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Jesus, the Crucified People
A deeply moving and challenging book, Jesus, the Crucified People breaks a theological stranglehold on the figure of Jesus and glimpses in a new, non-Western way both Jesus and Christianity. Against the rich cultural background of Asia, Song's volume explores the mystery of the Word that from the beginning of time now comes poignantly to us in the stories and testimonies of women, men, and children. Song eloquently fashions a "people hermeneutic" to sketch an account of Jesus' life, ministry, death, and resurrection for our world today. This much-hailed volume anchors Song's monumental trilogy, the Cross in the Lotus World, which also includes Jesus and the Reign of God (1993), and Jesus in the Power of the Spirit (1994), also published by Fortress Press.
- GenresTheology
242 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
59 people want to read
About the author
Choan-Seng Song
15 books5 followersProfessor Choan-Seng (C.S.) Song is Professor of Theology and Asian Cultures at the Pacific School of Religion at Berkeley, U.S.A. He is President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Professor Song has made seminal contributions to the exploration of interactions between Christian faith and contemporary social-political and cultural-religious situations in Asia. His many publications include Jesus, The Crucified People; Jesus and the Reign of God; Jesus in the Power of the Spirit; Third-Eye Theology; The Believing Heart; Invitation to Story Theology.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 10, 2021
At the heart of this book is a view of Jesus as presented in the gospels without millenia of western tradition weighing him down or maybe I should say elevating him to the untouchable heights of Godhood.
Song presents Jesus as a man, concerned and living in solidarity with the marginalized, excluded and impoverished and uses much poetry from Asia to powerfully demonstrate his perspective. His understanding of the temptations of Jesus are probably the best I have read, interpreting them as Jesus rejection of magician Jesus and Messiah-king Jesus, both paths to fame and political power and material wealth that he outright rejected for the alternate simple life in solidarity with those who suffer.
Song delineates between the cultural God of retribution, and Jesus' own image of God that he understood as Abba, an intimate relational indwelling divinity. In his final chapter, Song explores Jesus-Christ through two literary works of Shusaku Endo and the Christa statue by Edwina Sandys. He masterfully translates the historical Jesus into Christ in the lives of those who suffer, the crucified people.
A book written after my own heart.
Song presents Jesus as a man, concerned and living in solidarity with the marginalized, excluded and impoverished and uses much poetry from Asia to powerfully demonstrate his perspective. His understanding of the temptations of Jesus are probably the best I have read, interpreting them as Jesus rejection of magician Jesus and Messiah-king Jesus, both paths to fame and political power and material wealth that he outright rejected for the alternate simple life in solidarity with those who suffer.
Song delineates between the cultural God of retribution, and Jesus' own image of God that he understood as Abba, an intimate relational indwelling divinity. In his final chapter, Song explores Jesus-Christ through two literary works of Shusaku Endo and the Christa statue by Edwina Sandys. He masterfully translates the historical Jesus into Christ in the lives of those who suffer, the crucified people.
A book written after my own heart.
July 3, 2021
I just finished "Jesus, The Crucified People," by C.S. Song.
If Tillich is the epitome of a "Black and White, monotone" writer, Song is his antithesis. Just the prologue is vibrant, passionate, metaphorical and intensely narrative. He begins with a narrative between "Leper" and "Beggar" talking at a concrete statue of a nonresponsive Jesus who is wearing a gold crown. The conversation changes when the statue gets a crown of thorns and becomes animated. He ends the prologue with "God is the story of Jesus. And Jesus is the story of the people." Song already looks like the Asian version of Gutierrez/Boff; the eastern liberation theologian speaking for the starving and downtrodden in the orient; you know, the type of people Jesus spoke to and spent time with.
