It comes as no surprise that an African author would be the one to remind us of our Nazarene denomination historical roots and the connection between Christian holiness and the pursuit of justice and compassion. Chanshi Chanda in his new work, Christlike Justice and the Holiness Tradition, calls the church to be present in the social, political and economic turmoil of our generation. He illustrates that holiness is about engagement, not withdrawal. The very core of holiness is the supremacy of love and grace; God’s people are the conveyors of that redeeming word in a broken world.
For Chanda, who is the strategy coordinator for the French Equatorial Field and holds a master's degree from Africa Nazarene University in Nairobi, Kenya, holiness is no escapist theology. He writes, “By mingling with the powers, our holiness members will infect the powers they serve with and bring them to the point of salvation in Christ” (p.92). When God’s people are engaged in the communities in which they live, transformation is possible and healing becomes the reality.
Chanda does not want to import justice from the Western church nor does he believe it is particularly effective for Western leaders to pontificate about injustices in the developing world. Rather, he argues, “It is appropriate for the local Church and her spiritual leaders to use the local networks to address injustice. The most important and powerful body to combat injustice and oppression is the Church at the level where the evil is taking place” (p. 112).
As a former student of the late church history scholar Timothy L. Smith, and influenced by his seminal work, Revivalism and Social Reform, I found Chanda’s work to be a refreshing reminder of who we are as a holiness people. We must, according to the author, value the traditions that defined the holiness movement and to value the core assumption that Christian perfection is, in part, about building social, political and economic institutions that can facilitate justice for all God’s people.
The word "justice" has become suspect in the current culture, as it has been captured by liberal social and political institutions that threaten the foundation of the gospel. However, Chanda rescues the concept and anchors the notion of justice as "biblical justice," which is rooted in the holiness of God and His transforming grace.
This prophetic work emphasizes the need for the Church to engage. It comes from a man who lives on a continent where each year millions of people are dying of HIV and AIDS; political corruption undermines the foundations of democracy; hunger and drought are the norm for the majority of Africa’s population; social and political violence erupt with the slightest provocation. As one reads this work, you feel the urgency of the writer and his colleagues as they seek to do justice and walk humbly with their God.
While the work lacks scholarly documentation and perhaps theological analysis, this book is a call to action. We should read it as such. He embraces the notion developed by James Davison Hunter in his work, To Change the World, that our work is to create a “faithful presence.” Being present gives love a chance to bear witness to the power and hope of God.
Readers who read this work will find themselves celebrating their history as a holiness people and embracing their future as engaged and involved individuals in their communities. You will be different because of the reflections of Chanshi Chanda, and the world will be better for it.
James C
opple is the Global Resource director for Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Inc. He is the founding principal of Strategic Applications International, a global consulting firm focusing on HIV and AIDS, substance abuse and violence prevention. He is a graduate of Eastern Nazarene College and Nazarene Theological Seminary. His doctoral work is in Medieval Church History and the History of American Religious Thought.