A Political Reading of the Life of Jesus

by George W. Baldwin

For over 2000 years, Christendom has made the life and teachings of Jesus irrelevant in the realm of politics. In challenging the oppressive systems of his day, Jesus offered a compelling model for political action. His life is an example of the proper integration of politics and religion.The recognition that Jesus was the leader of a political insurrection is examined in relation to Christology, the doctrine of the Trinity, theories of atonement, love of neighbor, and the role of the Christian church.There are two powerful themes in the Christian the Biblical theme of "Salvation" is the one the Church has always lifted up because it does not represent any threat to the Powers and domination systems; and the Biblical theme of "Liberation" is not generally promoted because it represents a genuine challenge to the Powers.Brief dialogues, called "Credo to Credo", are presented with persons who represent various facets of our culture.

132 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2006

Reviews

[Kev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met George in Fort Worth this last April for the United Methodist Church's General Conference 2008. We were volunteering for equal rights activism & had wonderful conversations about Marcus Borg -- whom I have also met a few years ago & had conversations. He is a passionate prophetic speaker for social justice and attempts -- successfully in my opintion -- a contemporary reformation back to the social activism of Jesus' ministry 2,000 years ago. He posits that most of modern Christianity is a resignation to despair & minimizes shamefully Jesus' magnifiscent progressive impact on the ancient world.

Read it.

[Kevin]

I have been reading it very slowly since January. It is written by a "tercer edad" man (which means he's in his third stage of life--an elder) who lived in Nicaragua in the 1980s as a missionary. He reads Jesus' life through the lens of nonviolent revolution and invites readers to formulate their own credo on issues of faith, politics, and life in general.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was challenging to my view of Christianity and what Jesus means in my life. George Baldwin pushes his readers to think about Jesus, "the Church" and other political systems in a entirely new light.

[bert-bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking book no matter what is the reader's personal position on the topic. The author describes his views regarding what Jesus was trying to convey, how it relates to politics, and how non-violent protest is better alternative to war.