Haugen, Good News About Injustice

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Gary A. Haugen, Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World. IVP Books, 2009.

Referenced in: Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

It is hard to overstate the significance of this book. Evangelicals sometimes chafe at the term social “justice” and prefer social action, based on the idea that not all poverty, homelessness, etc. necessarily represents an injustice but may still call for compassionate action. This has some merit. On the other hand, at times it simply represents the lack of exposure to the awful conditions where people indeed suffer at the hands of oppressive authority. Perhaps no group understands this better than the International Justice Mission (IJM) and their president/CEO, Gary Haugen. As described on their website:

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

They have a four-fold purpose:

Victim relief
Perpetrator accountability
Victim aftercare
Structural transformation

In Good News About Injustice, Haugen offers a rich overview of the biblical message concern social justice, and introduces a wide range of resources who wish to be involved. He avoids being overly sensational, but is still no less clear about four affirmations about God in terms of justice, compassion, moral clarity, and rescue. He then offers real-world tools for rescuing the oppressed. The appendices include a reflection and discussion guide, suggested web resources, justice scripture verses, a book resources guide, and advice to students considering an international human rights career.

From the Publisher

A year 2000 Finalist in the ECPA book competition! The good news about injustice is that God is against it. God is in the business of using the unlikely to accomplish justice and mercy. In this tenth-anniversary edition of Gary Haugen’s challenging and encouraging book he offers stories of courageous Christians who have stood up for justice in the face of human trafficking, forced prostitution, racial and religious persecution, and torture. This expanded edition brings up to date his work in calling for the body of Christ to act. Throughout, he provides concrete guidance on how ordinary Christians can rise up to seek justice throughout the world.

Visit the International Justice Mission website (http://www.ijm.org) for more information about human rights efforts around the world and for suggestions on how you can get involved with this important ministry.

About the Author

Gary A. Haugen is president and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), a human rights organization based in Washington, D.C. Prior to founding IJM, he worked in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was director of the United Nations genocide investigation in Rwanda.

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