A Call to Justice
A Call To Justice
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “justice” as one of the following three things: 1) just behavior or treatment; 2) the quality of being fair and reasonable; or 3) the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this. These seem like pretty straightforward definitions of the word justice but there are some people who would argue that justice is much more than what it seems. Timothy Keller is one such person. In his book Generous Justice, Keller says that justice means not only “getting what you deserve” but it also means restoring right relationships for the sake of the poor, the marginalized, the exploited, and the vulnerable (Keller, 2010).
Keller’s purpose for writing this book is to make a connection between the four audiences that he is writing to: 1) the young people who have little connection between faith and volunteerism; 2) the group who argues that religion “poisons everything;” 3) the younger evangelics who are divorced from tradition; and 4) the group who approaches the subject of “doing justice” with suspicion (Keller, 2010, p. x-xiv). Keller includes two major themes in this book in order to make the connection between these four groups. Keller’s first major theme is that because of God’s grace we, as Christians, are called to be just. His second major theme is that justice is not only about giving people what they deserve but also caring for the poor, the marginalized, the exploited, and the vulnerable and making sure that they have what they deserve and need.
The first major theme that Keller writes about is the idea that because of God’s grace we, as Christians, are called to be just. This idea is even expressed in the title of the book, “Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just” (Keller, 2010). This idea of being just goes all the way back to the days of Abraham and Moses. There were even Hebrew laws in place that called for justice and equality for everyone. All
Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “justice” as one of the following three things: 1) just behavior or treatment; 2) the quality of being fair and reasonable; or 3) the administration of the law or authority in maintaining this. These seem like pretty straightforward definitions of the word justice but there are some people who would argue that justice is much more than what it seems. Timothy Keller is one such person. In his book Generous Justice, Keller says that justice means not only “getting what you deserve” but it also means restoring right relationships for the sake of the poor, the marginalized, the exploited, and the vulnerable (Keller, 2010).
Keller’s purpose for writing this book is to make a connection between the four audiences that he is writing to: 1) the young people who have little connection between faith and volunteerism; 2) the group who argues that religion “poisons everything;” 3) the younger evangelics who are divorced from tradition; and 4) the group who approaches the subject of “doing justice” with suspicion (Keller, 2010, p. x-xiv). Keller includes two major themes in this book in order to make the connection between these four groups. Keller’s first major theme is that because of God’s grace we, as Christians, are called to be just. His second major theme is that justice is not only about giving people what they deserve but also caring for the poor, the marginalized, the exploited, and the vulnerable and making sure that they have what they deserve and need.
The first major theme that Keller writes about is the idea that because of God’s grace we, as Christians, are called to be just. This idea is even expressed in the title of the book, “Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just” (Keller, 2010). This idea of being just goes all the way back to the days of Abraham and Moses. There were even Hebrew laws in place that called for justice and equality for everyone. All
Cited: "Billy Creech." Personal interview. 2 Oct. 2011. Holy Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. Print. Keller, Timothy J. Generous Justice: How God 's Grace Makes Us Just. New York, NY: Dutton, Penguin Group USA, 2010. Print. "Legacy Movie. Viewer 's Guide | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. 2002. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. .