Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just

Book: Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just
Basic Information : Synopsis : Expectations : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group :  Book References : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References

Basic Information:

Author: Timothy Keller

Edition: ePub on Libby from the Los Angeles Public Library

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

ISBN:9781101444504

Start Date: December 2, 2020

Read Date: December 16, 2020

256 pages

Genre: Christianity

Language Warning: None

Rated Overall: 4 out of 5



Religion: Christianity

Religious Quality: 4 out of 5

Christianity-Teaching Quality: 5 out of 5


Synopsis:

Keller takes the reader through “what does justice mean in the Biblical way”. In many places he uses justice not as an object or noun, but as a verb, such as “doing justice.” In the Old Testament he talks about the Hebrew words for Justice and Mercy. But then he brings Jesus into the picture, particularly with the parable of the Good Samaritan.


But then as a Christian, can we be fully developed as a Christian if we do not seek Justice? From Keller’s point of view, a Christian’s view of justice is tied to a Christian receiving grace.


Also he points out that neither a liberal or conservative view of justice has a complete view. One sees justice in terms of it carried out in society, the other sees it as an issue of personal morality. Keller says these are not exclusionary views, but ones which need to be melded into a complete understanding.


The place where Keller is weak is how to apply his concepts. He talks more about organizations than about individuals. I did not see where he ever said it should not be pursued on on individual basis, but his examples are more either a church setting or an offset organization.



Expectations:
  • Recommendation: Sherri checked it out of the library
  • When: November 30, 2020
  • How come do I want to read this book: Title sounded interesting
  • What do I think I will get out of it? What Biblical Justice looks like

Thoughts:

In some ways, I started reading this book just because it was there. The electronic version of picking up a book off the table and starting to read it. Sherri had checked it out of the library. I had finished another book and was looking around for something else to read. Being too lazy to find something else, I started reading it.


This book does cause me to wonder and question what I thought was justice and how to participate in making sure that justice is served. Even more important, understanding what justice is.


While he gives examples of organizational justice in action from a Christian perspective, he does not give anything on how an individual can be active in seeking justice in society. I wish that he would have. But that might not have been Keller’s strong suite since he is the pastor of a large church.



Introduction. Why write this book?

Luke 4:17-18

Keller opens with the mission of Jesus found in Luke 4:17-18. One of the items was to proclaim freedom and free the prisoners. Keller says this is to bring justice. The two questions Keller asks are:

  1. Who is this written for?

    1. Young people who are motivated to go out and work for good.

    2. Those who view doing justice with suspicion

    3. Young evangelicals who are expanding their mission to include social justice

    4. Those who view the church as poisoning everything, that it promotes injustice and violence.

  2. What is his interest?

    1. Went to college in the 60’s where he did learn that blacks have the right to speak up.

    2. Disconnect between church folks who wanted the status quo to continue and the justice in the Bible; and with secular friends who were practicing justice.

Being open to beauty makes us less self-centered and more open to grace. I want the orthodox to see how central to the Scripture’s message is justice for the poor and marginalized.



What is doing justice?

Micah 6:8

To answer the question, he gives an example of Heather and Mark. They were living comfortable, safe lives, they became concerned about the most vulnerable, poor, and marginalized members of our society, and they made long-term personal sacrifices in order to serve their interests, needs, and cause. That is, according to the Bible, what it means to “do justice.” I gather from Keller’s example, it is being personally involved. But much of the examples he gives throughout the book is more organizationally than individual. Is this the only way to perform justice?


He then expounds a bit on Micah 6:8. He notes how mercy and justice are not opposites, but complementary terms. The term for “mercy” is the Hebrew word chesedh, God’s unconditional grace and compassion. The word for “justice” is the Hebrew term mishpat. He talks about how mishpat is for action and chesedh is attitude. Mishpat is used 200 times in the Old Testament. He notes Zechariah 7:10-11 talks about four groups of people who did not have power and were living only subsistence. Today they might include the migrant, the farm worker, single parents and the elderly.


As a section heading, Keller notes that Justice Reflects the Character of God. Psalm 146:7-9, Deuteronomy 10:17-18. Interesting term: Scandalous Justice. Not justice through the powerful, but to benefit the weak.


Is God on the side of the poor? Not necessarily, he is on the side of those treated unjustly. As a general statement, the poor do not get as good of a deal as those who are more affluent.


