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Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just

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When I ordered Timothy Keller's "Generous Justice," I thought I was buying a book about God's justice (in condemning sinners), which has been assailed by so many recently. Never have I been so pleasantly and emotionally surprised by a book. What Keller has done instead is to wed a theology of God's grace to us, and one that is fully orthodox in nature, with a biblical emphasis on social justice. Keller's main thesis is this: God's "generous justice" to humans who are poor in spirit and in great need is a motivation for our administering social justice - as well as an evidence that we have truly received the grace of God.

This is truly a mind-blowing, heart-rending thesis - and it's hit me like a ton of bricks! The very night I read this book, I read (from the Book of Common Prayer) the prayer for Social Justice in our Evening Prayer service at church. Obviously God is trying to teach me something, and I think He's trying to teach you all the same thing. That something is that Christians are to be involved in social justice not only because it's a commandment but because it's a response to a life that's received the grace of God (His "generous justice").

Keller cuts across the great conservative/liberal divide in this book. He has something that most of you will at first disagree about, but when you truly consider it, you'll find that he's probably right. Social justice is about caring for the poor and alienated, both as individuals and as communities. To conservative Christians he preaches that social justice does indeed involve changing entire communities and that real oppression and social injustice still exists in the U.S. To liberal Christians he preaches that much of poverty really does come from the personal moral failings of individuals. In fact, he outlines 3 possible causes of poverty: oppression, calamity, and personal moral failure. He believes that the biblical emphasis is especially on the larger structural factors (although I don't necessarily agree with him here.)

Perhaps most importantly, Keller is putting his money where his mouth is: his Redeemer Presbyterian Church is located in Manhattan.

What Keller does best, beginning with the Old Testament and continuing through the teachings of Jesus and the Epistles is to show God's concern for social justice. You cannot read this book without being challenged to want to be more involved in correcting social injustice, whether at the individual or social level. This book hit me like a ton of bricks because years ago I had read Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger while in college. I was originally moved by the book but then became aware that Sider had made a lot of errors in his theology and thinking. For years, I allowed this and the liberal emphasis on the social gospel as opposed to the true gospel to shield me from the biblical message of the need for justice.

This book has been like a sledgehammer to my soul, and it will take me months and years to sort out what God would have me do next.

In addition to providing the biblical and theological rationale for caring for the poor and disadvantaged, Keller turns towards a more practical approach towards the end of the book, which was exactly what I needed. He answers questions I and many others have, such as "What if I don't live by an area of poverty?" (then look for the disadvantaged, abused, neglected, sick, single parents wherever you are!) He discusses 3 levels of help that need to be offered: relief (direct aid to immediate needs), development (giving a family or community what they need to move beyond dependency), and social reform (changing the conditions and social conditions that cause dependency).

Keller divides his book up this way:

Introduction: Why Write This Book?
Chapter One - What is Doing Justice?
Chapter Two - Justice and the Old Testament
Chapter Three - What Did Jesus Say About Justice?
Chapter Four - Justice and Your Neighbor
Chapter Five - Why Should We Do Justice?
Chapter Six - How Should We Do Justice?
Chapter Seven - Doing Justice in the Public Square
Chapter Eight - Peace, Beauty, and Justice

There are still things I disagree with about the book, and I have a few areas where I think Keller could have been clearer or more forceful so as not to mislead.

My 1st objection is that Keller seems to emphasize justice in terms of structures more than the justice we seek for individuals (for example, the many ways I seek justice among my kids at home). Keller didn't talk about this side of things enough. He also, in my opinion, doesn't adequately take into account the moral failings that are the cause of so much of American poverty since the 20th century. It's not that he isn't aware of this side of things: I just think he understates it.

Second, while Keller's clearly aware that our contemporary situation is not a theocracy like that of ancient Israel, too much of the time he seems to assume that the social justice we seek is out in the world at large, as opposed to the social justice we seek specifically in the Church. The New Testament letters are clearly more heavily weighted toward how we seek justice specifically in the Church, which is to model social justice for the world, even as the justice of national Israel was to be a model for the nations. He also doesn't address the problem that in ancient Israel and the first century Church, Christians knew who the poor were because there was little social mobility. They knew who was really lame and who was faking; they knew who had fallen on hard times; and they knew who was merely lazy or malicious. It's much more difficult for Christians today to discern this, and Keller makes no (or at least inadequate) reference to the traditional Christian distinction between the deserving and the undeserving poor (an issue that several books by George Grant discuss more adequately).

