Good News about Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World

Gary Haugen's book on social justice is a beautiful treatise on why Christians need to care for the poor, impoverished, and abused. He does a great job of mixing stories from his life with Scripture to inspire others to take a risk and stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves.

In this book Haugen has given us a small taste of our God's advocacy of those who suffer at the hands of illegitimate authority. It is an excellent introduction to the topic for those just starting out, pointing out from Holy Scripture that God hates injustice, and from raw experience of this world's evil that that injustice persists. This book is long overdue, and I hope and pray that many like it will follow.Compared with the publisher's blurbs, however, I must say that I found the book somewhat disappointing. For those of us working in situations of injustice around the world, the book did not really come across nearly as hard-hitting as the publisher would have us believe. I haven't seen the video yet; maybe it is better. But the book by itself, while it is supremely hopeful, does not capture the poignancy of situations in such a way that would really motivate the reader to action. Perhaps Haugen is relying on TV news broadcasts to do that.The final chapter, "The Body of Christ in Action," is well-written, and shows some of the important ways that the whole Church can become involved in seeking justice for the oppressed. It deserves a careful reading, even by those who don't feel qualified to work out in the field.

Haugen shows very clearly that the gospel includes social action. Scriptures requires the believer to act justly and to seek justice for all. Haugen shows that we can not sit idly by while other human beings are oppressed by people of power. Haugen calls on us to have a full orbed understanding of the gospel and reminds us of what every Christian is called to do......seek justice!

As a missionary who started work in Manila in 1976 and am now working in Nairobi, I read with keen interest the account of this lawyer who has sought to bring his legal skills into the work of the kingdom of God, a kingdom of justice (Matthew 6:33).I cannot recommend this book too highly to those who wish to be informed about injustice and given a sense of hope for justice in the world.

With the crisis in Kosovo serving as the latest example of how millions of people in our world continue to suffer at the hands of unjust rulers, this book delivers a powerful and practical message about how individual Christians can (and must!)take an active part in fighting injustice. The author does a great job of pointing out that, even though the fight against injustice can sometimes appear to be an overwhelming lost cause, a look at our own American history shows that Christians have played key roles in righting such wrongs as slavery, forced prostitution and child abuse. This is an excellent and important book.