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Justice Awakening: How You and Your Church Can Help End Human Trafficking
What can I do about human trafficking? What can my church do about slavery? The realities of modern-day slavery can seem daunting, and sometimes it can feel like we should leave it to the professionals. But fighting for justice is not something we have to outsource to others. Every Christian and every church has a part to play. Justice Awakening is a handbook for Christians who want to bring an end to human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Pastor and activist Eddie Byun provides biblical foundations for understanding God's heart for justice and the oppressed. He offers practical, on-the-ground steps that any believer or church can take, from youth groups to men's ministries, orphan care ministries to short-term and long-term missions. Discover what you can do to be part of the solution. And join God's movement for freedom and justice for all. Includes discussion questions and prayer guides for group use.
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
13 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Eddie Byun
10 books5 followersEddie Byun is the missions and teaching pastor of Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos, California. He has previously taught practical theology at Torch Trinity Graduate University and has been lead pastor for Crossway Mission Church and Onnuri English Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. He has also pastored in Sydney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada. Eddie is the author of Justice Awakening and Praying for Your Pastor. He was also the executive producer of Save My Seoul, an award-winning documentary on sex trafficking in South Korea. He resides in San Jose, California, with his wife, Hyun, and their son.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 6, 2019
Practical and good for raising awareness and taking action.
June 10, 2014
Good books don’t always make you feel good. When an author takes an honest look at some real-life problems which enables you to see the world differently, you appreciate their book and their insights; yet the topic may turn your stomach and cause your heart to ache. This is how I felt reading Justice Awakening by Eddie Byun. Byun examines the very real and heart-rending topic of human trafficking. He is hopeful that the church can combat these evils, but this is not the ‘feel-good book of the year.’ It is one of the best books I’ve read lately on the topic of injustice.
Byun is the pastor of Onnuri English Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. Each year, his congregation presses into a theme which God gives them in prayer. Their theme for 2011 was “Freedom.” but in late 2010 when they chose their theme, Byun was unaware of the significance. As he began to explore “Freedom,” he was given David Batstone’s Not For Sale, a book which describes human-trafficking and the modern slave trade. That set Byun on a trajectory (he is now the founding director of Not For Sale Korea). Justice Awakening shares the insights that Byun has gained as he and his church has worked to combat Human-Trafficking. He also gives practical advice and encouragement for churches which want to get involved in the struggle for human freedom.
This is a short book, the main text of the book is only five chapters long. The first chapter talks about God’s heart for Justice as described in the Bible. Chapter two discusses the continuing existence of Injustice between the cross and the final judgment. Chapter three looks at the modern day slave trade, and the nature of human trafficking around the globe. Byun especially focuses on statistics and stories about Korea (his context) and the United States (where this book was published). Chapter four and five layout the case for the church’s involvement in combating the evils of human trafficking. In addition to these chapters, there are three appendices: Appendix A lists resources on Freedom and Justice, Appendix B is a sample sermon on human trafficking, and Appendix C is a case study which looks more in-depth at human trafficking in Korea.
Byun declares that the fight against injustice is part of the Church’s mission in the world. While the problem of human trafficking is extensive and ugly, Byun remains hopeful that as the church stands against it, real freedom is possible for victims and traffickers. One of the things I really appreciated was the place of privilege that Byun gives to prayer. He is not content to just attack modern slavery as a social issue, but as spiritual oppression. He has several helpful suggestions on how to pray through the issue (111-7). On the practical side, he has a number of suggestions for getting the church involved. These range from setting aside a “Freedom Sunday” preaching and organizing study groups to look deeper at the issue, and combating injustice in the community through various church ministries. There are lots of ways that people can get involved, and Byun points to creative ways for people to engage the issue.
I recommend this book, even if it evokes anger and deep sadness. Human trafficking is a global problem, but it isn’t something ‘out there.’ Very likely its effects are felt in the community where you live. Prostitution rings, migrant workers, sweatshops are all part of human trafficking. It is impossible to look at the issues and not be heartbroken for ‘the least of these. Come Lord Jesus. I give this book five stars.
I received this book from IVP in exchange for my honest review.