Another section is Justice is Right Relations. We must have a strong concern for the poor, but there is more to the Biblical idea of justice than that. Being just=being righteous-tzadeqah. This means … that Biblical righteousness is inevitably “social,” because it is about relationships. I think this is the basis for much of his book. The tzedakah is considered primary, in that it takes our actions and keeps things right. But the mishpat is called “rectifying justice”-turning what has been wrong into right. See Job 29:12-17 and 31:13-28- how a righteous Israelite was supposed to live, “and …. right conduct is almost entirely social. . .


Keller says that Generosity is part of justice. The Scripture, gifts to the poor are called “acts of righteousness,” as in Matthew 6:1-2. Basically the righteous man does not use his wealth to exploit those who are not as well off.


We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God.



Justice and the Old Testament

2 Tim 3:16

Should we consider the Old Testament when we are looking at Biblical justice? Are they binding or merely advice for a seeker? Craig Blomberg says: Every command [from the Old Testament] reflects principles at some level that are binding on Christians. Paul quotes Leviticus when he talks about Christians living an exemplary life (2 Cor 6:16-17).


But what about the civil code? It gets more complicated. In the Old Testament, it was a theocracy and God anointed kingdom which had the Old Testament as its guide book. We are secular, so how to integrate the law-boook of a theocracy into our society? Jesus’s famous teaching to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21) signaled this change in the relationship between church and state to one of “non-establishment.”


Keller points out that the Mosaic laws of social justice are grounded in God’s character, and that never changes. Something to pause and consider. How is God’s character involved in a justice situation? For starters, take a look at what was said in the first chapter about the things God is interested in.


Keller notes that we are still left with the problem of applying God’s character to a secular society. if we can apply the social legislation of Old Testament Israel in some ways to the New Testament church, can we apply it to our society at large? Here we must be far more cautious. Keller cites Daniel 4:37 and Amos 1:3-2:3. Bribery is cited. Not only does it subvert God’s sense of justice, but it is not a path available to the poor and marginalized.


Keller says that Deuteronomy 15 is a good place to see how God wants a society to run. With the way God described the restitution of the poor after seven years, the ability to glean, and freeing of the slaves, the economy would not leave behind people. Keller notes that a business ran in this way, the emphasis would not be on maximizing profit, but on building community along with creating a way to live.


A key question Keller addresses is what causes poverty. He thinks that political reasons, whether liberal or conservative do not match up with Biblical views. Liberals look for social causes; conservative look at individual weakness. Keller points to multitude of reasons: both societal and individual. They include:

  • Justice systems weighted towards the rich

  • Excessive interest

  • Unjust wages

  • Extreme differences in wealth

  • Emphasis on selfish individualism instead of common good

  • Natural disasters

  • Lack of financial wisdom

  • Personal moral failings

    • Indolence

    • Lack of self-discipline

Not merely a tax structure issue or lack of drive.


He gives a case example in Baltimore where segregation occured. Places where poor whites and African-Americans were forced to live could never achieve because of lack of quality of neighborhood, including schools and services, remote land owners, and redlining. In this case, this leads to despondency, drug addiction, and lack of moral character. It becomes evident that it is a death spiral. But to remedy this, no one emphasis will cause things to change. Grace is the key.


It is interesting reading this perspective on Baltimore and reading Ta-Nishi Coates book Between the World and Me. He comes from Baltimore after the time Keller is talking about. He sees the devastation of the area. He sees that schools do not make any sense, he sees the deprivation. He sees that the system is against the people of the area. The difference is that Coates is against the system without an idea of what it should be.



What did Jesus say about justice?

Luke 4:12-13

The Old Testament talks a lot about evil and justice, Jesus talks about love and forgiveness. Not really moving on from the Old Testament, but a fulfilling of the Old. While clearly Jesus was preaching the good news to all, he showed throughout his ministry the particular interest in the poor and the downtrodden that God has always had. He moved in with the poor rather than showing love from above.


John Newton wrote that One would almost think that Luke 14:12-14 was not considered part of God’s word, nor has any part of Jesus’s teaching been more neglected by his own people. I do not think it is unlawful to entertain our friends; but if these words do not teach us that it is in some respects our duty to give a preference to the poor, I am at a loss to understand them. (From Volume 1 of The Works of John Newton)


Keller says that in Jesus’ day, you paid off your patrons with extensive banquets. That was how society worked. Keller says that instead of spending more money on entertainment, we were to spend it on the poor. Give without expectation of return. We are not to see money and possessions as our own, but as God’s.


