What Does Justice Look Like and Why Does God Care about It?

What Does Justice Look Like and Why Does God Care about It? is part of the Small Books of Radical Faith series published by Herald Press. Judith McCartney is pastor at Soul House, a congregation in Toronto focusing on those disenfranchised from the church. Judith and Colin are also co-founders of Connect City, an inner-city community outreach ministry.

Their rich experience provides the backdrop for this persuasive and passionate read compelling people to live out the call of Jesus for seeking justice. Using examples from both the Old and New Testaments, the McCartney’s help readers to develop a biblical understanding of justice and explain why seeking justice is so important to God.

The book does a good job of revealing how our culture encourages individuals to focus on themselves and disregard others and the environment in which we all share. They suggest that the church has been influenced by Greek Gnosticism resulting in a view of God that is primarily concerned about matters of spiritual health while largely disinterested in physical well-being. McCartney’s offer a description of God’s shalom that includes a vision for spiritual, physical, intellectual, and mental health. This vision of God’s shalom is the driver for followers of Jesus to engage fully in seeking justice.

The book is written in a way that is easy to understand and intended for small group processing and discussions. For those interested in clearly intersecting their faith with social justice, this is a very encouraging read.