Pursuing Justice

The Call to Live & Die for Bigger Things

Ken Wytsma, D. R. Jacobsen

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9780849964268
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

The ONLY way to find abundant life and happiness is to give your life away.

If God designed us to experience true happiness and abundant life, why do so many Christians feel dissatisfied and purposeless? We try to make our lives better by chasing our own dreams, but that only makes the problem worse. Instead, the path to a just life that's satisfying and permeated with meaning leads us alongside the orphan, the widow, and the powerless. Using clear evangelical theology and compelling narratives drawn from two decades of global ministry and travel, Ken Wytsma, the founder of The Justice Conference, shows God's unchanging love for all His children. On the way, the author calls us back to a proper understanding of biblical justice, a redeeming glimpse into the true meaning of righteousness and the remarkable connection between our own joy, the joy of others, and the wondrous Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pursuing Justice shows that God isn't primarily concerned with personal piety but about empowering His children to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with their creator. The message is as hopeful as it is fresh: when you discover anew the meaning of the Gospel and give your life away, you will find it…and it will be the best life you can imagine.

First-time author Wytsma (with an assist from Jacobsen) is one of the new breed of evangelical Christians returning to scripture to redeem justice as a central tenet of faith…. Wytsma infuses his writing with fresh experiences from working with the millennial generation…. "Apathy tells us that it's perfectly acceptable to live with illusions of our own justice, " he writes, neatly linking those concerns. This accessible guide provides trustworthy scriptural analysis, examples of contemporary justice issues…and a solid philosophy for understanding the role of justice in today's society…. "Justice cannot be divorced from God's heart and purposes, " he writes. "It permeates them." Wytsma's authorial voice is engaging, encouraging, and invitational. His humor helps the reader recognize her own humanity and transformative potential within the unfolding moral arc of the universe.

-- Publishers Weekly

"Justice has become trendy. Ken Wytsma's Pursuing Justice avoids all the pitfalls of trendiness. It exhibits a deep and accurate understanding of the nature of justice. It is an eye–opener."

—NICHOL AS WOLTERSTORFF, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University; Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

"Ken is a fresh voice of balance, humility, and collaboration. His enthusiasm is contagious and his challenge to the church to not only do justice, but to learn to do it well, is commendable."

—KEITH WRIGHT, International President of Food for the Hungry

"Ken Wytsma's Pursuing Justice will rattle you. Not since C. S. Lewis put down his pen have readers been so provoked to think. It will change the way you approach others."

—KAREN SPEARS ZACHARIAS, Author of A Silence of Mockingbirds and Will Jesus Buy Me a Double-Wide?

"Ken Wytsma not only brings us back to a biblical understanding of justice, but also humbly calls us to pursue it in practice. I was both enlightened and motivated."

—RANDAL ROBERTS, President of Western Seminary, Portland, OR

"In Pursuing Justice, Ken is at the cutting edge of where God's heart is. This book is timely and needs to be read by everyone in the church."

—JOHN M. PERKINS, Civil Rights Leader, Founder of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), and Founder of The John Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Redeeming Justice: What Justice Is and Why It Matters
• Chapter 2: Dynamic Art: Justice as a Way of Knowing God
• Chapter 3: Advent: The Gospel and Justice
• Chapter 4: Human Rights and Happiness: Recovering the Moral Value of Happiness
• Chapter 5: Love as Sacrament: How Justice Informs Love
• Chapter 6: Stained Glass: When Religion Gets in the Way of Justice
• Chapter 7: Remember What You Saw: How Empathy Carries Justice
• Chapter 8: PlayStations and Poverty: Growing up (in) a Consumer Culture
• Chapter 9: Compassion Can Kill: The Need for Wisdom and Accountability in Generosity
• Chapter 10: Why Do You Call Me Good?: Reflecting the Goodness of God
• Chapter 11: God’s Love Language: The Love of Others in the Love of God
• Chapter 12: The Anatomy of Apathy: How We Settle for Less than the Golden Rule
• Chapter 13: Justice in Society: Why Justice Is Always Social
• Chapter 14: Rediscovering Worship: The Role of Justice in the Pursuit of God
• Chapter 15: Debt to Society: Grace and Reconciliation in Establishing Shalom
• Chapter 16: Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe: How Justice Surfaces the Need for Grace
• Chapter 17: Learn to Change the World: Education and Knowledge in the Pursuit of Justice
• Chapter 18: Give Your Life Away: Why It’s Better to Give than Receive
• Chapter 19: Live and Die for Bigger Things
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• About the Author
• About D. R. Jacobsen
• Interlude Authors