Ch. 1 - controversy with God:
"[S]in as disobedience to God is turned around to become the religious virtue of obeying God to the extent of committing violence against other people in the name of God. [...] The God in whose name violence is committed, war is waged, and massacres are carried out must be exposed as a false God. That God is created by human political interests and religious prejudice. That God must be unmasked as the embodiment of the human power of destructiveness. This can be a frightening experience. The cost can be very high. To incur the wrath of that false God can be dangerous. It may cost you your freedom, even death. Still, the work of unmasking false Gods must be done." P.25
This chapter focuses on how normal people (not theologians et al) call on God, wrestle with God and plea with God. The theologians dont deal with this like the starving people. He used Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord and Ps 88 as the texts showing that normal people do have this internal conflict with God and when we go to these "depths" we should feel chastised for questioning God; we should be more open to this form of faith relationship inside the church.
Ch. 2 - no to the God of retribution:
Beginning this chapter he poses the question that is often wondered: is the immanent God a correct reflection of ths transcendent God?--is God economical exactly how God ontological responds?--to simplify: when Gods by Himself and not communicating with humans, does He love us or is He plotting out demise? I believe where he is going is "when I read about Jesus how much does he reflect Yahweh?" Let's see if I'm right.
"Liberation from the God of retribution is an important step in our fresh experience of the God of love."
"God without hope is demonic, not messianic."
His whole case against a retributive God comes from Job. He articulates his point well.
Ch. 3 - distance between Abba and God:
Here he is stating that once theology gets to the cross they have traditionally removed all but the salvific impact from what Jesus did. It is as though He became more "Word" and less "Flesh" for us. But in this train of thought we disregard that the Word became Flesh for us and that while the Crucifixion was salvific and atoning, He also participated in life for all people. His death cant be seen without the pain of all humanity. His death is identifying with all mankind, and it is salvific.
Ch. 4 - the scandal of the cross:
One of the things he discusses under the heading of Christus Victor is that all evil begins in people as the "powers," "rulers," et al. While I see why he, along with many if not most liberation theologians, place the emphasis there, I believe they would hold a more robust theology if they recognized the reality of evil as supernatural in its origins. At that point the powers influence can be chosen by, and manifest in humans.
Ok, I think I'm wrong. He just referred to humans under the influence of demonic powers.
It is interesting that he here paints the Crucifixion as a showing of the weakness of the theological invention of the Jews who embraced a vindictive God. This is why he said My God my God, why have you forsaken me? This being the only time it was "God" rather than "Abba Father"; Jesus showed the weakness of the God of the theologians and that the Abba Father who Jesus always spoke about, and to, is the living, loving God. Abba never left; the God of the theologians, the religious establishment, never was. (I may have taken some liberties but this is how his message has come across.)
Ch. 5 - Karuna of God:
This was good. To Buddhists Krauna means pity. I see this as a chapter that further drives home the previously made points. Yes, he builds on them but not so much that I'm going to summarize. I will say that he reminds me of Moltmann in many ways.
Ch. 6 - the interrupted life:
He starts this chapter out comparing the religious and political environment and factored surrounding the passion to that of the peoples of the east.
Ch. 7 - who do you say that I am?:
The most profound statement in this chapter was something to the effect of: what the Jews looked for in a land [Isreal] the Christian's found in a person [Jesus]. Wording mine.
Ch. 8 - great temptations:
Song has really covered some familiar topics in a new light. Sometimes it is just a unpopular light. How he covers the last temptation of Christ (...and all the kingdoms of the world will be yours) is quite good [note: he sees "kingdoms" as physical and political rather than supernatural and without shooting down "supernatural" he backs why they were political very well]. He sounds like an anarchist. He is asking what has Jesus to do with politics when the only way it works is by compromise and when the end justifies the means.
"Jesus' political theology does not have room for Satan, and his political ethic does not contain homage to political powers. For power is not God, although God is power--power of love, not power of violence, power of justice, not power of injustice. His political ethic does not teach political cunning. It teaches truth. Truth is not God, although God is truth--the truth that God loves the world, that Gods utmost concern is the well-being of people, that God loves them so much that God suffers with them. Politics with God and people, Jesus must have decided, can not be done from the throne of kings and emperors and under the shadow of the power and glory of kingdoms of this world. There must be a different way of doing politics with God and people. And Jesus chose that different way.