Byun is the pastor of Onnuri English Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. Each year, his congregation presses into a theme which God gives them in prayer. Their theme for 2011 was “Freedom.” but in late 2010 when they chose their theme, Byun was unaware of the significance. As he began to explore “Freedom,” he was given David Batstone’s Not For Sale, a book which describes human-trafficking and the modern slave trade. That set Byun on a trajectory (he is now the founding director of Not For Sale Korea). Justice Awakening shares the insights that Byun has gained as he and his church has worked to combat Human-Trafficking. He also gives practical advice and encouragement for churches which want to get involved in the struggle for human freedom.
This is a short book, the main text of the book is only five chapters long. The first chapter talks about God’s heart for Justice as described in the Bible. Chapter two discusses the continuing existence of Injustice between the cross and the final judgment. Chapter three looks at the modern day slave trade, and the nature of human trafficking around the globe. Byun especially focuses on statistics and stories about Korea (his context) and the United States (where this book was published). Chapter four and five layout the case for the church’s involvement in combating the evils of human trafficking. In addition to these chapters, there are three appendices: Appendix A lists resources on Freedom and Justice, Appendix B is a sample sermon on human trafficking, and Appendix C is a case study which looks more in-depth at human trafficking in Korea.
Byun declares that the fight against injustice is part of the Church’s mission in the world. While the problem of human trafficking is extensive and ugly, Byun remains hopeful that as the church stands against it, real freedom is possible for victims and traffickers. One of the things I really appreciated was the place of privilege that Byun gives to prayer. He is not content to just attack modern slavery as a social issue, but as spiritual oppression. He has several helpful suggestions on how to pray through the issue (111-7). On the practical side, he has a number of suggestions for getting the church involved. These range from setting aside a “Freedom Sunday” preaching and organizing study groups to look deeper at the issue, and combating injustice in the community through various church ministries. There are lots of ways that people can get involved, and Byun points to creative ways for people to engage the issue.
I recommend this book, even if it evokes anger and deep sadness. Human trafficking is a global problem, but it isn’t something ‘out there.’ Very likely its effects are felt in the community where you live. Prostitution rings, migrant workers, sweatshops are all part of human trafficking. It is impossible to look at the issues and not be heartbroken for ‘the least of these. Come Lord Jesus. I give this book five stars.
I received this book from IVP in exchange for my honest review.
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December 9, 2014This book helped me to understand more about what a modern-day slavery is. I've ever thought of how evil some people could be by trafficking and dehumanizing and make the victims their own slave. I am so thankful that God gave Pastor Eddie this vision because it widely opened my eyes. As myself has vision for poor and orphans, I feel so blessed since this book gave me courage to never fear but trust that the Lord can use me though weak I could be. May Pastor Eddie forever blessed to bring life to the oppressed and bring light to those in darkness. Amen
July 14, 2015
A wake up call about human trafficking that is powerful and practical.
April 17, 2017
No, the book wasn't bad, it just bored me a lot. I blame it to the fact that I have read one hundred books on human trafficking now. If you are just finding out about human trafficking today and are a Christian in need of encouraging words of how you can make a difference and help your church pull along side you in your burden for the slaves, this book could help you. It is also a pretty small book and is fast and easy to read through.
What is it about? Although there is not much information given in it until after the first 100 pages in the book of HOW you can do something, it does provide you with an outlook of human trafficking and information that you may need to know, though I will say he sometimes talks about reports from 2006, while that is already 11 years ago. In the past few years alone there has been an increase of information making the author's information outdated. The author released this book in 2015. I just feel he could have done a much better job.
I did find it interesting that his first book that he read on human trafficking was also my first though, too.
Anyway, I truly appreciate the heart and work of Eddie Byun, so don't discount my two stars as a reason to not read this book!
What is it about? Although there is not much information given in it until after the first 100 pages in the book of HOW you can do something, it does provide you with an outlook of human trafficking and information that you may need to know, though I will say he sometimes talks about reports from 2006, while that is already 11 years ago. In the past few years alone there has been an increase of information making the author's information outdated. The author released this book in 2015. I just feel he could have done a much better job.
I did find it interesting that his first book that he read on human trafficking was also my first though, too.
Anyway, I truly appreciate the heart and work of Eddie Byun, so don't discount my two stars as a reason to not read this book!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews