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Doing Good Without Giving Up: Sustaining Social Action in a World That's Hard to Change
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9 If you're working to make the world a better place, you might find yourself discouraged. Needs are overwhelming, resources are limited, opposition is real and progress is slow. How do we persevere when the novelty wears off and our enthusiasm runs out? We all want change in the world. But as C. S. Lewis put it, we don't get second things by placing them first; we get second things by keeping first things first. As Christians, we don't just aim at change; we aim at faithfulness, and out of faithfulness comes fruitfulness. Activist Ben Lowe renews our mission with key postures and practices for sustaining faithful social action. What makes social action distinctively Christian includes such things as living out Jesus? love, having a prophetic witness, building bridges with opponents, repudiating idolatries, and practicing repentance and sabbath. Moving beyond theory, Lowe showcases practical examples of what it looks like to persevere in faithful activism and advocacy today. Take heart. As you work for God, God is at work in you to keep your hope alive.
- GenresSocial Justice
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2014
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 2, 2015
I am a witness to the social activism of the sixties and the seventies. A war was ended, civil rights for Blacks where attained to a degree, a war was declared on poverty, and we began efforts to clean up our air and water. Yet many of the activists burned out and sold out. Change is hard and comes slowly. All the problems named above are still with us.
A new generation is addressing itself to these challenges. What concerns Ben Lowe is that burning out, giving up, and selling out are just as real for today's social activists. He knows. He has been on the front lines of Christian environmental activism for ten years and has faced these issues personally and writes this book to articulate both why social activist movements are important and how they may be sustained when change comes hard and slowly.
He begins the book by acknowledging this challenge and the ways he has faced this. He contends that it isn't enough to retreat to a life of personal simplicity and justice. This cannot change structures of inequity and injustice. Only social action movements have the potential to address change at these levels. He talks about the obstacles of scale, controversy, and complexity and the necessity of long and faithful engagement to overcome these, citing as one example the Evangelical Immigration Table that is helping lead a national conversation on immigration.
He takes on the false dichotomy of evangelism and social concern and highlights efforts (including that of InterVarsity at Ohio State!) that integrate gospel proclamation and concerns for justice issues like human trafficking. He also maps out ways we might transcend the culture wars through articulating a "third way" that is more holistic than the political visions of left or right. He articulates the necessity of an activism of courage in a political landscape of fear-mongering. This last seems especially important to me as I look back at how the politics of fear undercut many social efforts where there was substantial consensus and polarized our country around extreme political agendas of left or right.
The second part of his book explores the personal side of sustained social action. Love is foundational, particularly of enemies and opponents, and not often talked about. Maintaining a prophetic stance when opposition arises and we want to be liked (or even elected) is crucial. Learning to deal with inevitable opposition with grace and perseverance is vital. Equally, practices of repentance, sabbath, contemplation, and community allow for recalibration, refreshment and reinforcement.
What impressed me throughout this book was its honesty and practicality. Lowe talks about his struggles to deal with betrayals and with enemies, and his internal struggles with burnout and discouragement. He also tells stories of hope including the engagement of the community where he lives, Parkside, with city officials proposing taxation strategies that would have destroyed that community. Throughout, he provides very practical suggestions that come out of his own experience and practice, along with helpful questions for personal reflection and group discussion.
I would propose that this is a vital manual for Christians who are working together for social change. Lowe pierces through starry-eyed optimism to the tough realities and offers crucial guidance that I hope will result in sustained efforts in social action efforts that move the ball much further down the field than my generation has done.
A new generation is addressing itself to these challenges. What concerns Ben Lowe is that burning out, giving up, and selling out are just as real for today's social activists. He knows. He has been on the front lines of Christian environmental activism for ten years and has faced these issues personally and writes this book to articulate both why social activist movements are important and how they may be sustained when change comes hard and slowly.
