Reviewed Book: Beckley, Harlan. Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of Walter Rauschenbusch, John A Ryan, and Reinhold Niebuhr. Louisville, Ky: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992

Cole-Arnal, Oscar

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Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of Walter Rauschenbusch, John A Ryan, and Reinhold Niebuhr

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ConsensusVolume 19Issue 2 Liberation Theology Article 2311-1-1993Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies ofWalter Rauschenbusch, John A Ryan, and ReinholdNiebuhrOscar Cole-ArnalFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationCole-Arnal, Oscar (1993) "Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of Walter Rauschenbusch, John A Ryan, and ReinholdNiebuhr," Consensus: Vol. 19 : Iss. 2 , Article 23.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol19/iss2/23160 ConsensusIn an early chapter devoted to the ethics or rules “glimpsed” as centralto traditional Native life and conduct, the author sets forth such basics asthe ethic of non-interference; the ethic of not showing anger; the ethic ofhow and how not to praise and show appreciation; the ethic of thinkingthings through thoroughly before actually trying them out; and the ethicof doing things only when the time is right. On the background of thisperspective the author shows how Native philosophy more often than notplaces Native people in direct conflict with the general Canadian culturalenvironment and especially with the Canadian justice system. In contrastto the Canadian court system which seeks to incarcerate, separate, and pre-vent the accused from causing society any further harm, the Native practiceis to utilize non-confrontative consultation and discussion aimed at reha-bilitating, reconciling, and restoring the accused to community. Whereastraditional Canadian culture might focus on the negative inevitabilities ofhuman nature, the writer observes how Native culture puts much more em-phasis on the positive and potential in Native men and women in keepingwith their “doctrine of original sanctity” (ch. 10).I enjoyed reading this book. I believe it helped me gain insight intothe mystery and otherness of Native culture and reality. The book does acredible job at explaining how the present dilemma and conflict betweennon-Native and Native cultures came to be. There are suggestions too asto how both sides might move forward from the present. In my mind,the writer has accomplished his objective: “If I have done nothing else inthis book, I hope to have established beyond controversy that there wasand still is a strong, complex, sophisticated and enduring Native culturewhich deserves our recognition and our study” (187). I wholeheartedlyrecommend the reading of this brief but engaging book, especially for ourclergy and students preparing for ministry in Canada.Roger W. UittiLutheran Theological Seminary, SaskatoonPassion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of WalterRauschenbusch, John A. Ryan and Remhold NiebuhrHarlan BeckleyLouisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992391 pagesHarlan Beckley’s Passion for Justice is an important book in a numberof respects, both in its framework of social ethics and beyond. I electedto review this book because of my historical interests and my sympathieswith the three flgures under discussion. My awareness of Niebuhr involvesreading and study covering a thirty-year period, and I have been an ad-mirer of Rauschenbusch for over two decades. Like most Protestants myBook Reviews 161encounters with Ryan have been few. I suspect that most of us withinthe Reformation tradition have never even heard of Ryan. Quite likelyI the knowledge of these three social theologians among Protestants to someextent parallels my own. However, that experience has serious limitationsin that it is, at best, only an imperfect indicator of the importance of thethree. In fact, they are all giants—in terms of their contributions to Chris-Itian ethical thinking, their active commitment to justice in recent UnitedStates history and their impact. Harlan Beckley recognizes this and hasgiven us a thorough and scholarly comparison of the three. His book is amajor contribution.Although there are aspects of the book which I do not find particularlyi appealing, that is strictly a matter of taste and not a critique. I like nar-rative and historical context; that is why I am a historian. Dr. Beckley onthe other hand is a theologian of social ethics, and he uses the tools andmethods of his discipline. In fact, he uses these exceptionally well. In spiteof intricate detail and thoroughness the flow of the book provides clarityand moves the reader forward. As well, unlike a fair number of systematictheologians, Beckley is aware of history and employs it well. The reader istreated to the social, political, economic and personal context of the threethinkers. They are not disembodied ideas but rather real people in a veryspecific sitz im leben. Beckley does not allow us to forget that fact.Further, Becker’s comparative categories are indicated clearly, but henever forces the three men into categories that do not belong to them. Aswell, he demonstrates the evolution of their thought over the years. It isa tribute to the author that he treats all three with sensitivity and com-passion, yet he never hesitates to offer balanced criticism. After all, hisemphasis is on retrieving legacies rather than indulging in intellectual ex-ercises. He uses these three giants as teachers for those Christians on theU.S. scene who are committed passionately to “doing justice”. Balance,commitment, intellectual rigour and a vital subject make Passion for Jus-tice a superb work which bridges the near past with a kairotic present. Itis well worth the reading.But what about Canadians? Have we not had too much of foreignvoices defining our theology? Is this not a sign of theological colonialism?Certainly we have been dependent in our theological approaches far toofrequently. We have not taken seriously our own seminal thinkers. Perhapsour Passion for Justice study might do a comparison/contrast of SalemBland, Douglas John Hall and Gregory Baum or Jacques Grand’Maison.162 ConsensusThis study would be most valuable. At the same time it is interesting tonote that Bland acknowledged the influence of Walter Rauschenbusch, andHall was a pupil of Reinhold Niebuhr. Thus, we need to be aware of positiveinfluences which have come from abroad. Indeed, they may be valuable aswell. This is true with respect to Beckley’s book. Though written largelyfor Americans south of the border, it provides us with usable material forour own reflections. Perhaps it might even inspire us to take up a similarchallenge for “doing justice” in our own context.Oscar Cole ArnalWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryCatholic Social Thought: The Documentary HeritageDavid J. O’Brien and Thomas A. Shannon, editorsMaryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1992688 pp.It is not at all surprising that a new collection of papal social encycli-cals has appeared immediately after the centenary of Leo XIII’s pioneerletter Rerum Novarum (1891). There have been a number of these overthe years, and one might wonder why yet another has seen the light ofday. One reason cited by the publisher (Orbis Books) is reason enough tojustify this work. The Maryknoll Arm, which has given us so many valu-able works on liberation theology, calls Catholic Social Thought “the singlemost comprehensive available collection of primary documents from PopeLeo XIIFs Rerum Novarum (1891) to John Paul IPs recent Centesimus An-nus (1991)”. This claim is not excessive and underscores the most valuableaspect of the book.Catholic Social Thought is indeed comprehensive in two ways. Unlikemany previous collections of papal social encyclicals, this documentary workcontains the full texts of the papal letters rather than the habitual extensiveexcerpts of its predecessors. Thus the reader has at her or his disposal thecomplete primary documentation. This is no mean achievement and alonejustifies the appearance of this anniversary work. Also, it is comprehensivein that it contains the full range of pontifical social encyclicals from thefirst century of social Catholicism’s formal existence. However, the positivefeatures of the book do not end here. The introductory pieces for thedocuments are the best that I have seen in such studies. They provide anexcellent, though brief, picture of the social and historical context out ofwhich they came, and they summarize effectively the salient points of eachletter within the framework of the evolution of papal teaching. Finally, thebook contains two recent and important American pastoral letters of greatimport.

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Passion for Justice: Retrieving the Legacies of Walter Rauschenbusch, John A Ryan, and Reinhold Niebuhr

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