Noel Castellanos
IVP Books, 2015, 183 pp., $11.84

My husband and I often have wondered: Is it easier to bring social justice to the evangelicals or Jesus to the mainliners?

So often, our experience has been that despite the fact the Bible emphasizes the importance of Jesus and social justice to our faith, churches tend to focus on one or the other. That’s why I think the work of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), an organization committed to social justice ministry stems based on its belief in Jesus, is so important. In Where the Cross Meets the Street, CCDA CEO Noel Castellanos explores what happens to the neighborhood when God is at the center.

The book, part memoir, is a fascinating read. Throughout, Noel shares his own story, using it to emphasize how and why he became involved in community development. As a white female committed to better understanding different cultures and races, I felt a sense of shame when I realized how little I know about the Mexican community, especially given its growing importance in the United States. For this reason, I greatly appreciated Noel’s willingness to share his heritage and story throughout this book, along with the joys and challenges Mexican immigrants face, including in my own city of Chicago.

Throughout Where the Cross Meets the Street, I appreciated the way in which Noel unpacks his theology of ministry. In his words, “God consistently puts the neglected and oppressed at the center of His ultimate concern, not by targeting them as the objects of His salvific action but by redeeming and engaging them to be co-laborers with the Holy Spirit in the mission of declaring and demonstrating to the entire world the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Noel also reminds his readers of the ways in which a proclamation-only ministry falls short and instead challenges people to see the “incarnation as the linchpin and foundation for all effective ministry.” To help readers do so, he unpacks the Book of Nehemiah in terms of community development principles, a section of the book that is particularly strong.

More than just a theology book, Where the Cross Meets the Street is practical. Chapter 9, “Confrontation of Injustice,” shines in this regard, helping people think critically about their involvement in a variety of justice issues, including immigration, mass incarceration and education, which Noel suggests is the “most significant justice issue many of our poor communities face.”

As a youth pastor and Christian committed to Jesus and social justice, I have no doubt that Where the Cross Meets the Street is a book I will refer to and recommend often.

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About The Author

Jen Bradbury serves as the director of youth ministry at Faith Lutheran Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. A veteran youth worker, Jen holds an MA in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University. She’s the author of The Jesus Gap. Her writing has also appeared in YouthWorker Journal and The Christian Century, and she blogs regularly at ymjen.com. When not doing ministry, she and her husband, Doug, can be found hiking, backpacking, and traveling with their daughter, Hope.

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