Keller starts with that in appearance, no two things can seem more opposed than grace and justice. But in the mind of the Old Testament prophets as well as the teaching of Jesus, an encounter with grace inevitably leads to a life of justice. Interesting that the Christian starts with grace and works towards justice, rather than starting with justice and having to beg for mercy. Is 1:17


A lack of justice is a sign that the worshippers’ hearts are not right with God at all, that their prayers and all their religious observance are just filled with self and pride. This does not indicate pacivity on the Christian (my part), but something active to insure that justice is done in the right spirit.Without justice, have we shown that we really know grace?


Joel Green on commenting on Luke 11:41 says: The disposition of one’s possessions signifies the disposition of one’s heart.


We Christians tend not to take the Bible as a whole. Keller points to the Sermon on the Mount as an example. Conservative churches tend to concentrate on one set of sins, while liberal ones concentrate on another set. There are what is considered private and social sins which each concentrate on. Amos 2:7 talks about both in the same verse.


Harvie Conn, who related this story in one of his books[of a Chinese worker who went to church, heard of personal sins, but nothing which would condemn the managers of his plant] , added that gospel preaching that targets some sins but not the sins of oppression “cannot possibly work among the overwhelming majority of people in the world, poor peasants and workers.


Keller notes that the call for equality was not just Jesus and the Old Testament, but it is throughout the writings of Paul and the other apostles. He ties in the koinonia of Acts 2 with the Deuteronomy (15) injunction of There shall be no poor among you. The mission of equality and spreading the wealth was that of the deacons.



Justice and your neighbor

the text that most informs Christians’ relationships with their neighbors is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Keller talks about this parable from the Luke retelling of it. It was a brilliant move. One of the problems with moralism—the idea that you can merit God’s salvation by your good works and moral efforts—is that it is profoundly hypocritical. You cannot live a holy life. Keller’s take is that Jesus is trying to humble the lawyer who asked the question about who is my neighbor. Why would Jesus do that? To show that there is none righteous.


What kind of life does God want from us? If we love God, we will love like God loved us. We will love those whom God loves? Who does God show special attention to?


Keller goes over Jonathan Edwards sermon The Duty of Charity to the Poor. We tend to put limits on who to help and how much to help. Keller notes that Edwards went through and removed those objections and restrictions. Keller takes a look at some of the common objections:

  • My neighbor is needy, but not extremely needy

  • My neighbor has a nice something, why should I aid them?

  • We have nothing to spare

  • My neighbor is ill tempered and does not deserve to be helped.

  • My neighbor brought his own poverty to himself

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was asking each listener to imagine himself to be a victim of violence, dying, with no hope if this Samaritan did not stop and help.



Why should we do justice?

James 2:15-17

Are we sufficiently motivated to help the poor? Keller’s question. Or is it how can we help the poor? He cites Arthur Allen Leff’s essay, Unspeakable Ethics, Unnatural Law in the Duke Law Journal, December 1979. The argument on this is that we no longer have an absolute rule in society about why we should help anybody, particularly if they are disgusting. Keller says that we as Christians have two models:

  • Joyful awe before the goodness of God’s creation

  • Experience of God’s grace in redemption

All humans are made in God’s image. Hence the reason why James 3:9 says verbal abuse of a person does not fit into honoring God’s image. This is the heart of the Civil Rights movement according to Keller-the image of God impressed on humans. Also God our Creator means that God owns us.Our wealth and standing have more to do with the time and place we were born into.


Interesting take on just and unjust. Have not seen this before. Something to look at: The righteous will use their money and possessions to further the community around them; the unjust will say that their money is only theirs-keep your hands off.


Contrasting our environment today with how God is portrayed in Deut 10:16:

8who [God] executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. 19You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.


Keller: Grace should make you just.


Yom Kipper was a sign that the Israelis understood that they were not saving themselves, but it was through God’s grace were they being saved. Hence the fasting was to show sorrow for their sins while the priest gave an offering for the nation.


