Great book for anyone interested in social justice
The Revolution is a great book for researching social justice movements and organizations. I've used the book for speeches, reports, and in when looking to do volunteer work. This book is an excellent read, I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in helping change current social problems for the good.
One sided and poorly written
This book covers a number of topics that evangelical Christians *do* need to educate themselves on, such as the AIDs crisis, gang warfare and the environment. The first few chapters of this book cover subject matter that most Christians - and non-Christians for that matter - will find broad agreement on. However, as you progress through the book, the leftist agenda becomes so obvious that you begin to question the book's objectivity. For instance, the chapter on the death penalty is written by a strident death penalty opponent who consistently applies straw man arguments. The chapter called "War and Peace" is a disaster. By this point, the reader will not be the least bit surprised to find that another left wing activist and pacifist writes this chapter. If you're looking for a good intellectual analysis of the Just War doctrine or acknowledgement that good Christians can come to to different conclusions about this topic, you will not find it in this chapter, either.
Clearly, this book was written with an agenda. But I'm not sure how much this actually advances the agenda of turning a moderate or conservative evangelical towards the progressive world view, because so many of the arguments are simply not that compelling or balanced.
Great enthusiasm, not very practical
I'm all about the idea of "Let's change the world." I speak about that message incessantly. My audiences get tired of hearing me utter those words I suspect. But as communicators it is our job to provide practical, doable, ways that can be immediately walked out ways of doing what we are calling people to.
Absolutely love the attitude behind the editor and various writers of each chapter of this book and the bottom line of the book, which essentially calls people to live radically differently. The only problem is - with a couple of exceptions - in order to carry out the ideas taken on in each chapter one would have to fly to another part of the world to put the action plan into practice or have an enormous amount of money to commence with the change. Considering the reading audience (Relevant readers) I suspect most will be frustrated when it comes to applying the ideas here.
Mother Teresa said of the US, "There is plenty to do right around you... don't fly to Calcutta. Open your eyes and get to work!"
Read this book and allow your heart to be captured by the zeal of each author, then get to work in your own backyard / city. Yes, we can change the world right here, right now.
A great manual
This was a great read. Easy to follow, great stories from experienced servants in social justice issues. Chapters are short and to the point. You read it and feel more equipped with what to do.
For want of works
Reading about social issues is like reading about physical fitness. I develop a tic, like restless leg syndrome. Don't get me wrong- collecting information and quotes is one of my favorite pastimes, but certain issues are a bugaboo to my conscience. When it comes to my top five- poverty, capital punishment, fair trade, peace, and hunger- I get impatient with sitting still, with learning. It's a good thing that The Revolution: A Field Manual for Changing your World is so easily digestible. Written and edited to answer the question "What can I do?" The Revolution is slickly edited for audiences disconnected from the problems addressed. It's four steps for action- donate, activate, educate and pray- belie the cushion that separates rich Christians from what Ron Sider calls "an age of hunger."
What troubles me is why we need slick editing to prompt us to action. The Revolution, with its motivating pull quotes, enervating sidebars and zine feel, is aimed at young Christians, and the niche market ensures that the book is sure to be noticed by those who are justice-minded. The essayists' anecdotes and research confirms our passion and the shame is that these may be lost to key audiences.
As I read I get a tic; I want to leap to action- to determine how this content may be used to educate and activate the Christians numbed by the ticker tape of human tragedy racing on the periphery of our consciousness. If only I could donate the book to educate campus-church Christians so they can study how to activate purposefully. But, until churches and small groups integrate action into their studies, I'm afraid that nothing will change. Small groups will wrap up with the only Christian work in which most are disciplined- prayer. What the book doesn't do is demonstrate that social justice involves other disciplines including inconvenience, long-term commitment and worn-out knees.
