Ministries of Mercy

Title: Ministries of Mercy
Author: Timothy J. Keller
Publisher: P & R Publishing, 1997 (2nd edition)
Pages: 236
Begun: June 23, 2009
Completed: August 27, 2009

Keller begins his work with a brief exposition of Luke 10:25-37, Christ's giving of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He uses this as a launching pad for the primary thrust of his book: the Church must take seriously it's mission to minister mercy (i.e. financial aid, counseling, education, job counseling, etc.) to those inside and outside the Church. Though I in principle agree with Keller's thesis, I was bothered by his strained exegesis of Luke 10 and the applications he drew from it. He came close to "spiritualizing" the Parable and making a big point of every single detail of it and relating it specifically to an action of the Church. This hermeneutic troubled me during the first half of the book. Keller dropped any reference to the Parable and honed in more on methodology and implementation of mercy ministries.

Keller makes some thought-provoking statements, specifically in regards to the general absence of mercy ministries in churches. I appreciated his theological focus throughout in pointing to God as the Model of mercy ministries. Another positive aspect of his thesis is his emphasis on the gospel as the driving force of mercy. The gospel must never be divorced from financial aid to the poor or from counseling a single mom or from helping a husband/father find employment. The gospel and mercy are inextricably linked. The word of mercy and the deed of mercy, states Keller, work synergistically.

The book, especially the second half, reads more like a manual, hence it is difficult to follow at times. A helpful book overall.