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Throughout history, Christians have been called by God to active engagement in society on behalf of the poor and oppressed. Christian leaders have been instrumental in caring for people who are poor, fighting injustice and advocating for social change. But they have never done so on their own power. Their energy and zeal were fueled by inner spiritual practices that propelled them forward into the world.Activist and historian Mae Elise Cannon explores the direct connection between Christians’ personal relationship with God and outward actions of kindness, mercy, compassion and advocacy. She looks at how notable Christian leaders were able to face societal challenges because of the rich depths of their spiritual practices. For example:
Mother Teresa’s practice of silence compelled her to service.Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s prayer life equipped his discipleship.Martin Luther King Jr.’s beloved community empowered his proclamation.Oscar Romero’s discipline of submission prepared him to face martyrdom.
Biographical profiles of these and other key figures from around the world give us concrete examples of how activism and advocacy can be sustained over the long haul. Cannon also describes modern-day activists who embody the synergy of faith and action, with practical lessons for our own lives.Find yourself spiritually transformed by these examples, and follow in their footsteps in just service to the world.
Publisher : IVP (January 25, 2013)
Language : English
Paperback : 208 pages
ISBN-10 : 0830837752
ISBN-13 : 978-0830837755
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.25 inches
4.5
Reviewer: Ron Willoughby
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Simply a Good Book
Review: Mae Elise Cannon has given us a wonderful gift with this book. She has provided us with inspiring profiles to become better acquainted with and to engage their writings and work. Dr. Cannon is an excellent guide on this journey of justice and spirituality.
Reviewer: Jenny Trees
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Great Insight into Social Justice Heros
Review: Just Spirituality helps us understand how significant figures in the fight for justice persevered to care for those in need and fight discrimination. Although much is said about the pursuit of justice by these legacys in the social justice arena, Cannon gives us a peek into the ways spiritual rhythms and practices were used to provide the strength and vision that were required for people like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. to choose to act sacrificially and endure great hardships in the pursuit of good. To read about the practices such as solitude and study of scripture by these heros of justice, I am encouraged to strengthen my own practices in order to respond to God’s call on my life. I am grateful to Cannon for helping us to see the foundational acts that sustained these amazing people who are models for our lives today.
Reviewer: na
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great Resource and Timely Reminder
Review: As a young evangelical Christian involved in activism and advocacy, I found this book to be a very timely reminder and helpful resource. I’m grateful for this valuable collection of inspiring and relevant stories, from both the past and present, which can help guide and ground our social action moving forward.
Reviewer: Tim H.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Rightly ordered societies require rightly ordered lives
Review: In his wonderful book Generous Justice, Tim Keller makes the case that for those who have truly experienced the unmerited grace of God, their lives will naturally be marked by a passion for pursuing justice. But the Christian life is “a long obedience in the same direction,” as Eugene Peterson famously put it (borrowing from Nietzsche), and doing justice as a way of life doesn’t just happen automatically. So what are the spiritual practices that will shape us and sustain us?Mae Elise Cannon, whose work with World Vision focuses on advocacy and outreach in the Middle East, offers some answers in her new book, Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action (IVP). Those answers come in the way of mini-biographies of Christians from around the world who have worked for justice and social change over the long haul – fueled by spiritual disciplines.Some of those profiled in the book will be more recognizable to readers than others – and that’s important in and of itself. Those who get famous for doing justice and loving mercy – people like Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa – are the rare exception; most heroes of the faith end up cultivating the good, the true, and the beautiful in relative obscurity. If we take this “long obedience in the same direction” seriously, it is fairly likely we can expect to find ourselves in the company of the obscure as well.Nonetheless, in each chapter Cannon links a more-or-less well known Christian with respective “inner” and “outer” spiritual practices:Mother Teresa: From Silence to ServiceDietrich Bonhoeffer: From Prayer to DiscipleshipWatchman Nee: From Study to EvangelismMartin Luther King, Jr.: From Community to ProclamationFairuz: From Worship to FreedomDesmond Tutu: From Sabbath to ReconciliationOscar Romero: From Submission to MartyrdomOne can’t help but be encouraged by the stories of this “great cloud of witnesses” – including the less well known saints whose stories appear amidst the big names in each of the chapters. Their lives are indeed instructive for us.Just Spirituality’s greatest contribution is the way it reminds us that rightly ordered societies are so closely linked to rightly ordered lives.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest thoughts.- See more at: […]
Reviewer: phil
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A super inspiring read
Review: I just finished reading Mae Cannon’s Just Spirituality- How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action. The book tells stories of such doers of justice like Mother Teresa, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Watchman Nee, Martin Luther King Jr. and more. I was excited as soon as I saw the cover of this book, as it tells stories of those who changed the world with love, conviction and non-violence. The other reason I was excited about the book was because of the author, Mae Cannon. Mae put out the Social Justice Handbook in 2009 and it has proved to be a great resource in my library.I have read about many of the people Mae wrote about in her book, but to read about these men and women and their taking a stand agains injustice through non-violent ways in the name of Jesus was refreshing. This book was not only informative and inspiring, but it also challenged me to continue fighting for the things that I have deep convictions about, specifically in areas of injustice.3 years ago I helped start a non-profit called Steps of Justice. The reason we started Steps was because we were sick of people getting all fired up about injustice and then doing nothing about it because they didn’t know what to do, or it was just to hard and inconvenient to do anything. So, we found ourselves being romanced by the idea of `doing justice’ but inconvenienced by the actual action it took to bring change to unjust situations like extreme global poverty, gender injustice, racial prejudice, slavery and more.Reading Mae’s book brought me back to that place where I was when we started Steps of Justice. That place of inspiration that lead to action. That place of wanting to bring change and make a difference. Reading about these hero’s of the faith who stood up for their convictions brought on through their relationship with Christ moved and changed me to change the world. I pray that I will be someone worth writing a book about. That my life will be counted among the greats who heard God’s call and obeyed.
