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Let Justice Roll Down

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This is the true and moving story of John Perkins, a black from Mississippi who experienced oppression by whites, including the murder of his brother. He overcame bitterness through the good news of Jesus Christ. Beaten almost to death for his efforts to empower the black community in the 60's, Perkins fought back with love and power from God, building a successful ministry of community spiritual and economic development that brought blacks and whites together. Perkins must be a man who truly believes that God became a man and dwelt among us. For that model of sacrificial love and service has been the benchmark and inspiration for his life and ministry. A refreshing break from the usual religious hype, this book will show skeptics an authentic, practical, and compelling Christianity they may have never seen before. And it will challenge Christian readers to apply, in utterly down-to-earth ways, the implications of their faith. No literary masterpiece, it simply tells what happened. Perkins is clearly not interested in self-promotion; he doesn't shirk from sharing his own blemishes and failures. This simplicity and humility of narrative serve to underscore the reality of God's presence in the events recounted, with the result that the reader is emboldened to take a bigger view of what God can do in his or her own life to bring about healing and reconciliation in his or her community. Of interest to anyone with such aspirations, this book should never be allowed to go out of print

Let Justice Roll Down is a powerful testimony to what can happen if one person has the courage to combine evangelism with social activism. John Perkins is one of our living heroes of the civil rights era who walked into the wilderness of racism and ignorance to minister to the poor and speak on the issues of racial reconciliation.

Growing up in a family of sharecroppers and bootleggers in Mississippi, John learned hard lessons about economic disparity and exploitation at an early age. Although these experiences were leading him toward black separatism, a total anti-white position, God stepped in and showed him the beauty of Christianity through his wife and children and his pastor at Bethlehem Church of Christ Holiness in California. It was here that a transformation of John's heart and soul occurred and he said YES to Jesus Christ.

John was led back to Mississippi to share the gospel and help black people find equality through voter registration, leadership training, church activities, Bible classes and housing co-ops. He became a lightening rod of discontent to a white community who resented his efforts to close the divide between the races. In 1970 John participated in a peaceful demonstration calling for desegregation of all public facilities, including schools, which ended with an arrest on trumped up charges. John was beaten severely for hours before bail was raised to release him. Yet it was though this experience that he saw for the first time how racism was a sickness that some people (black and white) used to feel important--as if to confirm they mattered.

The legal road of Perkins v. State of Mississippi was long and laborious. Through it all John prayed more than ever for God's strength not only for the ability to get through the legal ordeal but to do so as a man who could stand for righteousness without bitterness or vindictiveness.

Mr. Perkins writes this treasure as if he were speaking to you in your living room. I truly enjoyed reading this book as I became acquainted with one of America's profound evangelists who realized that man's solution to racism was spiritual. The mysterious truth that black or white, we all need to be born again.

Armchair Interviews says: Powerful message--a great read.

I read this as a sophomore in high school. Definitely a must for any teen christian looking to learn more about life as a christian

I was "introduced" to this book by a song on Switchfoot's "Hello Hurricane." After seeing Switchfoot live and hearing lead singer Jon Foreman talk about how this book impacted him, I made my own plans to read it. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Compelling, intense, emotional, inspiring, and challenging are only a few of the adjectives that describe 'Let Justice Roll Down.' Perkins' faith and his reliance on it in times of unimaginable fear, pain, and suffering are powerful enough to encourage, challenge, and convict simultaneously. I highly recommend it and plan to read this again, soon and often.

Previous Post Lent Cont.

john.jpg"When they started torturing us, it was horrifying, I couldn't even imagine that this was happening. One of the officers took a fork that was bent down and he brought that fork up to me and he said, "have you seen this," and he took that fork and put that fork into my nose, then he took that fork and pushed it down my throught, and then they took me over there and beat me to the ground. Officer Thames, he was the one doing most of the talking, and then they beat me to the floor and Mr. Lloyd Jones was sitting down on the front...and he got up and stomped me and by this time I was almost out."
"They were like savages- like some horror out of the night. And I can't forget their faces, so twisted with hate. It was like looking at white-faced demons. Hate did that to them. But you know, I couldn't hate back. When I saw what hate had done to them, I couldn't hate back. I could only pitty them. I didn't ever want hate to do to me what it had already done to those Men." John Perkins 1970
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals- one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus approx. 33 AD .
Last night I finished reading Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins. I would like to thank Regal Books for sending out the book and for publishing it. This book, the prequil of sorts of With Justice For All, tells the story of John Perkins, a black man living in the racist south of Mississippi. It is the story of hate, love, defeat, victory, peace and violence. There were many times while reading this book that I felt anger and hate rising up in me at what people have done to the black community in the name of God, government, or human rights. The thing that humbled me though is that the people who were at the brunt of the injustices did not hate, they loved, they did not resort to violence, they stayed true to peace and love.
This book opened my eyes, broke my heart, tested my faith and brought up emotion that I haven't felt in a long, long time. I highly reccomend you picking up this book to learn a little more about the history of racism in America and about what the healing power of what Christ can do to bring healing to the most broken.

In the words of Shane Claiborne, founder member of The Simple Way and author of Jesus for President, John Perkins has fathered 'a ragtag and dysfunctional spiritual family as diverse as the kingdom of God.' Let Justice Roll Down is the story of the ragtag and dysfunctional beginnings of the man who would father a thriving movement of Christian community development and social justice.

In this gripping autobiography, we see the events and meet the people that made the passionate yet approachable leader we see today. He pulls no punches when he tells of his his humble beginnings in the cotton fields, the poverty and injustices of the South, his early rejection of Christianity, and his brutal beating in the Brandon, Mississippi jail.

Though not an easy read, you will find it to be an easy book to follow. It is extremely conversational, sprinkled with Dr. Perkins's wit and wisdom. Have you pen or highlighter handy; you'll want to make notes for further study.

Groups of any size would benefit from the examples of forgiveness and reconciliation in this book. But it would be an exceptional resource for a smaller group of believers (mixed race and of dissimilar backgrounds) to use for extended study.

Look for themes of interdependence, sensitivity, and intentionality for how you might apply them to your own experience.

Listen. Learn. Love.

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Linda Leigh Hargrove is the author of two works of fiction: The Making of Isaac Hunt (2007) and Loving Cee Cee Johnson (2008). Her writings blend suspense, humor, and faith into compelling stories about race and class in America.

Awesome seller, shipped fast no problems with processing payment, would with no doubt look to buy from them again

To hear a great story of what God did in the life of Dr. John Perkins, this is a must read.