In spite of these errors or exaggerations, "Generous Justice" is still a book every church should be discussing. Read it, and see if it doesn't break your heart and make you more aware of God's grace to you, as well as your need to do justice to those around you!

Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just by Timothy Keller (author of the best-selling The Reason for God, and senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City) is a clear, convicting, and compelling case for the assertion that "there is a direct relationship between a person's grasp and experience of God's grace, and his or her heart for justice and the poor." (p. xiii). In his Introduction, Keller says that he wrote this book for four groups of people: (1) young Christian believers who are concerned for social justice, but often fail to let social concern affect how they spend money, conduct their careers, and choose which neighborhoods to live in; (2) orthodox Christians who approach the subject of "doing justice" with suspicion; (3) younger evangelicals who embrace social justice but jettison the traditional evangelical doctrines substitutionary atonement and justification by faith alone; and (4) unbelievers who may suspect, along with Christopher Hitchens, that "religion poisons everything" and view Christianity as one of the primary forces promoting injustice and violence. With this variety of target audiences in mind, Keller unfolds his argument for grace-driven justice in eight chapters.

Chapter one asks "what is doing justice?" and answers with an accessible study of the concepts of justice and righteousness in Scripture. While never getting overly technical, Keller shows that the Hebrew word for justice has to do with both the punishment of wrongdoing and giving people their rights (p. 3). Justice is, essentially, "to treat people equitably" - to give them their due. Such justice, which over and again in Scripture is concerned with widows, orphans, immigrants, and the poor ("the quartet of the vulnerable"), is rooted in the character of God and wedded to "righteousness." Since the biblical word for "righteous" refers to a life of right relationships, Keller says that "Biblical righteousness is inevitably 'social,' because it is about relationships" (p. 10). In fact, Keller argues that when these two words, justice and righteousness, are tied together in Scripture, "the English expression that best conveys the meaning is 'social justice'" (p. 14). Though this terminology is sometimes nothing more than a slogan used to recruit people to some political ideology or another, Keller says that "if you are trying to live a life in accordance with the bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable" (p. 18).

Chapters two and three build the case for doing justice from the Old and New Testaments respectively. Keller carefully nuances his arguments from the Old Testament, showing that commands in the Old Testament reflect clear principles that are binding on Christians today, while granting that Scripture does not tell us exactly how to carry these principles out today. Especially helpful in this second chapter is how Keller deals with the causes of poverty, showing that Scripture doesn't neatly fit into the schemas of either liberal or conservative theorists. Rather, "the causes of poverty as put forth in the Bible are remarkably balanced" (p. 33) including oppression, natural disaster, and personal moral failures. However, Keller says, "having surveyed the Bible on these texts numerous times, I have concluded that the emphasis is usually on the larger structural factors" (p. 38). Chapter three focuses on the teaching of Jesus about justice and tackles some of the lesser known (and lesser obeyed) words of Jesus, such as those found in Luke 14:12-13 (pgs. 46-49) and Matthew 25:31-46 (pgs. 52-54).

Chapter four uses the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) to build the case that Christians have the responsibility to show mercy and do justice not only for those inside the church, but for anyone in need, "regardless of race, politics, class, and religion" - that is, for anyone who is your "neighbor" (see p. 67). This chapter, drawing heavily on the work of eighteenth-century theologian Jonathan Edwards, includes a very helpful series of answers to common objections that religious people often make when faced with the call of justice and mercy.

Chapters five asks "Why should we do justice?" "Our problem in society today" Keller says, "is not that people don't know they should share with others and help the poor. Most people do know and believe this. The real problem is that, while knowing, they are insufficiently motivated to actually do it" (p. 79). So how does the Bible motivate us? First, with "joyful awe before the goodness of God's creation" and, second, with "the experience of God's grace in redemption" (p. 82). Keller's discussion of creation focuses mainly on how human dignity (and therefore human rights) is actually rooted in the Scripture's teaching that human beings are created in the image of God. In an excellent discussion of civil rights on pages 85-88, Keller illustrates the point through interaction with the writings of Aristotle, Martin Luther King, Jr., and C. S. Lewis.

But "as important as the doctrine of creation is, the most frequently cited Biblical motivation for doing justice is the grace of God in redemption" (p. 92), a point Keller makes from both the Old and New Testaments. This is really the heart of the book, out of which everything else flows. With eloquent reason, Keller drives this truth home: "If a person has grasped the meaning of Gods' grace in his heart, he will do justice" (p. 93); "People changed by grace should go, as it were, on a permanent fast. Self-indulgence and materialism should be given up and replaced by a sacrificial lifestyle of giving to those in need" (p. 95-96); "A life poured out in deeds of service to the poor is the inevitable sign of any real, true, justifying, gospel-faith. Grace makes you just. If you are not just, you've not truly been justified by faith" (p. 99).