Yet when you read Isaiah 68, you see that God is not happy with them. Why? Because they exploited their workers. We are to be changed by grace, not taking advantage of grace. Fasting without showing grace to those less fortunate than ourselves just makes religion a show.


How we view grace also shows the level we hold the law in. Those who say that God sent his Son to die for our sins, hold the Law in high regards. They should be the one who also hold grace and justice for all.


Blessed are the poor in spirit. Those are the ones who know they need grace. Those who feel they do not need grace are not those who are poor in spirit.


Keller references Miroslav Volf’s essay, Shopkeeper’s Gold. The question which Volf asks is how can dead streets receive new life? He heard a pastor apply the doctrine of justification to this.


Why do Christians not have genuine concern for the poor, the less fortunate, the immigrant, …? Most Americans do not feel wealthy. So they do not see where they can help.


He quotes Robert Murray McCheyne:

Now, dear Christians, some of you pray night and dny to be branches of the true Vine ; you pray to be made all over in the image of Christ. If so, j^ou must be like him in giving. A branch bears the same kind of fruit as the tree. If you be branches at all, you must bear the same fruit. An old divine says well : " What would have become of us if Christ had been as saving of his blood as some men are of their money?"

Obj. 1. My money is my own. Am. Christ might have said, My blood is my own, my life is my own ; no man forceth it from me: then where should we have been?

Ohj. 2. The poor are undeserving. Ans. Christ might have said the same thing. They are wicked rebels against my Father's law : shall I lay down my life for these ? I will give to the good

angels. But no, he left the ninety-nine, and came after the lost. He gave his blood for the undeserving.

Ohj. 3. The poor may abuse it. Ans. Christ might have said the same ; yea, with far greater truth. Christ knew that thousands would trample his blood under their feet; that most would despise it ; that many would make it an excuse for sinning more; yet he gave his own blood.

Oh, my dear Christians ! if you would be like Christ, give much, give often, give freely, to the vile and the poor, the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy, and so will you be. It is not your money I want, but your happiness. Remember his own word : " It is more blessed to give than to receive."



How should we do justice?

Job 31: 16-19

This is the question which I am interested in.

Keller gives an example of a car dealer who realized how the industry did their standard negotiating had a bias. The example says to me, look for places first that I may create unjust situations. Then secondly look for where I benefit at someone else's expense.


Keller breaks apart the how into three parts:

  • Relief-direct assistance, such as legal aid, housing, shelter for abusive relationships, ...

  • Development-moving the person beyond dependency-helping to provide the tools to navigate their society

  • Social reform-John Perkins is an example where he built a community of people to raise up the whole area. He talks about Perkins answer, in his three R’s:

    • Relocation-moving to be part of a community

    • Redistribution-making a community self-sufficient

      • Social capital-create training and leadership

      • Spiritual capital-

    • Racial reconciliation-particularly groups dealing with a community would be a mixture of races, wori\king through community issues. Keller goes on and talks about that just because a board is multicultural, it is naive that they will be able to come to universally acceptable decisions. Which raises the question of how?

Keller talks about Pentecost creating a new ethnic, Christians which transcends races. But do we live up to that standard?


Boston’s TenPoint Coalition


Keller cites a white friend of his who started a church in Sandtown, Baltimore. The idea his family and a friend moved into the area, got to know the people. The people there were very much questioning what is this white guy doing. As they became more well known, they started up a church. But they already had a ministry going through a development center. This development center included creating housing, food, and other things (New Song Urban Ministries) . This was started in the 1980’s. What is interesting to me is that I have just gotten through posting my notes on Ta-Nishi Coates book, Between the World and Me. He grew up in Baltimore in the Mondawmin district, which is only about a mile and a half walk from Sandtown in the 80’s. From Coates rendition, there was only gangs and violence, no sign of redemption. In Keller’s view he sees that there is light just across a major road.


Questions which Keller’s church asked when they bought property for Redeemer Church:

  • Are there disadvantaged children in our area?

  • Are there elderly, disabled, single parents, chronically ill, or new immigrants in the area who need aid?

  • Understand community needs which are acute and chronic.

  • What could make a neighborhood a better place to live?

  • What ministries/groups are already working in an area?

Listen to community leaders. Let them tell you what the needs are rather than telling them what is needed.


Keller is speaking from a church or group setting, not individual. For those who do want to help, there are questions which must be thought about:

  • How much should we help?

