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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday Book Club - Justice in the Burbs 5
Since we have a fifth Tuesday this month, I thought we could have this final discussion on Justice in the Burbs by Will and Lisa Samson be more personal and fun.

One of my favorite stories in the book involved how the fictional family turned Halloween into a time to reach out to the stressed out neighbors. They served bowls of hot chili to the families as they came by trick or treating which was much welcomed by those who hadn't had time to grab a bite to eat before the kids pulled them out the door on the quest for candy. They realized that Halloween is the one night of the year when they were guaranteed to encounter their neighbors and so were able to reconnect and reestablish relationships that had slipped in the busyness of life.

I loved that, using Halloween not to preach at people but to connect as friends in community. So what do you all do with Halloween? Has it ever been a chance for missional involvement? What are ways that we can help make it a time to connect with neighbors?
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posted by Julie at 12:02 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 2 comments
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday Book Club - Justice in the Burbs 4
At this point in our discussion of Will and Lisa Samson's Justice in the Burbs, I want to bring up the issue of what stands in the way of our engaging in justice. If we as Christians have been called to act justly and to "be Jesus" to those around us, it is obvious that we have not done a perfect job at this. In fact some people don't even know about justice and others go to churches that preach against it. Justice isn't happening as it should in the church today. So what stands in our way? What prevents us from doing justice, what excuses to we give?

Do we not know what we should be doing?
Do we not know what needs to be done?
Are we afraid of what others will think?
Are we afraid for our safety?
Are we to busy?
Do we think acting justly is too inconvenient or expensive?
Do we just not care?

Let's have an honest and open discussion about what prevents us from acting justly. Sometimes we ca talk about justice but never understand it in the context of our lives. I hope this discussion can help place justice within that context.
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posted by Julie at 10:04 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 2 comments
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tuesday Book Club: Justice in The Burbs 3
This is the third week of this month's book discussion on Will and Lisa Samson's book Justice in the Burbs: Being the Hands of Jesus Wherever You Live. The discussion the last couple of weeks has focused on feelings elicited by the idea of working for justice on a personal, national or global level and the importance of the participation of disciples of Jesus in the work of justice. I would like to challenge us this week to think about these issues in terms of our everyday lives so I have some thoughts and questions for reflection.

1. The byline of this book is "Being the Hands of Jesus Wherever You Live" and the Samson's talk about the potential disruption to relationships when you begin to focus on justice. What supports your efforts to be aware of and address injustice and need where you live? What works against those efforts? What is the level of awareness or interest in your current community, faith community, or close personal relationships regarding issues of justice? Who are the important people in your life that would feel uncomfortable with your increased interest in working for justice?

2. In the meditation at the end of chapter one, Brian McLaren makes the point that the word dikaios, or dikaiosuvnh, in the New Testament is often translated as 'righteousness" instead of justice and thus leads people to focus on God's desire for personal and private piety rather than on the need for corporate righteousness. He suggests that we read the NT and insert the word justice for righteousness. Click here for a list of the NT verses containing 'righteousness.' Read a few of these verses substituting 'justice' for 'righteousness.' Do you come away from the text with any new understanding or insight?

3. If our lives have not tended to be focused on working for justice, the change to placing more emphasis on those issues can feel scary and threatening. In her meditation on pp. 154-155, Christine Pohl articulates the anxiety that can be provoked by trying to live justly in a suburban context. For myself, as a parent living a firmly middle class life in a small city in the midwest, focusing on issues of justice represents quite a change and means a re-ordering of priorities and changes to my lifestyle. What would more focus on working for justice mean for your life? What status quo might be threatened? What might the change look like for you? If you have already made that shift, tell us what that has been like.

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posted by Betsy Whaley at 12:00 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 6 comments
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Tuesday Book Club - Justice in the Burbs 2
Our book discussion for this month is on Will and Lisa Samson's new book Justice in the Burbs. Last week, we brought up the basic questions of what is justice and how we personally engage with it. This week's questions are similar in that they address the "big picture" issues. Later in the month we will look deeper at the more personal choices we make involving justice issues.

1. Something I have discovered in discussing justice issues is how one's situation affects how one sees justice. Those of us living some version of the "American Dream" in suburbia often have a very different perception of justice than those living under oppressive governments or those living in wealthy countries where the media and the government make a bigger deal about these issues. For example if you are living under a dictator in Central America, the words in scripture about loosing the chains of injustice, releasing the prisoner and bring hope to the oppressed are part of your day to day life. You are the one being oppressed, you desperately desire fair wages, human rights, and basic life needs met. Theologies of liberation appeal to you and are at the forefront of your religious experience. But if you live in a place where the poor are not visible, where stories of injustice go untold, and the church cares more for new buildings than the oppressed, you have no reason to even begin to care. Generally in church you may not ever even hear the scriptures that focus on justice read. So how does one become aware enough to care? Where does the average person in wealthy countries go to become educated on justice issues?

2. How does your view of America (or England, or Australia, or ...) shape your understanding of what it means to live justly? Do your political and economic beliefs sway how you think about justice? Do those views encourage or discourage you from caring for the poor and the oppressed? What about when it is your government that is doing the oppressing?

3. Jemila asked in last weeks discussion, "is it realistic to bring the kingdom of God large scale ... or better to work at bringing alive God's love in my little corner?" Should governments be involved on working for justice? Should we only care about those in the smaller spheres we touch? Can both be done? What are the issues involved in trusting say the government to do the work of God's Kingdom?

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posted by Julie at 10:17 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 4 comments
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Tuesday Book Club - Justice in the Burbs 1
During the month of October we will be discussing various aspects of Will and Lisa Samson's book Justice in the Burbs. This book is a good introduction to what it means to care about justice as a Christian - especially if "justice" is something which you have avoided or known nothing about before. The book is also accessible to people with differing learning styles as each chapter presents ideas in fictional form, expository prose, and devotional meditation. Getting those various facets of justice really helps one in understanding the big picture. This is an introductory type of book, that focuses mainly on general themes and less on specific action steps, but it helps create the setting for how we can view justice. Even you haven't read the book please still feel free to jump in on these conversations (but it's a quick read if you want to pick it up!).

The story part of Justice in the Burbs follows a "typical" evangelical suburban family that over times learns to care for the needy and attempts to live justly. It is a process of learning and caring and understanding that is often met with scorn and rejection. The idea is to help discover how one can live a just life even in the suburbs (which the authors admit they failed at doing). To start our discussions, I think a general introduction to the idea of justice might help us most. So please share your experiences and stories.


1. When you hear the term "justice" what do you think of? What is your reaction to the term "social justice"?

2. In your church tradition were (are) things like helping the poor and the oppressed priorities? Do you spend more time involved in church activities that are for the good of the church (programs, leadership meeting, choir...) or in those that are intended to serve the needy?

3. In your day to day life, do you encounter situations where you must make ethical or "just" decisions? Do you encounter people who are in need of help (in whatever form)?

4. Do you think that Christians should even be involved in bringing "justice" to the world? Why or why not?

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posted by Julie at 12:27 AM ¤ Permalink ¤ 7 comments