If chapter five addresses motivation, chapter six takes on the practical question of "how should we do justice?" In this wise and practical chapter, Keller is simple, but not simplistic, discussing how "vulnerable people need multiple levels of help" including "relief, development, and social reform" (p. 113) then providing examples of and principles for doing each. This chapter delves into issues such as the needs of poor communities, racial reconciliation, and reforming unjust social structures. Drawing on Abraham Kuyper's concepts of "sphere sovereignty," he discusses both the responsibilities of Christians in the institutional church and as the organic church. And he tackles the relationship between social justice and evangelism, arguing that "they should exist in an asymmetrical, inseparable relationship" with evangelism being "the most basic and radical ministry possible to a human being . . . not because the spiritual is more important than the physical, but because the eternal is more important than the temporal" (p. 139). But Keller will not agree that justice is simply a means to the end of evangelism OR that doing justice IS evangelism. There is a distinction between the two. Deeds of justice and mercy are not identical to gospel proclamation. To say so, is "fatal confusion." Yet BOTH are necessary. Chapter seven carries the practical questions a step further, with a judicious exploration of "Doing Justice in the Public Square."

The final chapter, "Peace, Beauty, and Justice", relates the concerns of this book to "shalom" or the reweaving the fabric of human relationships into "harmonious peace." This is God's overall intention for human beings and doing justice means "to live in a way that generates a strong community where human beings can flourish" (p. 177). But how do we do that? In one of my favorite paragraphs in the book, Keller answers: "The only way to reweave and strengthen the fabric is by weaving yourself into it. Human beings are like those threads thrown together onto a table. If we keep our money, time, and power to ourselves, instead of sending them out into our neighbors' lives, then we may be literally on top of one another, but we are not interwoven socially, relationally, financially, and emotionally. Reweaving shalom means to sacrificially thread, lace, and press your time, goods, power, and resources into the lives and needs of others" (p. 177).

The length of my review shows my enthusiasm for this book, which is a significant contribution to Christian theology and ethics. Keller's clear and accessible style makes this book appropriate for any thoughtful believer, seeker, or skeptic. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is concerned with issues of justice in society, faithfulness to the teaching of Scripture on justice, and/or the implications of the Christian gospel for living a life of justice in our world today.

Tim Keller does another great job in writing a book that will be helpful for Pastors and laymen. He takes the issue of God's Justice and guides us through a discussion of what it justice means Biblically and how do we apply it today. There are many verses about justice and especially about helping the poor in the Old and New Testament. Many are in the Old Testament and people often dismiss them thinking that the Old Testament has been done away with and replaced with the New Testament.

But the bottom line is this, the poor we will have with us always and how do we deal with them? How do we help them with their issues of hunger, lack of resources, lack of advocates standing up for them with the judicial system and society at large. What also do we do with the "year of jubilee" where the debts of the poor are forgiven and they are given a fresh start. What should we do with that today.

Keller takes us through a discussion of the definition of Justice, why the Old Testament is still valid, what does Jesus say and how do we treat our neighbors. He reminds us that the Old Testament, specifically the nation of Israel, was a Theocracy style of government. So how do we in a democracy deal with the poor since it is a completely different style of government than a Theocracy. What is the point of justice? What should we do about standing in the gap for our neighbors who are poor, or do we ignore them and let the government deal with them through welfare?

There are deep theological issues here and deep moral issues as well. How do you respond to the poor? How do you handle your resources? What do you do regarding Charity? Why do you act charitably?

Keller also talks a good bit about how our young people are moving back into a culture of "volunteerism" and the benefits that has on society as well as on themselves. But the real issue comes down to the heart issue of why do they volunteer to help the poor.

Wrapped in all of this is a discussion also about "God's Grace". Because some people feel that justice might just mean that we let people suffer in their poverty because they bring it on themselves. But the Bible is clear. Our task is to help the poor, the widow, the orphan, etc. These people are precious to God and thus should be precious to us.

This is a quick read, but a very needed read for the "Western Church" today. You will be forced to look at the role of "Deacon" in the church and how that role was put together to serve the poor. You will be left with this question, how does my church stack up in regards to reaching the poor? How would God feel we have done in serving the poor and providing "justice" for them.

Enjoy!