  • Whom should we help?

  • Under what conditions does you help proceed or when will it end?

  • In what way do we help?

  • From where do we help?

His advice is when in doubt, try to be generous.


How does justice fit in with evangelism? Keller thinks that justice is not an evangelism tool, rather it fits in with doing God’s work on earth. This means that the two go hand in hand. Not one because of the other. But evangelism does not take a backseat because the eternal is more important than the current. But evangelism does not override justice. He gives an example that eloquent preaching without the character to back up the words is les effective than good character and mediocre words from the pulpit.


The last Keller point in this chapter is should a person act individually or through the church? By this, what is the church? The place I go on Sunday mornings? Or the body of believers in a location? Keller’s view is that much of the work should be done along-side the church, but not always through the church. He thinks that going only through the church can overwhelm a body and take away from its core mission.



Doing justice in the public square

Isaiah 1:7

In the public square, who do you work with? Those of like faith or anybody or someplace in the middle?


It is not enough to cry injustice as there are varying degrees of what justice looks like to people. After all, who is for injustice? To say something is a justice issue can be a dividing point with people. After all, how can you oppose that? Even if the other side has merits.


There is a tendency for liberals to think collectively and conservatives individually in terms of justice. We do not agree on what justice means as a people. Keller thinks that justice can be an empty term, like freedom. He quotes Michael J. Klarman as saying Freedom, much like equality, is an empty concept. . . . Whether freedom is good or bad depends entirely on the particular substantive cause on behalf of which freedom is invoked. Even the term harm is up for multiple definitions. We all agree that freedom should be curtailed if it harms people, but we can’t agree on what harm is, because we have different views of what healthy, flourishing human life looks like.


Can we appeal to science? Probably not as for the most part, we are pond scum. Sandel says that justice is always judgemental.


So how should a Christian proceed? Keller says I propose that Christians’ work for justice should be characterized by both humble cooperation and respectful provocation. He then warns that Christian believers have many temptations to be neither humble nor cooperative with others.


I am confused: early Keller says that liberals are more likely to think collectively for the individual. But now Keller is saying that liberals are most concerned with individual rights. He says that conservatives think in terms of providing moral guidance.


Whichever way, Keller notes that there is not a one size fits all solution for Christians to go by: Sometimes Christians will side with one school of thought, other times they will side with another. In other words, according to the Bible, virtue, rights, and the common good are all crucial aspects of justice.


There is much common grace in a culture. Where the culture has the residue of God’s goodness, so there are places we can work with those who do not believe as we do.


He quotes one of my people, Ken Myers of Mars Hill: When Christians articulate values, they should be values that non-Christians can embrace as well, not because we have some prior commitment to ‘pluralism’, and thereby seek seek to be inoffensive, but because we have expressed values which are in fact common values.


the Biblical understanding of justice is not rooted in any one of these[virtue, rights or the common good], but in the character and being of God himself.


And then the warning, which is so appropriate for our age: if we tie the Bible too tightly to any particular economic system or set of public policies, it bestows divine authority on that system.


One of the big questions when working outside of the Christian sphere is where do human rights come from. Keller traces it back to Christian thought of the 12th and 13th centuries. Why does this make a difference? Two reasons, unless we know why humans are on earth will determine how we evaluate human rights. Second, what the basis of our belief in human rights tells us what human rights are. Keller does say it does not mean that non-religious people do not believe in human rights, that would be the wrong conclusion. The proper conclusion is that the belief is one which has religious underpinnings.



Peace, beauty, and justice

Jeremiah 29:7

The Jewish version of the story of creation is bringing order out of chaos. Instead of a volcanic eruption as a metaphor, a fabric being made is a better analogy. This interwovenness is what the Bible calls shalom, or harmonious peace. Shalom” is usually translated “peace” in English Bibles, but it means far more than what our English word conveys. It means complete reconciliation, a state of the fullest flourishing in every dimension—physical, emotional, social, and spiritual—because all relationships are right, perfect, and filled with joy.


Losing relationship with God means throwing the created order out of whack. No longer is community a consideration, but the individual is paramount. to “do justice” means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling through the fabric, and to repair it.


Elaine Scarry’s first argument was that the observer of beauty always receives a passion to share the beauty with others. This is true. If I am off alone and I see something and my wife is not there, I feel that there was something missing in the beauty I saw.