"Jesus' involvement in political affairs of his people is to make politics as the art of the impossible into politics as the art of the possible. 'Love your enemies' is a supreme impossibility in politics, not only authoritarian politics but democratic politics. Jesus believes that it could be a supreme possibility. But how? Through the redemptive power of suffering and death! That alone could mobilize the oppressed people to move the hearts of their enemies. And if the hearts of their enemies are not moved, which is often the case, then the systemsaand structures built to carry out oppression and exploitation must collapse and end. Politics for Jesus and for those who follow him must be a matter of faith--faith in the redemptive power of the cross, the cross Jesus has to bear and the cross oppressed people have to carry." pp. 186-87
Ch. 9 - the last supper at round table:
This is a good chapter so far. While making a case for what seems to my ears as a fully open table, he makes some really great points for feminist theology. I really appreciate his comments since one of the papers I wrote in theology was just for this: a table as open as was Jesus; all are welcome.
This was a very good chapter on the Lord's Supper and how we have made it our supper. The part about the very shape of the table in the west vs traditional eastern is very good. Also, this speaks to how the western church has altered that shape which is natural for the east in a round table to have a more religiously correct rectangular one and in so doing has caused the Lords table to represent disunity.
Ch. 10 - Jesus is the crucified people:
To try to summarize or even to paraphrase this chapter would be a disservice to all of creation.
If Tillich is the epitome of a "Black and White, monotone" writer, Song is his antithesis. Just the prologue is vibrant, passionate, metaphorical and intensely narrative. He begins with a narrative between "Leper" and "Beggar" talking at a concrete statue of a nonresponsive Jesus who is wearing a gold crown. The conversation changes when the statue gets a crown of thorns and becomes animated. He ends the prologue with "God is the story of Jesus. And Jesus is the story of the people." Song already looks like the Asian version of Gutierrez/Boff; the eastern liberation theologian speaking for the starving and downtrodden in the orient; you know, the type of people Jesus spoke to and spent time with.
Ch. 1 - controversy with God:
"[S]in as disobedience to God is turned around to become the religious virtue of obeying God to the extent of committing violence against other people in the name of God. [...] The God in whose name violence is committed, war is waged, and massacres are carried out must be exposed as a false God. That God is created by human political interests and religious prejudice. That God must be unmasked as the embodiment of the human power of destructiveness. This can be a frightening experience. The cost can be very high. To incur the wrath of that false God can be dangerous. It may cost you your freedom, even death. Still, the work of unmasking false Gods must be done." P.25
This chapter focuses on how normal people (not theologians et al) call on God, wrestle with God and plea with God. The theologians dont deal with this like the starving people. He used Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord and Ps 88 as the texts showing that normal people do have this internal conflict with God and when we go to these "depths" we should feel chastised for questioning God; we should be more open to this form of faith relationship inside the church.
Ch. 2 - no to the God of retribution:
Beginning this chapter he poses the question that is often wondered: is the immanent God a correct reflection of ths transcendent God?--is God economical exactly how God ontological responds?--to simplify: when Gods by Himself and not communicating with humans, does He love us or is He plotting out demise? I believe where he is going is "when I read about Jesus how much does he reflect Yahweh?" Let's see if I'm right.
"Liberation from the God of retribution is an important step in our fresh experience of the God of love."
"God without hope is demonic, not messianic."
His whole case against a retributive God comes from Job. He articulates his point well.
Ch. 3 - distance between Abba and God:
Here he is stating that once theology gets to the cross they have traditionally removed all but the salvific impact from what Jesus did. It is as though He became more "Word" and less "Flesh" for us. But in this train of thought we disregard that the Word became Flesh for us and that while the Crucifixion was salvific and atoning, He also participated in life for all people. His death cant be seen without the pain of all humanity. His death is identifying with all mankind, and it is salvific.
