BOOK REVIEWS
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed.”
Francis Bacon (d. 1626)

Reviewed by Darold Morgan, Richardson, TX

The Beloved Community How Faith Shapes Social Justice, From the Civil Rights Movement to Today
Charles Marsh, New York: Basic Books, 2005, $26.

All students of Christian ethics will find in this book an exceptionally well-written, strongly researched volume of lasting value on the issues of social justice in the United States. The author takes as his title a powerful phrase popularized by Martin Luther King, Jr., in his Montgomery years (The Beloved Community), and infuses it with such depth and perception that the prevalent jaded disillusionment about social civil justice senses the potential of renewal and revival.

Dr. Marsh brings the spotlight of superb research to King’s inaugural ministry in Montgomery, recording succinctly the events and personalities that literally revolutionized the civil rights movement. Vital events are brought into perspective that need to be recalled. Additionally, there are biographical facts about these seminal days that should not be forgotten. The skills of the author in recreating these times contributes to the genuine interest created by this most readable and interesting book. By no means is King presented without fault, but his dream of “The Beloved Community”: does color this entire section of American history. Deeply influenced by the black Baptist church heritage and enhanced by Niebuhr’s insights about the kingdom of God, the author develops his thesis about faith being a primary factor in this crusade for social justice. The major goal for a community where equal rights can be a reality for all people, regardless of race or economic levels shines through every chapter in the book.

The author wisely brings in other key personalities and movements in this never-ending quest for social justice. His paragraphs about Clarence Jordan and the Koinonia Farms in Georgia are both timely and helpful, especially the additional biographical background about Jordan and his contacts with King.

Painful but necessary memories of the radical phase of the civil rights movement are treated fairly as one recalls many years later the massive conflicts between leaders who espoused a non-violent approach to the flaming issues and those to whom violence was the only answer. Those times constitute a dark side of American history in the mid-twentieth century, which still shadows social justice needs among us today.

The book documents the collapse of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the ultimate passage of civil rights legislation, and the lapse of leadership, producing a peculiar malaise in the arena. Other factors now necessitate the timeliness of this fresh review—i.e., the force of immigration, the constancy of poverty, the lack of educational and medical facilities among the poorest segment of the population, and the simmering levels of racial prejudice. There have been some major achievements in all of these areas, but the need for continuing progress is both apparent and urgent.

One of the strengths of the book is a study of current experiments in “faith-based” movements. These reports are separate from the current emphasis on government support for social programs. Marsh writes persuasively and positively about these examples. John Perkins and his widespread influence through “The Voice of Calvary” ministry is interestingly presented, though somewhat controversial as a part of the contemporary “Beloved Community.” References are made to similar work and ministries in Harlem, Oak Part, Philadelphia, Boston, Charlottesville, and Jackson. Each of these examples merit far more study as to how faith shapes social justice.

Marsh concludes by defining the “Beloved Community as a gift of the kingdom of God introduced into history by the church, and thus it exists within the provenance of Christ’ mystery in the world” (207). Churches, therefore, need to be as part of the social justice movement, and many have responded during these turbulent decades. However, their involvement needs to be balanced and committed to biblical concerns.

The author’s thesis is strengthened by helpful quotations throughout the book from Karl Barth, Helmut Thielicke, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, and others. Do not casually dismiss these influences as radical. Each has an unmistakably strong biblical stance that centers in a personal relationship with Christ, bringing a solid base of theological underpinnings to their approach.

That the problems confronting social justice today are massive and unrelenting is beyond debate—crime, drug addition, lack of medical facilities particularly for the poor, immigrant discrimination, and homelessness are only a part of this array of social problems that will not go away. But also there are people motivated by Christian compassion, concern, intelligence that will not go away. It is apparent from this excellent study that today we are blessed with many churches and people who are a living part of the “The Beloved Community.”

Updated Monday, October 24, 2005