The criteria being asked about is do you do things so that you will have character in others eyes? (Like listening to Bach, hiking, ….) or do you do it because you enjoy it and understand the beauty you are seeing? In the same way, serving the poor does not give you status points, but because you know and love God and realize that this is what makes God smile.


Making a path for the poor is fulfilling one of the things God has in our lives.


In your life you may already have family members, friends, or neighbors who have chronic problems and who are difficult to love. And out in your community there are more. Don’t shrink, says the Lord, from spending yourself on the broken, the hurting, and the needy. I’m good for it. This is where the rubber meets the road.


Jesus knows injustice. He was born poor. Raised up poor. Traveled poor. Died because of an unjust trial. Keller concludes by saying A life poured out in doing justice for the poor is the inevitable sign of any real, true gospel faith.



Evaluation:

Keller presents a strong case for Christians to pursue doing justice. He works through the Old Testament talking about the Hebrew meanings of several words. He follows this with Jesus and what did the Parable of the Good Samaritan men in these terms. Towards the end, he talks about the relationship between grace and justice-that the manner we do justice is a reflection on how we receive and reflect God’s grace.


The weakness of the book is helping the reader out in everyday events. Such as when does an individual Christian take part in a justice protest, such as Black Live Matter. Or when they enter into a transaction, let's say shopping for clothing which is made in a foreign country, what should I be looking for?


I do recommend reading this book. It will provide a framework for how you look at today’s issues. And how as a Christian we have a necessity to engage in justice issues today, particularly interacting with those who do not posses the same framework as yourself.


 
Notes from my book group:


Do you fit into any one of Keller’s categories he has in the Introduction? Why did you read this book? If you do not, did this book speak to you?


Keller starts off the first chapter with Micah 6:8. What does this verse mean to Keller? How do you read this verse?


Several Hebrew words are analyzed in the first chapter. How does this analysis help you understand the various ways justice and righteousness is used in the Old Testament?


Why is God’s justice scandalous? How can we participate in this scandal?


In chapter one, Keller gives an example of doing justice as being what Heather and Mark did. How did they exhibit “doing justice”? What characterized this? What other ways are there to perform justice as an individual? How do you exhibit doing justice in your life?


Keller talks about generosity as being a component of justice. How does Keller show this? Why is it and in what spirit? Does any generosity qualify for doing justice?


Should we consider the Old Testament when we are looking at Biblical justice? Is it binding or merely advice for a seeker? We are secular, so how to integrate the law-book of a theocracy into our society? Keller talks about the Biblical understanding of justice is not rooted in any one of these[virtue, rights or the common good], but in the character and being of God himself. What characteristics of God can we share with our society? If the laws of the Old Testament are a reflection of God’s character, how can we reflect that character?


Keller does not say we need to reinstitute the concept of the Jubilee year. But he talks about the spirit of it. How would you describe what the Jubilee year is? What was God trying to institute in that concept? How can we extend those concepts to the current times?


What causes poverty? How does that compare to Keller’s thinking?


Keller says in the mind of the Old Testament prophets as well as the teaching of Jesus, an encounter with grace inevitably leads to a life of justice. How is this a true statement? How does justice look without God’s grace? How does God’s grace look without justice?


Explain Keller’s statement: A lack of justice is a sign that the worshippers’ hearts are not right with God at all, that their prayers and all their religious observance are just filled with self and pride. How does lack of justice show we are not fulfilling God’s desires in our life?


Did Keller’s telling of the Good Samaritan cause you to rethink your relationship with anyone?


Keller talks about Joanathan Edwards’ sermon The Duty of Charity to the Poor. Were any of the ideas presented new to you? Did you agree with Edwards? Is there a relationship you need to change? How does each person being in the image of God affect how each person is treated?


What is your motivation for helping the poor? Keller says that there are two models for our motivation: Joyful awe before God, and our redemption. Do these help orient your motivation?


In talking about how doing justice is done, Keller breaks it down into three areas: Relief, Development and SocialReform. Are these three separate activities or are they a unified effort? How can you participate in any or all three areas?


Is doing justice more of an organization effort or individual?


Where have you seen groups transcend race and culture and work together for the common good? What does this look like? What issues would you expect facing a group like that?


What is the relationship between justice as Keller describes it and evangelism? WHat is the tension there?


Why does Keller call terms like justice, freedom or harm, empty terms? How can they be filled up?


Do you agree with Keller that according to science, there is no rational choosing of morality?


Working with those who do not share a Christian’s values can be tricky. Keller propose[s] that Christians’ work for justice should be characterized by both humble cooperation and respectful provocation. But at the same time warning that Christian believers have many temptations to be neither humble nor cooperative with others. Is this an appropriate path to take? How would you propose to work with others? What does humble cooperation look-like?


Keller talks about “common grace” pervading a culture. What is that? How can the Christian use this as a basis for action? Ken Myers is quoted as saying When Christians articulate values, they should be values that non-Christians can embrace as well, not because we have some prior commitment to ‘pluralism’, and thereby seek seek to be inoffensive, but because we have expressed values which are in fact common values. What common values do you see in society today which Christians would agree upon?


Keller makes a case that the concept of human rights goes back as least to the 12th or 14th centuries, before the humanists started their work. What difference does it make which train of thought human rights comes from?


According to Keller how do liberals view justice? How do conservatives? Where are they right and what do they leave out. How would you understand justice and communicate them to our current political situation?


Why does Keller bring in the idea of beauty into his argument about doing justice? He quotes Elizabeth Scarry in saying the observer of beauty always receives a passion to share the beauty with others. Where have you found beauty? Has this been your experience? Who do you want to share beauty with? Is beauty something which is available to all? How can you help make beauty accessible to others?

What are the source of your actions? To gain status? To feel good? To help others? ...



Many of these questions are either from or adapted from LitLovers.
  • Why the title of Generous Justice?
  • Does this book help you understand what justice is?
  • Every book has a world view. Were you able to identify this book’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the book?
  • Why do you think the author wrote this book?
  • What would you ask the author if you had a chance?
  • What “takeaways” did you have from this book?
  • What central ideas does the author present?
    • Are they personal, sociological, global, political, economic, spiritual, medical, or scientific
    • What evidence does the author use to support the book's ideas?
      • Is the evidence convincing...definitive or...speculative?
      • Does the author depend on personal opinion, observation, and assessment? Or is the evidence factual—based on science, statistics, historical documents, or quotations from (credible) experts?
    • What implications for you, our nation or the world do these ideas have?
    • Are these idea’s controversial?
      • To whom and why?
  • Are there solutions which the author presents?
    • Do they seem workable? Practicable?
    • How would you implement them?
  • Describe the culture talked about in the book.
  • What economic or political situations are described?
  • Does the author examine economics and politics, family traditions, the arts, religious beliefs, language or food?
  • How did this book affect your view of the world?
    • Of how God is viewed?
    • What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?
  • Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?
    • What was memorable?
Book References:
  • Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace by Harvie Conn
  • On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry
  • The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York byb Robert Caro
  • Agape and Eros by Anders Nygren
  • The Duty of Charity to the Poor by Jonathan Edwards
  • Martin Luther King, Jr and The Image of God by Richard Wayne Wills
  • Whose Justice? Which Rationality by Alasdair MacIntyre
  • Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do by Michael Sandel
  • The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse by Steven D. Smith
  • Straw Dogs: Thoughts on Human and Other Animals by John Gray
  • Reason, Faith, and Revolution by Terry Eagleton
  • Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language by Nora Ellen Groce
  • On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry
  • The Nature of True Virtue by Jonathan Edwards

Good Quotes:
  • First Line: These are the words Jesus read in the synagogue in Nazareth when he announced the beginning of his ministry.
  • Last Line: A life poured out in doing justice for the poor is the inevitable sign of any real, true gospel faith.
  • We do justice when we give all human beings their due as creations of God. Chp What is doing justice?
  • Grace should make you just.. Chp Justice and your neighbor
  • to “do justice” means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling through the fabric, and to repair it. Chp Peace, beauty, and justice
  • the observer of beauty always receives a passion to share the beauty with others. Elaine Scarry, On Beauty and Being Just

 

Table of Contents:
  • Introduction. Why write this book?
  • What is doing justice?
  • Justice and the Old Testament
  • What did Jesus say about justice?
  • Justice and your neighbor
  • Why should we do justice?
  • How should we do justice?
  • Doing justice in the public square
  • Peace, beauty, and justice

References:
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