Faith-Rooted Organizing: Mobilizing The Church In Service To The World

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With so many injustices, small and great, across the world and right at our doorstep, what are people of faith to do? Since the 1930s, organizing movements for social justice in the U.S. have largely been built on assumptions that are secular origin―such as reliance on self-interest and having a common enemy as a motivator for change. But what if Christians were to shape their organizing around the implications of the truth that God is real and Jesus is risen? Alexia Salvatierra has developed a model of social action that is rooted in the values and convictions born of faith. Together with theologian Peter Heltzel, this model of "faith-rooted organizing" offers a path to meaningful social change that takes seriously the command to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself.

Paperback: 208 pages

Publisher: IVP Books; 1 edition (January 6, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0830836616

ISBN-13: 978-0830836611

Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.2 inches

Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #80,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #16 in Books > Business & Money > Job Hunting & Careers > Volunteer Work #163 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > Public Policy #187 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Christian Living > Social Issues

During the twentieth century, Evangelicalism removed itself from social justice related activities. Thankfully, we have gradually re-entered the realm of charity as our theology became less reactive and, slowly, are participating in community development. As our lives are becoming increasingly interconnected with the poor’s and as we learn to view our world from their disinherited positions, we are forced to recognize that the systems forming our society are unjust and in need of transformation. In this trajectory, Salvatierra and Heltzel seek to guide the Church in discerning the distinct ways our theology informs the tasks of organizing and advocating for justice.Faith-Rooted Organizing is in many ways written in conversation with Saul Alinsky’s traditional organizing techniques, and is therefore a work of contextual missiology which insightfully critiques and affirms what the culture has already offered to the world of organizing (perhaps a modern day effort to transform the radical Saul into a redeemed Paul?).The best section of the book--thanks to their skill in addressing the subject in both its biblical and contemporary settings--is the author’s exploration of shalom justice. Organizing must be directed toward some end. For Christians, that end is the biblical vision of shalom which characterizes the just systems and reconciled relationships of the Kingdom of God. Shalom is the marriage of “justice to peace and love” (34). As such, our methods for achieving justice must be consistent with our goals. Violence and self-interested power grabbing are not adequate Kingdom strategies for justice.

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