"Shalom" in Hebrew |
During my first day at Calvin College (Grand Rapids, Michigan), I remember stopping in a restroom, meeting a young guy who said, “Hello,” and when he found out I was new to the campus, welcomed me. I found out later that this young man was Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff, a professor of philosophy at the college – not a student, as I supposed since he looked so young. Wolterstorff taught for years at Calvin College and later moved to a former Christian college, Yale University, but I continue to learn from him through his books and lectures. He has been an important mentor and some of what you read in this Shalom blog are based on insights I gained from him.
Of his many books, Until Peace and Justice Embrace has been one I have read through repeatedly and upon which I built my own “Shalom lectures” while teaching at the American Studies Program on Capitol Hill and the Russian-American Institute in Moscow. In a short chapter, “For Justice in Shalom,” Wolterstorff writes about the need for a comprehensive vision that will guide our lives and keep us from losing our way.
With this brief introduction, he offers “the vision of shalom – peace – first articulated in the Old Testament poetic and prophetic literature but then coming to expression in the New Testament as well.” He then goes on to explain that shalom is intertwined with justice and that there is no shalom without justice, but shalom goes beyond justice.
It was Wolterstorff who first introduced me to the four dimensions of shalom when he wrote, “Shalom is the human being dwelling at peace in all his or her relationships: with God, with self, with fellows, with nature.” He emphasized that shalom is not merely the absence of hostility, but “at its highest is the enjoyment in one’s relationships.”
The title of Wolterstorff’s book is taken from Psalm 85:10: “. . . justice and peace have kissed (or embraced)” – what a magnificent depiction of the close link between justice and peace! While I am not a bumper sticker guy, I do like the bumper stickers that read “No Justice, No Peace; Know Justice, Know Peace.”
In the conclusion of this chapter, Wolterstorff presents a challenge that profoundly impacted my life: “Can the conclusion be avoided that not only is shalom God’s cause in the world but that all who believe in Jesus will, along with him, engage the works of shalom? Shalom is both God’s cause in the world and our human calling.”
So What?
- Who have been mentors in your life? Have you thanked them?
- What have you learned about shalom from this blog that has helped you to see it as a part of your “human calling”?
- Can you see how Biblical shalom involves enjoying relationships and flourishing in your work and in your community? Living a life of shalom results in being more fully human, according to God’s design. It’s a good reason for sharing this truth with others.
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ReplyDeleteJohn, thanks for reminding me where I first read of the four part set of relationships that NW brings out in this book. This has become such a central part of my own thinking that I'd forgotten exactly where it came from. Current writers in Christian community and international development, like Bryant Myers and Corbett & Fikkert, make full use of this relational structure. Though I didn't have a close encounter with young Nick as you did, he has also been a great teacher for me over the years. One book that deeply influenced my thinking was his little book on Reason Within the Bounds of Religion. Tightly argued and easy to read, it is also profound. It was on the front end of the trend toward a reasonable faith-based grappling with postmodern understandings. Thanks for your reflections.
ReplyDeleteI echo Roland's thanks. Nick's categorization of the aspect of shalom has been very influential in Christian reflection on shalom and justice - all the more surprising in that it is outlined in just a 4-page interlude in "Until Peace and Jutstice Embrace". It certainly influenced my own thought. I hope that his more recent work on Justice and Love will gain similar traction, as there is much of benefit there.
ReplyDeleteI did persuade Nick to talk to one of my Economics classes when I was at Dordt - this, apparently, was a first for him!
Shalom!