Gospel for the poor

Antonio González’s book, The Gospel of Faith and Justice (Orbis Books, 2005), is a fantastic resource for Christians who know intuitively that faith and justice are two sides of the same coin and who are unsettled when the church demonstrates just one side.

It is also a book for people who are curious about how Anabaptism can be fruitfully woven in with theological movements outside of North America.

Antonio González is an Anabaptist scholar from Spain who is currently a member of the Faith and Life Commission for Mennonite World Conference. He is deeply formed by liberation theologians such as Ignacio Ellacuría, a Jesuit murdered in El Salvador in 1989, who prioritized the experience of the poor when considering the radical meaning of the good news of Jesus. Having taught in Latin America, González is formed by the very context out of which liberation theology emerged.

The influence of Protestant and Mennonite theologians is also evident in González’s thought. Jürgen Moltmann helps González express a theology of hope that is not constricted by historical trajectories but is open to the unfettered and transformative reign of God. Readers familiar with Mennonite theologians will recognize visions for new, radical Christian communities that provide an alternative social vision.

The main purpose of the book is to demonstrate that liberation theology and evangelical witness are not only mutually compatible but interdependent. González understands “evangelical” as Menno Simons did: an outward expression of faith that is modelled on Jesus’ unqualified concern for both the spiritual and physical well-being of others, especially the socially marginalized.

The first and last chapters frame the book with a liberation theology under-standing of the Gospel as “Jesus’ practice and preaching [in]… solidarity with the poor.” (165)

Chapters 2 and 3 form the heart of the book. In the second chapter, González observes in the Bible that God’s preferred method for forming faithfulness and for furthering justice is to create alternative communities that model life for an emerging society in which all individuals and all nations will be blessed. In these communities, faith and justice are inextricably linked. Hence, nonviolence is not just a strategy for a new society, it is the “very announcement that the Kingdom of God has already begun.”

In the third chapter, González winsomely interprets Matthew 25 as the basis of hope for the poor. González emphasizes that human efforts to bring justice are good and noble, but they primarily address only the symptoms of injustice, and they treat the poor as “objects of solidarity.” By contrast, justice that is grounded in God’s promise and vision for humanity living in the new community addresses causes of suffering and values the poor as “subjects of their own destiny.”

The next four chapters flesh out themes brought up in the first part of the book: proclaiming the reign of Jesus; under- standing why the poor are drawn to Pentecostalism; clarifying the importance and role of hope; and suggesting how the Trinity functions as a model for a new community and emerging society.

This is an academic book, as one would expect from the publisher, Orbis Books. But it is also a very readable book, not least because González saves scholarly debates and the names of other scholars for the footnotes. There is a solid rationale for the order of the chapters in the book, but one chapter does not explicitly anticipate the next, and therefore the reader can dive into one essay and not worry about what they have missed.

As Anabaptists around the world commemorate the seminal events that developed into Anabaptism 500 years ago, four contemporary realities are at the forefront of my mind: the rise of populist, right-wing movements globally including Christian Nationalism in North America; the delinking of social justice work from faith and from the biblical mandate; the emerging environmental crisis; and stubborn violent political conflicts. Is Anabaptism robust and vibrant enough to engage these challenging realities?

While González addresses primarily the second of these global maladies, I come away from this book with renewed commitment to an Anabaptist approach to facing a variety of local and global challenges.

When I received this book in the mail, I was embarrassed that I was previously unfamiliar with the writings of Antonio González. Today I am grateful to have read, grappled with, and been inspired by this book. I know that González’s next book published in English, God’s Reign and the End of Empires (2012), is one I will soon read.