Just Courage

"Nothing presents a more compelling and authentic witness of Christian faith in this era than the struggle for justice."- Gary Haugen

In his book, "Just Courage- God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian," Gary Haugen, President of the International Justice Mission, talks about how he senses a subtle but deep discontent among Christians today. And when we mull over that, it isn't surprising, because God has created us for great purpose and adventure. Gary Haugen goes on to say that the "pathway out of a nearly comatose state of boredom, ineffectiveness and triviality lies in the struggle for justice. How counterintuitive. How unexpected. All of which points again to the surprising nature of God's pathways to transformation."

Now that's something worth reflecting over....
Will a justice generation arise in these times?


Here's an additional excerpt from Haugen's book that resonated strongly with me:
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Using analogies from football, Bill McCartney, in his book Blind Spot, writes about the way the church has become weak from playing defense all the time, that is, just trying to live lives of personal piety and righteousness. The church needs a good offense, says Coach McCartney. "By offense, I mean doing justice in the way the Bible mandates." He continues:

"I believe that if we could more effectively teach justice and bring it out of our people, we would significantly upgrade our offense--and by doing so we would win the lost in far greater numbers. If we in the church really did justice today, we would turn our culture upside down for Jesus Christ. We need the high-powered offense of justice to make head-way in a world deeply suspicious of religious phonies.

Doing justice, without sacrificing righteousness, is a potent way to bring life to a congregation that seems largely comatose. Doing justice, without sacrificing righteousness, is an effective way to keep our children passionate about following Jesus.

Imagine if the guys in our churches ever learned to do justice. Imagine what would happen if they got a taste of a powerful offense. I guarantee you they would come alive."

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