Jesus, Revolutionary of the Poor


Book Description

Is Jesus relevant to the sufferings of the helpless, the voiceless, those dying of hunger, those traumatized by violence, people with learning difficulties? In Matthew, we see Jesus to be a man on the frontline, battling against the forces that stop the non-poor from living generously, and the poorest of the poor living abundantly the way God intended. This is Jesus as one who in his very being is an expression of God's wrath against human beings who live their lives as if creation is a battle zone where only the selfish and powerful flourish. Matthew's Jesus is outraged at the lethargy and apathy that permits non-poor people to live according to practices that lead so many to be excluded from the fruits of God's creation. But the Jesus found in this gospel is also one who teaches that God has created a world that is good to see; it is abundant as long as people live according to the dynamic order God has inwardly established in creation, one rooted in generosity, hospitality, love, self-sacrifice, righteousness, justice, Torah, and mercy.




Revolutionary


Book Description

It is often observed that no historical figure has had a greater impact on the world than Jesus Christ. Why is that? And what difference does his impact make to the world today? It is also often said that Jesus was a 'revolutionary', and numerous books have appeared in recent years claiming just that - from the wild and sensational to the serious and respectable. This book, written by influential authors reflecting a diversity of expertise and points of view, considers the claims that continue to be made about Jesus, whether by believers or nonbelievers. Contributors: Julian Baggini Philosopher, journalist and co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine. Author of The Godless Gospel: Was Jesus a Great Moral Teacher? (Granta 2020). Terry Eagleton Distinguished Professor of English Literature, Lancaster University. Author of Radical Sacrifice (Yale 2018). Robin Gill Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology, University of Kent. Editor of the journal Theology and of The Cambridge Companion to Christian Ethics (CUP 2011). Amy-Jill Levine University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, Vanderbilt Divinity School and College of Arts and Science. Author of The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus (HarperOne 2006). Tarif Khalidi Professor of Islamic and Arabic Studies, American University of Beirut; formerly Professor of Arabic and a fellow of King's College, Cambridge. Translator of The Qur'an (Penguin Classics 2013),and author The Muslim Jesus (Harvard 2003). Nick Spencer Senior Fellow, Theos, London Author of The Evolution of the West (SPCK 2016). Joan E. Taylor Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism, King's College London. Author of What Did Jesus Look Like? (Bloomsbury 2018). Rowan Williams Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and 104th Archbishop of Canterbury (2002-12). Author of God With Us: The meaning of the cross and resurrection - then and now (SPCK 2017). A. N. Wilson Novelist, journalist and broadcaster. Author of The Book of the People: How to read the Bible (Atlantic 2015).




Always with Us?


Book Description

"Jesus's words 'the poor you will always have with you' (Matthew 26:11) are regularly used to suggest that ending poverty is impossible. In this book Liz Theoharis critically examines both the biblical text and the lived reality of the poor to show how this passage is taken out of context and distorted. Poverty is not inevitable, Theoharis argues. It is a systemic sin, and all Christians have a responsibility to partner with the poor to end poverty once and for all"--Jacket




Subversive Jesus


Book Description

When Jesus left the most exclusive gated community in the universe to come live with the people he loved and gave his life for, he turned everything we know and believe about life on its head. Jesus said that he came to bring good news to the poor, but most Western Christians remain disconnected and isolated from the poor and their contexts of injustice. Even our churches echo society’s pressure to isolate ourselves from the margins (e.g. by moving to a better suburb) and instead teach us how to be “nice people” who worship a “nice Jesus” and don’t disrupt the status quo. Convinced that Jesus places love for the poor and the pursuit of justice central, Craig Greenfield has sought to follow in Christ’s footsteps by living among people at the edges of society for the last fourteen years. His quest to follow this Subversive Jesus has taken Craig and his young family from the slums of Asia to inner city Canada and back again. This is the story of how Jesus led them to the margins: initiating the Pirates of Justice flash mobs, sharing their home with detoxing crackheads, welcoming homeless panhandlers and prostitutes to the dinner table, and ultimately sparking a movement to reach the world’s most vulnerable children. This book is a strong and potentially controversial critique of the status quo too often found in our churches, but it offers an inspirational and hopeful vision of another way. While readers may not relocate to a slum, they will certainly come to view their lives and ministry through a fresh lens—reconsidering how they are uniquely called by Jesus to subversively love the poor and break down systems of injustice in their sphere of influence.




