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Cry Justice: The Bible on Hunger and Poverty
Like new condition 1980 used book, no marks, just slightest signs of aging. Then we send you a confirmation e-mail. We appreciate your business and welcome any questions
- GenresReference
192 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1980
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About the author
Ronald J. Sider
82 books63 followersRonald J. Sider (PhD, Yale University) is the founder and president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action and distinguished professor of theology, holistic ministry, and public policy at Palmer Theological Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous books, including The Early Church on Killing, the bestselling Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, and The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 23, 2023
AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF BIBLICAL TEXTS ON THESE ISSUES
Author Ron Sider wrote in the Introduction to this 1980 book, “The Bible is an invitation to joy and celebration. It is also an invitation to forgiveness and grace. In fact the first flows from the second. The one who meets us in Holy Scripture assures us that he loves us just as we are in spite of our weakness, failure and sin. Therefore we celebrate the salvation, so freely offered by God, with joyful abandon. But the Bible is also an invitation to repentance and change. The one who discloses himself as boundless love also reveals himself as truth, holiness, and justice. Therefore he calls those to whom he freely offers his grace to repent, forsake their self-centered ways and begin to love their neighbors as themselves.
“Love for God is inseparable form love for neighbor. Nor is that an abstract theoretical truth. If Jesus is right that anyone in need is our neighbor, then it has concrete, challenging implications in every historical context. In fact it can only be truly understood and faithfully applied as one looks honestly and courageously at one’s particular situation in history. Who are the needy neighbors that God invites us to love and serve today? Certainly there are people of all races, classes, continents, sexes and ages. But none of our neighbors face more desperate need than those who are so poor that malnutrition and even death constantly haunt them…
“That is the context in which we live. That is the context in which the God of love and justice invites us to love our needy neighbors out of gratitude for the way he loves us... This collection of biblical passages is designed to assist in that study… This collection of texts could have been arranged in many different ways. A more systematic, theological analysis of the biblical material in terms of the categories used here is perhaps only one way to support this particular arrangement… The sheer volume of biblical material that pertains to questions of hunger, justice and the poor is astonishing. Hopefully this collection, which brings all these texts together in one place, will help the contemporary Church to understand this biblical truth more clearly.
“But it dare not be seen as a canon within the canon. This collection of texts is NOT a collection of the most important of the most relevant biblical material for the late twentieth century, It is merely a collection of biblical material on one particular cluster of issues. To view these texts as the most central within the Bible would be to distort both the editor’s intentions and also the contemporary mission of the Church. On the other hand, simply to feel and experience the power, volume and frequency of what the Bible says about poverty, justice, and hunger forcefully affects one’s thought and life. I have been studying biblical teaching on these themes for years. But the task of bringing all of this biblical material together reminded me in a new, forceful way that the God disclose in Scripture has a very deep concern for the poor, hungry and oppressed…
“This collection of biblical material is an invitation to hear God speak today. That his word may be startling, even disturbing, should not surprise us. Throughout history, God’s word has constantly challenged us as well as comforted. But the one who calls us to rethink our relationship to a billion hungry neighbors is the one whose love for us was so boundless that it took his Son to the cross. Thus the invitation to hear his word again today is not only a call to costly discipleship, it is also an invitation to joy and salvation.”
This book will be “must reading” for Christians concerned with social justice, and related issues.
Author Ron Sider wrote in the Introduction to this 1980 book, “The Bible is an invitation to joy and celebration. It is also an invitation to forgiveness and grace. In fact the first flows from the second. The one who meets us in Holy Scripture assures us that he loves us just as we are in spite of our weakness, failure and sin. Therefore we celebrate the salvation, so freely offered by God, with joyful abandon. But the Bible is also an invitation to repentance and change. The one who discloses himself as boundless love also reveals himself as truth, holiness, and justice. Therefore he calls those to whom he freely offers his grace to repent, forsake their self-centered ways and begin to love their neighbors as themselves.
“Love for God is inseparable form love for neighbor. Nor is that an abstract theoretical truth. If Jesus is right that anyone in need is our neighbor, then it has concrete, challenging implications in every historical context. In fact it can only be truly understood and faithfully applied as one looks honestly and courageously at one’s particular situation in history. Who are the needy neighbors that God invites us to love and serve today? Certainly there are people of all races, classes, continents, sexes and ages. But none of our neighbors face more desperate need than those who are so poor that malnutrition and even death constantly haunt them…
“That is the context in which we live. That is the context in which the God of love and justice invites us to love our needy neighbors out of gratitude for the way he loves us... This collection of biblical passages is designed to assist in that study… This collection of texts could have been arranged in many different ways. A more systematic, theological analysis of the biblical material in terms of the categories used here is perhaps only one way to support this particular arrangement… The sheer volume of biblical material that pertains to questions of hunger, justice and the poor is astonishing. Hopefully this collection, which brings all these texts together in one place, will help the contemporary Church to understand this biblical truth more clearly.
“But it dare not be seen as a canon within the canon. This collection of texts is NOT a collection of the most important of the most relevant biblical material for the late twentieth century, It is merely a collection of biblical material on one particular cluster of issues. To view these texts as the most central within the Bible would be to distort both the editor’s intentions and also the contemporary mission of the Church. On the other hand, simply to feel and experience the power, volume and frequency of what the Bible says about poverty, justice, and hunger forcefully affects one’s thought and life. I have been studying biblical teaching on these themes for years. But the task of bringing all of this biblical material together reminded me in a new, forceful way that the God disclose in Scripture has a very deep concern for the poor, hungry and oppressed…
“This collection of biblical material is an invitation to hear God speak today. That his word may be startling, even disturbing, should not surprise us. Throughout history, God’s word has constantly challenged us as well as comforted. But the one who calls us to rethink our relationship to a billion hungry neighbors is the one whose love for us was so boundless that it took his Son to the cross. Thus the invitation to hear his word again today is not only a call to costly discipleship, it is also an invitation to joy and salvation.”
This book will be “must reading” for Christians concerned with social justice, and related issues.
November 20, 2022
Should someone need to provide Xian scriptural references on justice this a great collection.
March 19, 2016
This book is a compilation of scripture relating to justice. I read it around the time I took a class on philanthropy. It is good to be understand our biblical call to care for the poor. Having so many scriptures in one place was beneficial. There is little commentary so the scripture is the meat. I found this to be what I needed.
April 17, 2008
this book was good it was a book like bibile but made like
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews