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The Home We Build Together ? Recreating Society

Author:	Jonathan Sacks
Published By:	Continuum
Pages:	273
Price:	£17.99
ISBN:	978 0826 480705

Reviewed by Chris Skilton.

The Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, will be no stranger to readers of Ministry Today through his broadcasting (notably on ‘Thought for the Day’) and his previous writing (especially The Dignity of Difference). This important book explores in theory and practice what British society in the twenty-first century should and could look like. The book is written in three helpful sections. In the first, Sacks analyses where our society is and why it has arrived there, and in his eyes it is a fragmented and divided society. The key, central section of the book sets out a vision of building a society together, and is rooted in the language of covenant, arising from his own faith tradition. His central thesis is that, “Society is the home we share, because we build it together” (p.145). In his final section he looks at the practical application of this, in essence setting out a stall for a liberal democracy, but one based on covenant rather than contracts. He writes:

“Contract is about what the individual gets from the state in return for laws and taxes. Covenant is about the values we share and the identity we construct together. Freedom needs a society as well as a state.” (p.234)

He goes on to explore what this would like in terms of, among other areas, engagement with civil society, how to build a healthy multi-cultural society and how to promote and sustain integrated family life.

The book is carefully argued and written in an engaging style that is easy to follow. It is also full of profound insights into the causes and effects of what Sacks sees as the poverty of contemporary life in the western world. Readers of Ministry Today will find plenty here for thought and practical application in looking at the world in which we minister. And as a bonus you will find in chapters 8-10 a masterly example of how to engage with Scriptures within the Jewish tradition with coherence and integrity. This is an excellent book - buy it!