I'll freely admit that the relationship between social justice and the gospel is not one I completely understand. It's become a hot topic the last few years, but I haven't delved much into the fray. I'm definitely no expert, and the thought of trying to critique a guy like Tim Keller on the subject is a little humorous. His newest book, Generous Justice, contains multiple sections of thought that caused my head to spin, but in a good way.

I've become uncomfortable with how some Christians seem to ignore some of Jesus' commands regarding the poor and weak, but I also have a problem with people just wanting to "do justice" and never evangelize. So here's my perspective as a young, idealistic, evangelical Christian who doesn't want a theoretic faith that turns a blind eye to the poor and needy, but also doesn't want to compromise any piece of the biblical gospel and evangelism in doing so.

In the introduction, Keller states:

"This book, then, is both for believers who find the Bible a trustworthy guide and for those who wonder if Christianity is a positive influence in the world. I want the orthodox to see how central to the Scripture's message is justice for the poor and marginalized. I also want to challenge those who do not believe in Christianity to see the Bible not as a repressive text, but as the basis for the modern understanding of human rights."

After taking some time to define "justice," this is exactly what Keller does with this book. As a believer, I was confronted with a view of God, Christ, and redemption that won't allow us to turn from injustice. Always balanced by a nuanced view of God's redemptive work in creation and the gospel of the atonement, believers are shown the value and purpose of justice: to glorify the one from whom it emanates. I really appreciated the balance. You tend to get only those who elevate justice to the place of the gospel at the exclusion of atonement, or those who over-react to this error and ignore justice altogether.

The other thing Keller does is to address the nature of discussion about issues of justice. The terms are thrown around, by religious and secular, but few ever discuss what they really mean. Keller deftly shows, by scripture and by logic, how religious and moral rationale underwrites everyone's opinions in these areas, despite how they might try to dress them up in objective, secular language. By removing religious ideas from the public square, we've removed the language to describe the disagreements most people have over things like abortion, levels of taxation, racism, and others. By trying to find an objective "common ground" upon which to discuss the issues, we've removed the ground completely.

Finally, Keller discusses the concept of Shalom, and how efforts to "do justice" help reflect the restoration of Shalom after the Fall. Again, this is balanced with a nuanced view of the redemption of the world.

As I said, I'm in no position to critique any of Keller's arguments. They are far too complex and subtle for me to do so. From my situation, however, Keller has given me a biblical framework through which to view many issues that people my age, especially young evangelicals, are questioning. I'm sure others will find things to quibble over, but it's hard to argue with the biblical arguments put forward in this book. As a Christian, justice should be important to us. This book will definitely contribute to helping it become so.

This is the best book on Christian ministry to the poor that I have ever read. Keller logically outlines how God's justice toward us requires that we demonstrate this same level of compassion towards the marginalized. He addresses some of the most common objections to being generous with compelling biblical evidence. Do not read this book if you do not want to understand justice for the poor in a completely new way.

Point: God cares for the sick, the needy, the poor, and the oppressed and His people should as well.

Path: In order to uphold justice one must properly understand "What is Doing Justice?" (ch 1). In order to prove his point that doing justice involves giving all human beings their due as creations of God (pg 18), Keller looks to the Old Testament for God's view of justice (ch. 2). Through the Pentateuch and the Prophets it is clear that justice is demanded. Keller then looks to the teachings of Christ (ch 3) to see if Christ has "moved beyond" the teaching of the Law. He hasn't.
Keller's third testimony comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan (ch 4). Here the author stresses that one must receive this neighbor-love before they can ever give it (pg 77). Keller continues by asking the question "Why should we do justice" (ch 5). It is precisely because God loves it and we love God. He then asks "How?" (ch 6) and what does it look like in the public square (148). He concludes with "Peace, Beauty, and Justice" ch 8) and how seeing true beauty will remind us who we are and what we must do.

Sources: Keller regularly references Jonathan Edwards and Mark Gornik.
Agreement: I must seek to do good to all men, even unbelievers, even when they do wrong, and even when they squander what I do. I am to do this for my love of Christ.

Disagreement: Keller seems to advocate the idea that "no culture is better than any other." I disagree here. If that were the case, why push for reform? That would be changing someone's "culture" to another equal culture. I also believe that the culture of the head hunters in some distant island is wrong and that a culture which has been molded more by biblical principles is better.

Personal App: A thought came to me as Keller referenced Christ's command not to invite the rich to your dinners, but the poor. I think a good application of this would also be not just inviting those you enjoy, but also those who you can minister too, no matter what their financial standing (eg. awkward or annoying people who have been on the "outside")

Keller brings some good thoughts to the table as we consider doing good to all men.

