Diakonia is often confused with charity - something you do for the weak.
But in this new minibook, I want to show that diakonia in its essence is a counterculture. It challenges power, norms and systems that create inequality. It's not just about alleviating, it's about transforming.
Diakonia and structural injustice
The book explores how values become actions when we dare to let compassion and justice have consequences. It asks: What does it mean to work value-based in a time of rationalisation and pressure for meaning? How can diakonia create communities that carry hope - even in the midst of structural injustice?
The cost of values
Inspired by Henri Nouwen, Paulo Freire, Desmond Tutu, Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo and others, the book shows how diakonia becomes a language of humanity in practice. It reminds us that we work not only for people, but with them - and that every act of hope and integrity is a silent protest against cynicism.
Diakonia as Counterculture is written for anyone who works in the social and healthcare sector, in church or social work, and who wants to live their values - even when it costs.
