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Ministries of Mercy – The Call
of the Jericho Road.
Author: Tim Keller
Published by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.
ISBN 0-87552-217-3
2nd Edition 1997 £7.95. PP 236
Review by Jim Sayers
When you first look at this book you think it is a fairly
unremarkable paperback about a fairly peripheral issue. If that is
what you think, you could not be more wrong. I started this book at
the beginning of my sabbatical, and every time I have read a chapter
it has stimulated so much thought that I have laid it down and come
back a few days later to move to the next stage. It contains an
agenda that is largely missing among British evangelicals: the
connection between the gospel of God’s grace in Christ and caring
for people’s needs.
Tim Keller is minister of Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York,
a 3000 strong church that he planted some 20 years ago in Manhattan.
As well as being very gospel focussed, they combine word ministry
with mercy ministries through their organisation ‘Hope for New
York.’ See their website at www.redeemer2.com. Tim is the main
speaker at the Proclamation Trust’s Evangelical Ministry Assembly
this June, and is also coming over to speak at All Souls for the
Evangelists Conference in October.
The first half of the book is an extended exposition of the
parable of the good Samaritan, looking at the nature of mercy. Mercy
to the full range of human needs is such an essential mark of being
a Christian that it can be used as a test of whether we are a
Christian. He shows quite brilliantly that the gospel is not simply
for my own individual need for forgiveness, but that it affects the
whole of life, reversing the alienation that affects us in every
area of life. When the gospel changes someone, it changes every part
of their life, physical, emotional and spiritual. If we think that
the church is only there to address spiritual needs, then we are
wrong. He deals with the key objections that arise in mercy
ministry, such as motives for showing mercy, giving and keeping
(whether we should give away everything we have), do we show mercy
most of all to Christians or to the whole world, do we help only the
deserving poor or the undeserving (those who have caused their own
poverty), and how we mix sharing the gospel with showing mercy.
The second half of the book is almost a different book, a
handbook for church leaders in how to get going. I found this hugely
helpful in all kinds of ways, especially in terms of thinking about
what to do about the drug addiction issue and a Christian response
to the Ipswich murders. He tackles well the question of working at
various levels, and shows how short term emergency aid is only the
beginning if we are going to help people to really sort out their
lives. The book is worth buying simply for his management guidance
on how to organise volunteers. It is revolutionising the way I think
about church outreach and how we impact our community. See my blog
for further discussion of the ‘front door/ side door ministry’
issue. Overall a first rate book which makes me want to preach again
on the parable of the Good Samaritan in the autumn.
Jim Sayers |
