This is a decent primer on social justice and racial reconciliation in the church. It's clearly written for a white audience and there are several times when it feels as though the authors softened their message to make it more palatable. But overall, it's a fair introduction for those who might otherwise be skittish in the face of the subject matter.

The Church likes to see itself as a great reconsiler. The ones who, with the love of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit will accomplish what the world has not. With books like these that dream may actually become possible.

Other reviews have talked about topics covered and how they're handled. I just want to add, for those who may be interested, this book misses the chance to be fully inclusive, and included some grouping and language that may not be enough to put them off reading the book altogether (this choice can easily be credited to the primary audience of this work - Evangelical Christians).

At the concluding reflections of Chapter Three, "Repent Together," they write, "Jesus calls us to welcome, embrace, and listen to those who are marginalized by society for a variety of reasons ... those marginalized because of their religion, profession, or sexual orientation (including Muslims, sex workers, and samesex-attracted persons)".

Not being in one of those groups myself I can't speak to how they feel about being grouped, but I've heard the frustration of my LGBT+ brothers and sister in Christ who find conservative Christians' use of SSA instead of any terms sexual minorities use for themselves.

I still think this is an important book - so few include anything like an action plan, or way to hold these inequities before us. I just wanted to offer a note for those who were going in with hope for this, that they can know what's coming.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a digital copy to review.

An introductory work exploring various ways in which Christians would do well to engage the world to make a difference.

The authors come from very different backgrounds and thus provide very different perspectives: a white male of European descent from Australia and a woman of Korean descent in America. They address various issues which exist in our world and how Christians have often fallen short: to see the church reflect its multiracial, multicultural environment, to take up lament, to repent of abuses and sinfulness, to give place and power to others who have not enjoyed it, to work for justice, to welcome in hospitality, to empower those disempowered, to reconcile those who have been alienated, and to share in life together. They discuss the issues, give examples, and end with different action items or practices for a small group to seek to accomplish to reinforce learning.

The material is generally good, although the divergence in authorial perspective can be disorienting at times (and one has to become familiar quickly with Australian idiom). The reader is to be advised that the conversations are much wider than they are deep: this is an introductory, exploratory work, designed more for small groups and things which might be starting out on such a journey. The authors appeal often to works of greater depth, and if one is looking for greater depth in dealing with such issues, they will need to look elsewhere.

In many ways it's a "hip" book, taking advantage of the moment and a lot of the currents swirling around parts of Evangelical Christianity. The work accomplishes its purpose; it just does not go beyond it.

Professors Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill challenge the modern Church to take a very close look at their lives and practices to evaluate what needs to be changed to be the body of Christ that this broken world needs. Both individually and as part of communities they challenge readers to Reimagine Church, Renew Lament, Repent Together, Relinquish Power, Restore Justice, Reactivate Hospitality, Reinforce Agency, Reconcile Relationships, and Recover Life Together.

This is kind of like <i>Life Together</i> for a new century. Not only is it about how to do life individually and corporately as a church, but how to reach out to the hurting and broken people and systems in this world. This is not an easy read by any means. Kim and Hill don’t pull any punches in sharing areas where they think the present Church is failing miserably. It will likely bring some discomfort and conviction to most readers at some if not many points. But they also offer practical ways to change and bring restoration to the Church and the world. At the end of each chapter are action suggestions for small groups. Don’t assign this book for the small groups at your church if you’re looking for light and fluffy conversations. Nope. This stuff is real, deep, sometimes uncomfortable, frequently challenging, and will take hard work. But it is also important. I can’t see a church going through this communally and coming out unchanged if they’re really serious about it. Due to the tough topics they tackle, this isn’t always an easy read. (And they are both university professors, so it is a little more on the academic side than the average relaxed reading side of nonfiction writing.) But these are important things for the modern Church to really think through if they want to be a part of helping heal the broken and hurting world today.

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Healing Our Broken Humanity
Practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing the World
by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill
InterVarsity Press


Christian , Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 28 Aug 2018


I am reviewing a copy of Healing Our Broken Humanity through Intervarsity Press and Netgallwy:


We live in a time of conflict, we see examples of inequality, division and fear on a daily basis. We have a desire to see justice restored., but how can we do this?


In this book Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill offer Christian ways, Christian practices to bring healing as well as Hope to a broken world.


I give Healing Our Broken Humanity five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Healing Our Broken Humanity aims to focus Christianity on social justice issues.

The authors argue that the church needs to heal and become whole, because the world is watching. “We need a new narrative and a new way of telling our stories of God in our lives,” they write. Rather than expecting others to adapt to the church, the authors posit the church should adapt with fresh practices and that race relations may be a good place to start.

They say that Christians first passion must be for Jesus, then they can respond with passion to other issues like politics, race, gender, and others. They also argue that pastors should address racism and sexim as sins, because they are abuses of power.

The ideas presented in this book are very good and relevant for our present society. The authors are very good about providing specific examples from the real world, as well as citing scripture to support their writing. I truly believe social justice concepts are vital for modern Christianity, so I recommend it for religious readers.

Although this book claims to be for clergy and laypersons alike, the academic tone will probably lend itself better to the former. This would be a great book for small groups or ministries working on discernment and vision for their churches. Discussions and activities are suggested throughout.

I really enjoyed this book from Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill. I feel like their beautiful cross cultural collaboration highlights why humanity is so beautiful when developed together. I enjoyed both the stories they shared and the opportunity for community engagement by the application ideas within each chapter. I think we have a lot to learn both from our own cultures and the cultures of others. I would highly recommend this book.

Too often our theological or intellectual posture is one of power and control. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill wrote Healing Our Broken Humanity - practices for Revitalizing the Church and Renewing the World to awake Christians to reject inequality, division and restore justice, peace, and reconciliation. Practically written, biblically grounded, sensitive to cultural context, each chapter ends with concrete suggestions for practices, challenges, and small group activities.

This book unpacks nine practices that are relevant to our new humanity in Christ, the church. Renew lament through corporate expressions of deep regret and sorrow. Repent together of white cultural captivity, and racial and gender injustice, and of our complicity.  Relinquish power by giving up our own righteousness, status, privilege, selfish ambition, self-interests, vain conceit, and personal gain. Restore justice to those who have been denied justice. Reactivate hospitality by rejecting division and exclusion, and welcoming all kinds of people into the household of God. Reinforce agency by supporting people's ability to make free, independent, and unfettered actions and choices. Reconcile relationships through repentance, forgiveness, justice, and partnership. Recover life together as a transformed community that lives out the vision of the Sermon on the Mount.

We must not root Christian identity in nationalism, ethnicity, partisan politics, sociopolitical-economic status, gender, and other such things. Instead, we must root Christian identity in discipleship to Jesus Christ. The church is intended to be diverse, and it has work to do in terms of becoming less monocultural and more intercultural. A lot of wisdom in this technicolored covered book.

By writing this book together, Graham Hill and Grace Ji-Sun Kim embody their message of diversity and reconciliation. Although the book is primarily focused on US racial brokenness, it is refreshing to see stories and viewpoints from other countries. The book is practical, with questions for small groups included in every chapter.