The world is not as God intends it to be. God's heart is to make things right, and for the world to be just. But complex problems warrant more sustained attention than quick posts on social media. How can we actually make a difference?Activist Mae Elise Cannon takes us beyond the hashtags to serious engagement with real issues. God calls the church to respond substantively to the needs of the poor, the realities of racial inequity, and the mistreatment of women and the marginalized. We can accomplish change through a range of strategic avenues—spiritually, socially, legally, politically, and economically. And addressing the domestic and international injustices of our day takes us on a journey of spiritual transformationthat brings us closer to God and those around us.Channel your passion to care effectively for your neighbor and the world. This book will help you understand and put into action what it means for the church to be a place of peace, justice, and hope.



Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). She formerly served as the senior director of advocacy and outreach for World Vision US on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. She is the author of Social Justice Handbook and Just Spirituality, and coeditor of Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice.



Introduction



Part 1. Biblical Justice and the Gospel

1. God's Justice and Prophetic Advocacy

2. Politics and the Gospel



Part 2: Poverty

3. Global Poverty

4. Domestic Poverty



Part 3: Race

5. White Supremacy and American Christianity

6. Racial Violence, Police Brutality, and the Age of Incarceration

7. Global Immigration and Battles at the Border

8. Divisions of Race and Ethnicity Around the World



Part 4: Gender

9. #MeToo, Women in the Workplace, and Women in the Church

10. The Liberation of Women Around the World



Part 5: Twenty-First-Century Divides

11. Marriage and Sexuality

12. The Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

13. Religious Freedom



Epilogue: A Recommitment to Biblical Justice and Beloved Community

Acknowledgments

Notes