God's Neighborhood

A Hopeful Journey in Racial Reconciliation & Community Renewal

By Scott Roley
With James Isaac Elliott
Foreword by Michael Card

(paperback)

Product Details

Line: IVP Books
Length: 224 pages
Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches
Binding: paperback
Published: May 2004

ISBN-10: 0-8308-3224-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3224-8
IVP Order Code: 3224

"With the convictions of his heart and the actions of his life Scott Roley leads the church in fulfilling its biblical mission of making all believers of every people group one in Christ. Recounting the journey that has formed his heart and led to courageous commitments is an inspiring lesson not so much about grand principles for overcoming racism as about how the simple practice of faithfully living godly priorities in a compassionate family can radically alter our world for the kingdom."

"God's Neighborhood is the story of how the gospel transforms not only people and their families but also their communities and their cultures. It is a beautiful and inspiring testimony of redemptive grace in action among the last and the least as well as the first and the foremost. It is thus a timely gift to all of us in the modern church."

"I recommend that every Christian read this book! It reveals the heart of a man of God who is transparent about his personal learning through his experiences in racial reconciliation and community ministries. I was blessed, encouraged and challenged to be more sensitive to all poor people."

"God's Neighborhood shows us, in powerful ways, how to live as God designed us--not as isolated individuals struggling against the odds but as community members serving God and each other. This book is an engrossing story with universal application. It is a story of sacrifice and gain. It is a story of hope and of joy. Through the reading of this book, I learned about the heart of God!"

"You would need to be a minority living in a white evangelical subculture to understand fully when I say that God's Neighborhood is a safe place. Scott and Linda Roley are a safe place. The 'balm of Gilead' that gets down in the trenches with the wounded brother to make him whole is the balm that washes over me as I read God’s Neighborhood."

"There's no one more qualified to write this book than Scott Roley, who tells the story of reconciliation with his life. The chapter on adoption alone is worth the price of the book. Having journeyed alongside both James and Scott for years, I can recommend what they write and say because I know how they live--with a desire to know Jesus better and make him known."

"This book is a real story of the struggle of one who has lived with the tension that God's neignborhood is also his own neighborhood, with a willingness to say, 'Lord, if you can love these, your people, so can I.' What a great tension between theory and reality, between what should be and what is. This book should be read to feel and sense God's victory in the midst of tension."