book has great stories and clearly lays out the God’s heart for justice from the scriptures.
Divided By Faith by Michael O. Emerson & Christian Smith
The subtitle says it all: Evangelical Religion & the Problem of race in America. Let me issue a warning: do not read this book if you just want to have the things that you already think reinforced. This book will rock you and I, for one, found its conclusions inescapable. The format reminded me of some of the books I read for my cultural anthropology classes in my undergrad days. The authors I sympathetic to evangelicals, but this book will set you back on your heals.
BTW – this post could be construed as a pitch to sign up for the leadership summit. Haugen is speaking at the summit this year and I picked up the latter book, Divided, when Bill Hybles talked about it as a must read.
