Book Review: Compassion
Author: Joshua Mack
Publisher: P&R Publishing
Reading Level: Leisure
Pages: 48
"Without compassion, no matter how right you are in what you're saying, you are wrong in how you are acting." (5)
Joshua Mack's Compassion: Seeing with Jesus' Eyes is the latest in the "Resources for Biblical Living" from P&R Publishing. Mack is an experienced pastor with eight children in South Africa. These experiences provide Mack with different cultural paradigms and life experience from which to communicate the importance of compassion. That this knowledge can be boiled down into a small book is incredibly impressive and beneficial for readers.
Compassion is easy to read, concise in what it communicates, and resonates with Scripture. The sections are short and well marked. All relationships and ministries would benefit from Mack's pastoral advice and practical conclusions. One example is the section entitled "The Cost of Compassion" on relating to non-believers as bearers of God's image,
"Don't think that you're so important that you can look down upon your fellow man. The fact that others are made in God's image gives you a common bond with them, and it gives them a great dignity. While you might not think much of a particular person, God thought enough of her to give her the tremendous honor of bearing the beauty of his image. Whether or not she appreciates that, you should, as a Christian." (24-25)
In conclusion, Joshua Mack has written a perfect introduction for ministry and relationships of all types. The length and tone of the book encourage completion and frequent re-visiting. Compassion: Seeing with Jesus' Eyes is a must read for all laymen and leaders in the church.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