He begins the book by acknowledging this challenge and the ways he has faced this. He contends that it isn't enough to retreat to a life of personal simplicity and justice. This cannot change structures of inequity and injustice. Only social action movements have the potential to address change at these levels. He talks about the obstacles of scale, controversy, and complexity and the necessity of long and faithful engagement to overcome these, citing as one example the Evangelical Immigration Table that is helping lead a national conversation on immigration.
He takes on the false dichotomy of evangelism and social concern and highlights efforts (including that of InterVarsity at Ohio State!) that integrate gospel proclamation and concerns for justice issues like human trafficking. He also maps out ways we might transcend the culture wars through articulating a "third way" that is more holistic than the political visions of left or right. He articulates the necessity of an activism of courage in a political landscape of fear-mongering. This last seems especially important to me as I look back at how the politics of fear undercut many social efforts where there was substantial consensus and polarized our country around extreme political agendas of left or right.
The second part of his book explores the personal side of sustained social action. Love is foundational, particularly of enemies and opponents, and not often talked about. Maintaining a prophetic stance when opposition arises and we want to be liked (or even elected) is crucial. Learning to deal with inevitable opposition with grace and perseverance is vital. Equally, practices of repentance, sabbath, contemplation, and community allow for recalibration, refreshment and reinforcement.
What impressed me throughout this book was its honesty and practicality. Lowe talks about his struggles to deal with betrayals and with enemies, and his internal struggles with burnout and discouragement. He also tells stories of hope including the engagement of the community where he lives, Parkside, with city officials proposing taxation strategies that would have destroyed that community. Throughout, he provides very practical suggestions that come out of his own experience and practice, along with helpful questions for personal reflection and group discussion.
I would propose that this is a vital manual for Christians who are working together for social change. Lowe pierces through starry-eyed optimism to the tough realities and offers crucial guidance that I hope will result in sustained efforts in social action efforts that move the ball much further down the field than my generation has done.
February 26, 2021
Social action is such a hard issue to navigate in light of some of the recent trends in Conservative Evangelicalism. Trying to reconcile the program oriented ways of the 80's and 90's with the call of Jesus to social justice is hard in divided nation as the United States. I read this book when it first arrived on shelves, and I have come back to it many times since. In particular, Mr. Lowe bridges the gap between the calls for social action and evangelism. Sometimes they can appear to be in two different worlds, and are certainly painted as such in many Churches and politics. In this book we find a biblical understanding of both and a call to pursue them. There are chapters on very simple and easily accessed ways to begin engaging in social action where you are, and truths to keep you centered on revealing the Jesus who called you there. This is a must read for the staff at my Church.
June 16, 2022
I think this is a good book that will not blow your mind, but it might encourage you along the way. It does a good job of tackling some of the practical issues with social action (i.e. is it even necessary, what about evangelism, etc).
It is a book that encourages you to continue the gospel work of fighting for justice without making grand promises that such a thing may even be accomplished. I deeply appreciated the honesty.
It is a book that encourages you to continue the gospel work of fighting for justice without making grand promises that such a thing may even be accomplished. I deeply appreciated the honesty.
September 15, 2014
Lowe's book is a wonderful exhortation from one who has really been in the trenches. Full of engaging stories of the highs and lows of social action, it is both a powerful introduction and challenge to those seeking to first become involved in social action, and an encouragement to those involved for years. Lowe has written a simple but profound guide to seeking justice well, avoiding burnout, and putting faithfulness first. If you are seeking to follow God's call to social action, or considering leaving that work because you are weary, this is a great book to pick up and engage with.
July 11, 2016
Lowe gives a very good reason for doing social justice as a part of faith. He points out a centered point of view on the culture wars- which I especially appreciate. Oftentimes, there seems to be no center ground in politics, but win-lose politics. I think Lowe describes his experiential knowledge about how the process of choosing sides abdicates the responsibility of faithful people to see the wholeness of humanity. I would recommend this book to any religious person- not just Christian- who has questioned the use of zero-sum politics when trying to do good without giving up.
March 14, 2016
Good, but excessively aimed at the evangelical at times.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews