In Search of Kingdom Living

Section Five in the book offers two chapters on love and justice. The chapter on love offers a similar analysis to C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves. This time, however, the authors compare and contrast some new terminology for love: sacrificial love (classic understanding of selfless love), mutual love (God wanting personal communion with us as we love him back), love as equal regard (valuing all persons equally), and delivering love (focusing on God’s delivering action). The authors suggest that delivering love makes the most sense from a theological conviction. “Deliverance is not only from sin but also into community” (p. 337). This emphasis also puts into perspective the multifaceted issue of atonement (which I would love to see the authors flesh out a bit more).

The following chapter on justice is more extensive and fleshes out the authors’ intent of looking at Jesus through a prophetic grid. They use various passages in Isaiah to demonstrate the four dimensions of justice in Jesus’ ministry: deliverance of the poor and powerless; removing domineering power from the dominated; stopping violence and establishing peace; and restoring outcasts to community. The sheer bredth of Jesus’ teachings involving issues of justice is manifested in his every act. This sets the tone for Section Six – Relationships of Justice and Love.

I chose to focus on the chapter on Economics as this is the most relevant to me and my peer group who are beginning our respective vocations in the workforce and find ourselves with newfound income. Again, the threefold approach for treasures on earth (Mt 6:19-23) and serving two masters (Mt 6:24-34) passages offer key insights about transformative processes. In fact, the teachings “dones not idealistically reject personal property or the holding of any possessions… but instead trasuring up treasures – stinginess, greed, hoarding and lack of generosity” (p. 411). Instead, one should seek just distribution such that “every person or family has access to the productive resources so they have the opportunity to earn a generous sufficiency of material necessities and be dignified, partiipating members of their community” (p. 421).

While there was some great teaching about possessions, greed in relation to discipleship, I wanted more analysis about the issues of economic injustice and how to address those issues in our present day. It would be great to see how the theological convictions translate to modern day practices when dealing with economic injustices throughout the world.

The last section discuss prayer, political engagement and practice to reflect a passion for God’s reign. Again, the authors offer a threefold approach for prayer where the transforming initiative is to ask, seek and knock (Mt 7:6). Similarly, the chapter about politics teaches us about how the church can engage the world by means of a social ethic of salt, light and deeds (Mt. 5:13-16). As salt, we are called to be an alternative community, as light, we are called to be a caring community that serveds others, through our actions, we are a disciple-making community that lives out Christ’s commands. The last chapter further reinforces the thrust of this section (and the whole book) – that “according to Jesus, there is no authentic Christianity, discipleship or Christian ethics apart from doing the deeds he taught his followers to do” (p. 486).