The Politics of Jesus


Book Description

Who was Jesus? And how was this first-century political revolutionary, whose teachings are meant to lead the way to freedom, turned into a meek and mild servant of the status quo? How is it possible to profess a belief in Jesus, yet ignore the suffering of the poor and the needy? Just how truly faithful to the vision of Jesus are the many politicians who claim to be Christian? These are the kinds of questions Obery Hendricks, a biblical scholar, activist, and minister, asks in this provocative new book. In this day and age of heated political debate, Hendricks’s The Politics of Jesus stands out as much for its brilliant re-creation of the life and mind of Jesus of Nazareth as for its scathing critique of modern politicians “of faith.”




Revolutionary Kingdom


Book Description

What exactly is a disciple, and how will we know if we have made one? There are three core values that a disciple embodies: undiluted devotion to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, a Kingdom of God worldview, and a missional lifestyle. In Revolutionary Kingdom: Following the Rebel Jesus, author and Pastor Mike Slaughter explores why we must exchange comfortable cultural worldviews and values for the radical requirements of living out the Kingdom of God on Planet Earth. When God’s people get serious about this call, it’s revolutionary. Jesus himself was the most radical revolutionary who ever lived and provided us a vision of a kingdom worth dying for. Welcome to the revolution! Additional components for a six-week study include a DVD featuring Mike Slaughter and a comprehensive Leader Guide.




Jesus


Book Description

"This is an outstanding book--both popular and intelligent. Accessible language and direct, dramatic narration . . . a compelling portrait of Jesus" (Publishers Weekly). "A portrait that both takes in the contemporary background and yet accounts for Jesus' distinctiveness".--New York Times Book Review. Photos.




We Cry Justice


Book Description

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proclaims justice and abundance for the poor. Yet these powerful passages about poverty are frequently overlooked and misinterpreted. Enter the Poor People's Campaign, a movement against racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism, and religious nationalism. In We Cry Justice, Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the campaign, is joined by pastors, community organizers, scholars, low-wage workers, lay leaders, and people in poverty to interpret sacred stories about the poor seeking healing, equity, and freedom. In a world roiled by poverty and injustice, Scripture still speaks. Organized into fifty-two chapters, each focusing on a key Scripture passage, We Cry Justice offers comfort and challenge from the many stories of the poor taking action together. Read anew the story of the exodus that frees people from debt and slavery, the prophets who denounce the rich and ruling classes, the stories of Jesus's healing and parables about fair wages, and the early church's sharing of goods. Reflection questions and a short prayer at the end of each chapter offer the opportunity to use the book devotionally through a year. The Bible cries for justice, and we do too. It's time to act on God's persistent call to repair the breach and fight poverty, not the poor.




Jesus' Economy


Book Description

You know people around the world are struggling. A homeless man holds a sign that reads, “Anything helps.” A poor child lives in a slum swarming with flies. A refugee mother is on the brink of starvation. You ask yourself, “But what can I do about such big problems?” You’re looking for long-term solutions. John D. Barry shares incredible, and often shocking, stories about working among the impoverished and unchurched in the U.S. and abroad. And since Barry is a Bible scholar, Jesus’ Economy is also deeply rooted in the Scriptures. It is a personal, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking account that presents a revolutionary pattern for lasting change. Jesus' Economy is based on self-sacrifice. His currency is love. It’s called Jesus’ Economy because it’s about creating a spiritual and physical economy for those who need it most. Here is a thoroughly biblical and compassionate pattern for addressing issues of poverty and offering the hope of the gospel. Jesus’ Economy: • Shows how you as an individual can best encourage renewal in your community. • Demonstrates how your church community or any group can alleviate poverty. • Presents a unified plan for creating jobs, spreading the gospel, and meeting basic needs. • Focuses on community development and sustainability—lasting change, globally and locally. Jesus’ Economy is a call to address our own spiritual poverty—as people who can too easily become distant from Christ—and it is a call to address the physical poverty all around us in a smart and sustainable way. Jesus’ teachings show that with simple, everyday choices, you can make the world a better place and create enduring change. Here’s how to live Jesus’ economy—a currency of love. 100% of author's proceeds go to the nonprofit Jesus' Economy, to fuel the movement of creating jobs and churches in the developing world.