What is it about?

A book review of David Docusen's "Neighborliness: Finding the Beauty of God Dividing Lines". The review highlights the key biblical themes for combating racial and economic injustice. The review is a call to the followers of Christ to learn to find the Beauty of God in those who look and believe differently than they do.

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Why is it important?

We live in an increasingly polarized world that is pushing us to disassociate with anyone who does not look like or believe as we do. David Docusen challenges us to look to resist the polarization and instead look for the Beauty of God across dividing lines. This is an important book because it provides a theological perspective concerning racial and economic injustice, which is often missing from the dialogue. As followers of Christ, we must take serious issues of injustice. David Docusen provides a theological perspective that provides local churches and followers of Christ with the tools to engage in social and economic injustice that is rooted in our profession of Jesus Christ as the redeemer of the world.

Perspectives

I believe strongly that the current trajectory of polarization along racial and economic lines cannot be sustained. While bringing awareness to the issues, secular groups are limited in bringing about meaningful change. I believe that only the solution capable of reversing the increased polarization is to view racial and economic injustices through the lens of Jesus Christ. This will propel us to step out of the echo chambers and begin to see those who look and believe differently than us as created in the image of God. Doing so will cause us to move towards those who look and act differently to learn and celebrate from those different from us. When we see the beauty of God across dividing lines we reverse the polarization that is destroying our world.

Michael Young

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Neighborliness: Finding God’s Beauty Across Dividing Lines, by David Docusen, Pneuma, June 2021, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/15700747-04301021.
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