Ch. 4 - the scandal of the cross:
One of the things he discusses under the heading of Christus Victor is that all evil begins in people as the "powers," "rulers," et al. While I see why he, along with many if not most liberation theologians, place the emphasis there, I believe they would hold a more robust theology if they recognized the reality of evil as supernatural in its origins. At that point the powers influence can be chosen by, and manifest in humans.
Ok, I think I'm wrong. He just referred to humans under the influence of demonic powers.
It is interesting that he here paints the Crucifixion as a showing of the weakness of the theological invention of the Jews who embraced a vindictive God. This is why he said My God my God, why have you forsaken me? This being the only time it was "God" rather than "Abba Father"; Jesus showed the weakness of the God of the theologians and that the Abba Father who Jesus always spoke about, and to, is the living, loving God. Abba never left; the God of the theologians, the religious establishment, never was. (I may have taken some liberties but this is how his message has come across.)
Ch. 5 - Karuna of God:
This was good. To Buddhists Krauna means pity. I see this as a chapter that further drives home the previously made points. Yes, he builds on them but not so much that I'm going to summarize. I will say that he reminds me of Moltmann in many ways.
Ch. 6 - the interrupted life:
He starts this chapter out comparing the religious and political environment and factored surrounding the passion to that of the peoples of the east.
Ch. 7 - who do you say that I am?:
The most profound statement in this chapter was something to the effect of: what the Jews looked for in a land [Isreal] the Christian's found in a person [Jesus]. Wording mine.
Ch. 8 - great temptations:
Song has really covered some familiar topics in a new light. Sometimes it is just a unpopular light. How he covers the last temptation of Christ (...and all the kingdoms of the world will be yours) is quite good [note: he sees "kingdoms" as physical and political rather than supernatural and without shooting down "supernatural" he backs why they were political very well]. He sounds like an anarchist. He is asking what has Jesus to do with politics when the only way it works is by compromise and when the end justifies the means.
"Jesus' political theology does not have room for Satan, and his political ethic does not contain homage to political powers. For power is not God, although God is power--power of love, not power of violence, power of justice, not power of injustice. His political ethic does not teach political cunning. It teaches truth. Truth is not God, although God is truth--the truth that God loves the world, that Gods utmost concern is the well-being of people, that God loves them so much that God suffers with them. Politics with God and people, Jesus must have decided, can not be done from the throne of kings and emperors and under the shadow of the power and glory of kingdoms of this world. There must be a different way of doing politics with God and people. And Jesus chose that different way.
"Jesus' involvement in political affairs of his people is to make politics as the art of the impossible into politics as the art of the possible. 'Love your enemies' is a supreme impossibility in politics, not only authoritarian politics but democratic politics. Jesus believes that it could be a supreme possibility. But how? Through the redemptive power of suffering and death! That alone could mobilize the oppressed people to move the hearts of their enemies. And if the hearts of their enemies are not moved, which is often the case, then the systemsaand structures built to carry out oppression and exploitation must collapse and end. Politics for Jesus and for those who follow him must be a matter of faith--faith in the redemptive power of the cross, the cross Jesus has to bear and the cross oppressed people have to carry." pp. 186-87
Ch. 9 - the last supper at round table:
This is a good chapter so far. While making a case for what seems to my ears as a fully open table, he makes some really great points for feminist theology. I really appreciate his comments since one of the papers I wrote in theology was just for this: a table as open as was Jesus; all are welcome.
This was a very good chapter on the Lord's Supper and how we have made it our supper. The part about the very shape of the table in the west vs traditional eastern is very good. Also, this speaks to how the western church has altered that shape which is natural for the east in a round table to have a more religiously correct rectangular one and in so doing has caused the Lords table to represent disunity.
Ch. 10 - Jesus is the crucified people:
To try to summarize or even to paraphrase this chapter would be a disservice to all of creation.
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