It was good but not great. If I was working inner city I would definitely read it again.
It would be worth another read after I do more reading along these lines.

I wish every believer would read this book. I see so many followers of Jesus who seem unconcerned about the poor and oppressed. I see others who put such concern above being true to God's character and truth. This book really conveys God's heart for the poor, oppressed, marginalized, and outcast. Keller makes a strong case about the need for justice. And he is careful to point out the good and bad of various points of view.

For those who are committed to doing justice in this world, Keller makes clear that the big issues involve how to do it. He lays out the questions we need to consider as we decide, as individuals and groups, how we can make a difference.

Please, read this book. Ponder it and let God use it to speak to you.

I love Tim Keller. His preaching is so winsome and stimulating. His books are not as articulate as his preaching, but it's good that he's committing his insights on print for posterity.

Generous Justice is by far his most academic work so far (with The Reason for God also being intellectually rigorous but in a different way). Keller does a kind of biblical theology on the concept of justice and mercy, in many ways borrowing and improving on Craig Blomberg's work, Neither Poverty nor Riches.

The latter half of the book - particularly the chapter on conceptions of justice in the public sphere - felt a little incongruous with the first half. It was a fascinating look at secular formulations of justice and how Christianity interfaces (quite similar to portions of The Reason for God), but the chapter felt too short to unpack and really interact with the material.

The last chapter on shalom and how we can only do justice by being captivated by the beauty of Christ was classic Keller. It is basically like the last 10 minutes of a typical sermon of his.

I guess my complaint with the book is that it did not feel like it was tightly argued throughout. The latter chapters felt like independent articles tacked on because it was topically related. I also object to book's binding/shape. It was a good format for The Prodigal God - which is a great book to give as a gift to someone. But for this more complicated topic (and material in which Keller decidedly ups the academic rigor with impressive endnotes - notice how many Harvard profs he cites), the book's childish format was unfitting. Keller should have acknowledged the material better and done an academic printing.

I am a huge Tim Keller fan so it's not even fair that I'm writing a review because I can't help but really like everything that he does. Generous Justice falls into that category of Keller creations that is very good. As usual it shakes stereotypes of traditional religion and provides motivation for living that does not include guilt or coercion. Keller lays out a great case that God has a deep concern for the weak and broken in society and consequently his people should as well. I am not giving this book 5 stars because I had to push myself to read it more than I would have liked. The reason I had to push myself is that my selfish tendencies caused the book to be more convicting than my comfortable heart likes. In the book, Keller is looking to spur us on to do justice in our communities from a Biblical mindset and knowing I fall short made it harder to get through. A book on Counterfeit Gods is somewhat easier to swallow for a guy like me.

It is a fantastic book and one that I think all people should read because we hear so little balanced teaching about the heart of God when it comes to the downcast. It gives both theological and practical ideas on doing justice so it's not all theory or all how-to's. No political party is praised so if someone is looking for Biblical justification for their political views they'll probably be disappointed. Keller just does a nice job of showing that the Lord does care about those in need and we can do much to help our communities be places of grace for those less fortunate.

In this short, yet rich book, Timothy Keller makes a case for justice being done through the church, not only as individuals but as an institution. In the early church, evangelism was a priority, but he shows how this fed its heart of social justice, with the poor being served and the needs of all being met. In the modern church, the attitude seems to fall on one side or the other--serve the world through social justice, or evangelize the souls above all since this is the most eternally important thing.

Keller is levelheaded in his arguments, showing how these two should walk arm in arm. Not only should evangelism have legs, walking through the horrors and griefs of those it reaches out to, but social justice should have spirit breathing into an eternal purpose and stamina. He gives numerous examples from Scripture, history, and current-day issues. He is passionate, fueling his narrative with an undercurrent of concern for those around the world caught up in the sex-trade industry, those starving, those facing difficult moral and ethical decisions in their daily struggles to survive. He pulls no punches in pointing out the bankrupt spirit that sees itself better than others and turns a blind eye to their needs. To read this book and ignore its message is to ignore the Bible itself, which tells us: "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker" (Proverbs 14:31) and "If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:15-16).

"Generous Justice" is not only a defense of the Gospel, showing how powerful and active it can and should be, based on biblical grounds; it is also a challenge to those on all sides, whether Democrat or Republican, evangelist or social worker, to live a life of faith, rooted in God's mercy and shown through active justice.