Zealous Love: A Practical Guide to Social Justice

A word to the wise, if you are a Christian who doesn't like reading about important, yet thorny issues, then skip this book. But if you are willing to get your hands dirty and get active, then read this book. This book will put you through the gamut of emotions. It will make you angry, it will make you think, and it may even make you cry. The chapters in this book are short, but they deal with very real and very important problems in our world, some that are very rarely discussed. Some of the issues discussed are modern day slavery, hungry, AIDS, Refugees, and lack of clean water. Each chapter includes a brief about the subject being discussed. Then it tells the stories of people who have been affected by each issue in some way. Some have have first-hand, real-life experience with the issue being discussed. But there are stories of people who chose to get involved and truly try to make a difference. Most of these problems are so huge that there is a very real tendency to think "I'm just one person, how much of a difference can I really make?" I once read a quote that I think applies to the problems discussed in this book perfectly. It's a quote by Christian author taking from his book "The Edge of Eternity" "How do you help a billion people? One person at a time." We may not be able to help the whole world, but if each Christian commits to doing their part and helping one person think of the difference and impact would could have on our world. Then, the authors also list books and websites pertaining to each issue. These can be used for research on each issue. There are also practical ways that people can get involved. I also highly recommend another book by this same author titled "Under The Overpass" in which he details his journey of being homeless in several different American cities. Both of these books will completely change your life. They will change your thinking and make you uncomfortable. But this world so desperately needs the love of Christ. It's so easy to get so caught up in our own lives (myself included) that we forget that there are other hurting people out there. This book will challenge you, convict you, and help you learn to express the love of Christ in real and practical ways. I highly recommend this book!

Human trafficking. Refugees. Hunger. Unclean water. Education. Poverty. HIV/AIDS. The environment. The areas in life where injustice or social inequality threaten both individual lives and the common good are, alas, all too numerous. The Christian life mandates that we care for those in need (Matthew 25:31-45; Luke 10:25-37). But it is far too easy to simply feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the need in our world today. Where should I begin to respond to the call to love my neighbor, to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to comfort the afflicted? Enter this "practical guide to social justice," written for ordinary first-world Christians, which focuses on eight specific areas of need in today's world. Each section begins with a brief overview of the nature of the scope of the problem, and then provides a number of "Field notes" -- first person narratives in which activists describe their experiences encountering the problem, and then working to fight it, in different ways and different places around the world. "Now What?" at the end of each section provides concrete suggestions on how to reflect and pray about the issue at hand, with practical suggestions on how to respond, spread the word, and connect with organizations engaged in work related to the issue. What I think makes this book useful is how it combines honest assessment of how serious each issue is with a manageable list of suggested action steps that concerned persons can take to join the fight for justice. "A thousand mile journey begins with a single step," as the old saying goes, and this book is all about resolving to take that first step. Just casually flipping through the book will open your eyes to social and political problems you may either not have known about (or preferred not to know about). The Field notes make the issues come alive, with real stories about real people involved. And then the recommended action steps offer a range of possible responses, from simply learning more to making a commitment to full-time service. In our time it is easy to feel overwhelmed just with the challenges that face even those of us who are, by global standards, quite affluent. Considering the depth of suffering and the enormity of problems such as environmental threats or economic inequality, and it is easy to feel tempted to retreat into a shell of apathy or indifference. But such is not the Christian way. "Zealous Love" provides a full range of gentle -- and challenging -- ideas on how average folks like you and me can join in the fight for justice.

Sometimes reading a book is uncomfortable because it challenges you in such a way that you must either seriously move toward change or stop reading it immediately. Zealous Love is one of those books. Mike and Danae Yankoski have done a fabulous job of compiling this "guide to social justice," wrestling with specific areas of injustice and serious need that are ravaging millions (or billions) in our world, thoughtfully pondering the question, "what does it mean to love God, and what does it mean to love my neighbor as myself?" This book tackles massive global topics including human trafficking, unclean water, refugees, hunger, lack of education, creation degradation, HIV and AIDS, and economic inequality. Not only do they do a great job of exposing the horrible reality of all of these issues, they are able to do it in a spirit of grace and humility that doesn't come across preachy, and it didn't make me hate myself by the end of the book! They have organized this book in a wonderful way that leaves it readable, interesting, engaging, and motivating. Each section begins with a "briefing" about the problem. These briefings include personal stories from the authors and unbelievable statistics such as: *Each year, around 1.2 million children are exploited in the global sex trade *There are 2.6 million people who lack adequate sanitation and hygene *Every year some 10 million people die from hunger and hunger related issues. That means more than 27,000 every day, one every 3 seconds *Every hour, 230 people die because of AIDS After each section's briefing, 5 "field notes" are given - 2-3 page personal accounts from individuals who have passionately devoted themselves to addressing the issue being dealt with. A couple of the field notes came across a bit condemning and preachy, but the vast majority were uplifting and inspiring. Our world has many unsung heroes - men and women who have sacrificed their lives for Christ and the people He created and loved enough to willingly go to the cross. Reading their stories makes me want to make sure my life is being spent on what counts. After the field notes, each section concludes with a section entitled "now what?" Resources for further research and ideas of small steps we can take individually and corporately to address these injustices in the name of Christ left me wanting to act rather than wanting to wallow in the enormity of it all and my own failures. This is a well-written and timely work. I hope that their labor of love in this book sheds light upon these serious issues and spurs the church to act. It would be ideal for Christian book clubs and small groups to use for launching serious discussion and action - the "faith without works is dead" kind of discussion and action. The uncomfortable kind of discussion that changes you

This book gives practical solutions to making a real impact in the world no matter where you are! It really helps people to realize there is a higher calling than self!

Zealous love consists of eight sections, one each for * human trafficking, * unclean water, * refugees, * hunger, * education, * the environment, * HIV and AIDS, * and economic inequality. Each section consists of an introduction, which the authors call the "briefing." These introductions tend to give numbers and facts that document the problem. (Numerous footnotes seem to indicate that the numbers are at least colorably accurate.) These briefings probably do not tell the reader much that he or she did not already know, at least on some vague level. Though the scale of human trafficking might come as a shock, for example, the existence of the problem shouldn't. After the briefing are "field notes," first-hand accounts from a variety of sources. Some are from missionaries telling about their experiences among refugees, some from church leaders who have led their churches to reduce Christmas spending or to be more active givers to charity, and some are from people who have simply toned down their lives by eliminating what they do not need. Each section concludes with a "What Now?" section that asks the reader to reflect and then, perhaps, respond. This section contains a variety of references--websites, addresses, and so forth. This is a book aimed at Christians, filled with scriptural references. The focus is not on spreading the Word but on alleviating the injustices in the world, and to that end, the book is relatively free of specific doctrine and thus should appeal to all Christians, from the most evangelical to the most progressive or liberal. In other words, "Zealous Love" is not an attempt to proselytize. It is an attempt to get believers to respond to the greatest problems the world faces. There are a few minor objections I have to the book. The first is that it does not offer as many practical options as I expected. Perhaps it was simply that the words "A Practical Guide to Social Justice" at the top of the front cover led me to expect more. On the other hand, I hardly needed a book to tell me of all the charities at home and abroad for which we can volunteer or to which we can donate. Another small quibble is that the book itself is a rather heavy tome, printed on high-quality glossy paper. It seems to me that this product is not the most eco-friendly. These qualms are minor, though. For the most part, "Zealous Love" is a very good effort to call upon Christians to work for social justice, not by changing the world individually but by becoming more aware of the problems and working in some way to help alleviate the suffering of others.