With Justice for All ch. 10

I've been slowly going through the book With Justice for All on this blog. Author John Perkins is one of the founding leaders in Christian Community Development, and this book is largely his narrative. In this particular chapter, John talks about how an almost fatal beating by a group of police officers in 1970 was used by God to clarify his calling from God. After months of struggling with bitterness toward whites, God enabled John to forgive and seek reconciliation. He writes,

"If there was going to be any healing, it would have to take place in an atmosphere of love. I had been trying to demand justice. Now God was opening my eyes to a new and better strategy- seeking reconciliation. I could not bring justice for other people. As a Christian, my responsibility was to seek to be reconciled. Then out of that reconciliation, justice would flow.

Affirmative action, integration, and so on might be useful, but they alone were not justice. Real justice would never be achieved by passing laws or going to court. "Many seek the ruler's favor, but justice for man comes from the Lord (Prov. 29:26). True justice could come only as people's hearts were made right with God and God's love motivated them to be reconciled to each other.

...A hope began to take root. God could heal the bitterness of blacks and replace it with forgiveness. God could forgive whites. He could move them beyond guilt-motivated patronization to responsible partnership with blacks in working for justice. How that could be achieved I didn't know. But God called me. He gave me the dream. He would make it happen."

And God did. Almost forty years later, Perkins is in his legacy stage of leadership. Having mentored hundreds of leaders, he continues to speak prophetically and coach people in their own calls from God to live out reconciliation and seek justice in Christian community.