A Christian Justice for the Common Good

Do Christians bring a unique, scriptural understanding of social justiceto bear on the ills of society? Would such an understanding reshape theway Christians engage and partner with others working to create a morejust world?Much of the modern convers... Read more

Do Christians bring a unique, scriptural understanding of social justiceto bear on the ills of society? Would such an understanding reshape theway Christians engage and partner with others working to create a morejust world?Much of the modern conversation around creatingjustice focuses on ideas that too often reduce justice to human rights,procedural justice, and even the consumerism of the contemporaryculture/economy. While the priorities of human rights and due processare necessary for fashioning a just world, the Christian understandingof the common good is much richer and calls the church beyond fairnessto forms of liberation, compassion, mercy, and peace that are even moreradical than the best notions of justice that characterize thenation-state at the beginning of the 21st century.A Christian Justice for the Common Good describesa Christian justice for the common good and what it looks like on theground in real world settings. Calling Christians (individuals, as wellas communities of faith) to a concrete version of social well-beingbefitting faithful life in Jesus and God’s vision of justice for theworld, Tex Sample drills deeper and identifies the skills that must becultivated to do justice work with others—work that will create alasting impact while extending a Christian vision for the common good.Theconclusion? The freedom God offers in Christ finds its place inconcrete Christian efforts and the graced wherewithal of people who workgenerously with one another for a new and just life together.Contents include:1. The Reduction of Justice to Human Rights2. A Christian Justice3. The Formation of a Just Church4. Skills of Justice5. Doing Justice with Others6. A Justice of the Common Good Less