Book Reviews

What is the Micah Call? What does it mean to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before God? Better still – what does it mean to you? Here are some books which we think will assist in the discovery of what it means for each of us in the individual and collective way we are called to.

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Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development Theology

Bryant Myers
ISBN-10: 1570752753

Bryant Myers shows how Christian mission can contribute to dismantling poverty and social evil. Integrating the best principles and practice of the international development community, the thinking and experience of Christian nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and a theological framework for transformational development, Myers demonstrates what is possible when we cease to treat the spiritual and physical domains of life as separate and unrelated.

Basic Christianity

John Stott
ISBN 10- 1844743047

Lets start with a good understanding of what Christianity is all about. Why all the bother about the Micah Call in the first place? Well, John Stotts insights into a basic understanding of Christianity will give us all a basis to start from, to ask the bigger questions, like how our lives should change as we choose to follow Jesus in the faith that is called Christianity.

Good News to the Poor – Sharing the gospel through social involvement

Tim Chester
ISBN-10: 1844740196

This book is essential reading for any Christian trying to grapple with the issue of how proclamation of the Word and social action combine together to bring the love of God into the world. As is stated on the back of the book…”How do we respond to the silent appeal in the dark eyes of a child in the charity catalogue, or the blanketed figure in the cold shop-doorway? Should we share the gospel with them, or a bowl of soup?” Hard questions are answered with biblical texts which incorporate the whole of the gospel message into an answer for how Christians can love and serve the poor without neglecting to share the eternal salvation of Christ Jesus.

Other books by Tim Chester include:
The Busy Christian’s Guide to Busyness
Justice, Mercy and Humility: Integral Mission and the Poor
From Creation to New Creation: Understanding the Bible Story
The Message of Prayer (Bible Speaks Today)

The Mission of God

Christopher J.H Wright
ISBN 10 -0-8308-2571-1

The Mission of God is a book unlike any you may read. Rather than the Bible being the basis for mission, Wright boldly maintains that mission is bigger than that – there is in fact a missional basis for the whole Bible. This new perspective provides a solid and expansive basis for holistic mission – God’s mission to reclaim the world – and that includes the created order – and God’s people have a designated role to play in that mission.

As we look into the ways in which we can act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God, here is a solid biblical basis for doing just that.

Warning – Academic book with lots of big words – but still a very interesting read!

Poor No More

Peter Grant
ISBN-10: 1854248405

From the amazon website… This book enables Christians to assess their impact on world poverty through their current lifestyles. It then provides practical proposals for action to help reduce poverty, safeguard the environment and promote human rights. Our impact in the world results from the choices that we each make and for which we are responsible to God. Peter Grant writes from a Tearfund perspective and explains simply and clearly the causes of poverty and the action that each of us can take to change our behaviour so that we can have a positive impact. As Tearfund seeks to see a million Christians mobilised in the UK to address poverty, this book aims to be the handbook for that movement.

Sub-merge: Living Deep in a Shallow World

John B Hayes
ISBN-10: 0830743065

Service, justice and compassion amoung the worlds poor. As someone who purposefully moved into the lives of the poor to reach the poor, John Hayes presents this challenging book on how Christians can and should involve themselves with the plight of the poor to reach them with the love of Jesus.

God of the Poor: A Biblical vision of God’s present rule

Dewi Hughes
ISBN-10: 1850782970

Dewi Hughes brings together two of the hallmarks of Christianity: a submission to Scripture and a strong social conscience. ‘God of the Poor’ applies kingdom principles to Two-thirds World issues and to western attitudes. It is a valuable book for all Christians in developing a biblical approach to poverty. Serving the poor is a Christian virtue but there are many ways in which to act. Such a broad agenda needs a wide biblical vision in the light of this massive problem. The church, as the visible community of God, has the task of blessing the poor. Dewi also considers the two issues threatening mass poverty: population growth and environmental degradation.

Good news about Injustice

Gary A. Haugen
ISBN-10: 0830822240

Good news about injustice is a milestone in our Christian understanding about injustice, its causes, what it looks like, how it continues and how we are called by God to intervene for those suffering injustice. Gary Haugen recounts his story from his days as the director of the UN genocide investigation in Rwanda and continues on to look at the biblical viewpoint of injustice and the Christians response to such things. John Stott writes a forward for the book which has impact…”I defy anybody to emerge from exposure to this book unscathed… leave the book alone – unless you are willing to be shocked, challenged, persuaded and transformed.”

Justice that restores

Charles Colson
ISBN-10: 0851115373

Chuck Colsen is a man who knows about prison. He was released in 1975 for his involvement in the Watergate Scandal in the USA a reformed person, and has since launched the prison fellowship which now serves the spiritual needs of prisoners in over 83 countries. An informative book to read, Colson contends that no other worldview than the biblical one can sustain a rational, livable and just society. He argues that by returning to it, we can retireive a system of justice which restores peace and order to individual and society. This book is good and will make you think!