The Bible and Social Justice


Book Description

Although the cry for justice in human society is an important theme in the Bible, in many church and academic circles action for and discourse about social justice is carried on without a thorough exploration of this theme in Scripture. This volume brings together chapters by experts in the various sections of the Old and New Testaments to give a full spectrum of what the Bible has to say about social justice, and to point to ways forward for Christians seeking to think and act in harmony with God in pursuing social justice in the world today.




Why Social Justice Is Not Biblical Justice: An Urgent Appeal to Fellow Christians in a Time of Social Crisis


Book Description

Prepare yourself to defend the truth against the greatest worldview threat of our generation. In recent years, a set of ideas rooted in postmodernism and neo-Marxist critical theory have merged into a comprehensive worldview. Labeled "social justice" by its advocates, it has radically redefined the popular understanding of justice. It purports to value equality and diversity and to champion the cause of the oppressed. Yet far too many Christians have little knowledge of this ideology, and consequently, don't see the danger. Many evangelical leaders confuse ideological social justice with biblical justice. Of course, justice is a deeply biblical idea, but this new ideology is far from biblical. It is imperative that Christ-followers, tasked with blessing their nations, wake up to the danger, and carefully discern the difference between Biblical justice and its destructive counterfeit. This book aims to replace confusion with clarity by holding up the counterfeit worldview and the Biblical worldview side-by-side, showing how significantly they differ in their core presuppositions. It challenges Christians to not merely denounce the false worldview, but offer a better alternative-the incomparable Biblical worldview, which shapes cultures marked by genuine justice, mercy, forgiveness, social harmony, and human dignity.




Social Justice in the Hebrew Bible


Book Description

Malchow demonstrates that Israel did not originate the concept of social justice. Rather, it drew its resources for overcoming injustice from Near Eastern thought on the subject. By combining its own ideas of social justice with those of its neighbors, Israel's people fought injustice with what was "new" and what was "old".




Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth


Book Description

God does not suggest, he commands that we do justice. Social justice is not optional for the Christian. All injustice affects others, so talking about justice that isn't social is like talking about water that isn't wet or a square with no right angles. But the Bible's call to seek justice is not a call to superficial, kneejerk activism. We are not merely commanded to execute justice, but to "truly execute justice." The God who commands us to seek justice is the same God who commands us to "test everything" and "hold fast to what is good." Drawing from a diverse range of theologians, sociologists, artists, and activists, Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth, by Thaddeus Williams, makes the case that we must be discerning if we are to "truly execute justice" as Scripture commands. Not everything called "social justice" today is compatible with a biblical vision of a better world. The Bible offers hopeful and distinctive answers to deep questions of worship, community, salvation, and knowledge that ought to mark a uniquely Christian pursuit of justice. Topics addressed include: Racism Sexuality Socialism Culture War Abortion Tribalism Critical Theory Identity Politics Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth also brings in unique voices to talk about their experiences with these various social justice issues, including: Michelle-Lee Barnwall Suresh Budhaprithi Eddie Byun Freddie Cardoza Becket Cook Bella Danusiar Monique Duson Ojo Okeye Edwin Ramirez Samuel Sey Neil Shenvi Walt Sobchak In Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth, Thaddeus Williams transcends our religious and political tribalism and challenges readers to discover what the Bible and the example of Jesus have to teach us about justice. He presents a compelling vision of justice for all God's image-bearers that offers hopeful answers to life's biggest questions.




The Social Justice Bible Challenge


Book Description

"The poor are on God's heart and should be on ours. We are called to fight poverty and injustice wherever we find it." --The Rev. Marek P. Zabriskie, Founder, The Bible Challenge




Scripture and Social Justice


Book Description

These essays provide a panoramic view of current thinking on biblical texts that play important roles in contemporary struggles for social justice. Here, from the hands of an ecumenical array of leading biblical scholars, are fresh and compelling resources for thinking biblica...




Social Justice Jesus: Justice, Mercy, and Faith as Presented in the Sermon on the Mount


Book Description

This book is available in two different cover designs. This ISBN is assigned to a cover featuring a dark cross/scale combination silhouetted against a sunset. It also uses a larger font size of 14 points for those who prefer a larger font edition. This book is an in-depth look at the literal meanings of Jesus' epic Sermon on the Mount. The book demonstrates how Jesus uses Old Testament themes, laws, and prophetic writings to support a message of charity, justice, mercy, and faith in God as the tenets for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, which he came to proclaim. The message is placed in the context of the people of his day (his audience), not in the modernized context of today's Christianity. However, the book demonstrates that Jesus' message of 2,000 years ago is just as valuable to today's society. Book length is 420 pages. Trim size is 6X9 inches.




What Every Christian Needs to Know about Social Justice


Book Description

At first glance, it appears that social justice and Christianity have a lot in common. They seem to share a few mutual concerns: they're both opposed to bigotry, racism, and oppression; they are mutually concerned for the needy, the afflicted, and the less fortunate within society; and they both seek to resolve conflict as they aspire after unity and peace. And with these shared concerns, it is tempting for Christians to buy into the validity of social justice. But as Jeffrey D. Johnson clearly and succinctly explains in just a few short chapters, social justice is incompatible with Christianity. Johnson takes us through the history of social justice and helps us understand its complex issues. This is a brief, to-the-point handbook every Christian should read to understand how contemporary definitions of social justice differ from what the Bible teaches about justice and how social justice seeks to destroy individual rights and the authority of the nuclear family and the conservative church.




Social Justice and the Hebrew Bible, Volume Three


Book Description

PART 1: EXAMINING TEXTS 1. Social Drama in the Psalms of Individual Lament 2. Kingship in the Book of Psalms 3. Abusing the Bible: The Case of Deuteronomy 15 4. Do not Fear What They Fear: A Post-9/11 Reflection(Isaiah 8:11-15) 5. The Expropriated and the Expropriators in Nehemiah 5 6. How Do Extrabiblical Sociopolitical Data Illuminate Obscure Biblical Texts? The Case of Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 [Heb. 5:7-8] 7. On the Alleged Wisdom of Kings: An Application of Adorno's Immanent Criticism to Ecclesiastes PART 2: ENGAGING PRACTICES 8. Framing Biblical Interpretation at New York Theological Seminary: A Student Self Inventory on Biblical Hermeneutics 9. Theological Education as a Theory-Praxis Loop: Situating the Book of Joshua in a Cultural, Social Ethical, and Theological Matrix 10. The Bible as Nurturer of Passive and Active Worldviews 11. Biblical Scholarship in Public Discourse 12. On Framing Elections: The Stories We Tell Ourselves 13. Values and Economic Structures




Social Justice and the Hebrew Bible, Volume One


Book Description

CONTENTS PART 1: METHODS, MODELS, AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES What Does Sociology Have to Do with The Bible? The Bible and Economic Ethics Social Class as an Analytic and Hermeneutical Category in Biblical Studies Social Class and Ideology in Isaiah 40-55: An Eagletonian Reading Ideology and Ideologies in Israelite Prophecy Periodization, Interactive Power Networks, and Teleogical Constraints in Hebrew Bible Studies Icelandic and Israelite Beginnings: A Comparative Probe Structure and Origin of the Early Israelite and Iroquois "Confederacies" PART 2: TRIBUTES TO COLLEAGUES James Muilenburg: Superlative Teacher David Jobling: Fearless Frontiersman Marvin L. Chaney, Master Social Critic Jack Elliott: Breacher of Boundaries