Customer Reviews

The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings and How They Have Been Corrupted

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This volume is divided into two parts. First, is the construction of a viable framework for understanding Jesus' immediate political and social message. Second, is the measurement of Ronald Reagan's and George W. Bush's conduct in light of that framework. I give 5 stars for the first part for its objectivity but only 3 stars for the second because it reads
like so many anti-Bush books that have already been written.

Nevertheless, I do agree with the central thesis that many Christians misunderstand Jesus message...ask not what God can do for you, ask what you can do for God. And what people can do for God is "dedicate their entire being to struggling to bring the world in line with a vision of love, liberation, and justice" to all of humanity, including the dispossessed, the forgotten, and the hungry. In other words, Jesus was as concerned about an individual's citizenship on earth as an individual's
citizenship in heaven.

You might say that there is nothing new in this book. (After all, it is a restatement of well accepted principles of "liberationist theology") True, but I still recommend reading the volume because the author presents his arguments as well, if not better, than others who have argued logically from the new testament texts.

If every Christian read this book..and chose to follow Jesus revolutionary program, all of us would have a chance for a better world.

Regardless of your politics or religion, this book is thought provoking. If you are a "ditto head" you probably will not like that it will challenge your paradigm and push your buttons, but it is a challenge you should take on as should every other person concerned about greed, wealth accumulation, and the perversion of the teachings of Jesus. It even pushed some of my buttons but I needed to have my horizons expanded. I believe that a copy should be required reading for every religious and political figure in our world.

The theology and research behind this book is outstanding and I suspect that it will generate the types of conversations that we should start having in our places of worship and in our political circles. Do you really know why you are a conservative or a liberal? I though I was well educated on political topics but here I was enlightened. My son and our pastor are going to read next and we are going to use as the foundation of a theological conversation to broaden understanding of how we can focus on helping those in the world who are the least among us. How anyone can find fault with this is beyond me. Read this book. Be prepared to create learning conversations around the book. We need to have this book be a catalyst to guide our actions in light of the teachings of this great man we as Christians call Christ. All I can say in summary is thank you Obery for one of the most important works of our time.

This is not the usual "my-side-is right/their-side-is-wrong" book. Obery Hendricks assesses conservatives, liberals, politicians, and Christian leaders against the same criteria, a criterion based on the politics of Jesus. Hendricks details the politics, economics, and religion that influenced Jesus ministry and politics. He outlines the political strategies Jesus used to affect a corrupt political and religious leadership and structure, and to address injustice and oppression. Hendricks reminds us of and introduces us to individuals and peoples that successfully used those strategies to fight for justice and empower the powerless. Then Hendricks does what many refuse or fail to do, he challenges the reader to hold those leaders/groups who claim to act as agents of God/Jesus/right to the standards they herald. This book is educational, enlightening, and moving. It enlists the reader to demand accountability from government, and to engage in a new and different dialog!

I really enjoyed the first part of this book. Professor Hendricks does a great job of helping us understand the Jewish roots of Jesus and how those roots influence Jesus' political confrontations with Rome. Whenever Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God/Heaven through parables or through prayer, he is firmly rooted in his Jewish heritage and he is being political. The early followers of Christ got this message when they proclaimed Jesus Lord, with the political implications that Caesar is not. Yes, Jesus was political and wanted to influence the whole world (including the political world) to be based on the Hebrew notions of justice, righteousness, and love. Five stars for the first part of the book.

The second part of the book takes a sad turn. I understand Professor Hendricks desire to be prophetic in his stance against Reagan and G.W. Bush, but I have some concerns. Throughout the book, Hendricks warns us against demonizing our opponents, but this is exactly what he seems to do to these presidents. Indeed, there are some truths to his critiques of Reagan and Bush, but even prophets must be careful, lest they become consumed by their own anger and hatred. Hendricks has such a hard time letting go of his animosity for Bush that by the conclusion of the book, he alludes that Bush will be damned to Hell.

I'm a liberal. I would agree that Reagan and Bush have made political mistakes and have not treated the needs of others as holy. I would also agree that the call to follow Christ means we should act quickly, but our quick actions should not be done out of anger against the oppressors, but out of compassion for the oppressed and the oppressor, for even the oppressors are human beings in need of love. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the Christian goal is reconciliation based on justice, righteousness, and love. Unfortunately, I don't think reconciliation is possible with Professor Hendricks' approach.

This is an extraordinary, sold five star book aimed at revealing exactly where Jesus stood on the political scale of his time. Through careful analysis of quotes from the New Testament, author Obery Hendricks discovers a politically liberal, even radical Jesus who worked tirelessly and risked his life daily to organize the poor and protest against their oppression by a brutal Roman occupation thoroughly aided by self-serving high priests and an all-too-greedy Jewish aristocracy.

This is the political Jesus that today's Christian Right doesn't want you to know about. Obery compares Jesus' own words to Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and other luminaries of the politically Conservative Right and definitively demonstrates how their political thinking and actions are not in support of the teachings of Jesus, but actually in opposition to the Jesus they praise.

Clear definitions of what it means to be Conservative or Liberal and carefully drawn lists of the political accomplishments of both Liberals and Conservatives from the founding of America to the present are put forth, and the reader can decide among today's followers of Jesus who are the hypocrites, the liars, the unfortunate misguided, and who are the real followers of the whole and complete Jesus.

Of course Jesus was morally conservative on personal piety, and of course, this is a vital part of Jesus' message. However, ignorance of the politically liberal and radical nature of Jesus' mission is as dangerous today as ignorance of the politically liberal and radical nature of the thought and actions of most of our Founding Fathers. Obery has put together a wonderful case for continuing on with Jesus' liberation theology; treat the people and their needs as holy. If you're tired of Jesus meek and mild, find out here who the complete Jesus is. This is Obery's Jesus and mine, too.

There is more of politics than of Jesus in this book. The historical picture of the Jesus' time was excellent. The exegetical work was questionable at best with what seemed like a significant amount of projection. There was significant criticism of politicians who use the name of Jesus to garner political support, but whose public policy runs contrary to serving the "least of these." I applaud the concept, however he focuses almost exclusively on the Reagan, Bush, & Bush administrations. That seems to make it one of the most thinly veiled political attacks I have come across, and essentially makes Dr. Hendricks guilty of what he is arguing against: using the name of Jesus as ammunition in a political fight. While there were some thought provoking points, it was too unbalanced to consider as a scholarly effort.

Dr Hendricks book is timely because it examines how Jesus would react in todays world. The book points out errors in our leaders who say they are Christians but do not follow the Gospels. The key phrase that DR Hendricks uses: "Keep the people's needs Holy" is on point. Everyone who serves the public should take note of this.

Finally he gives clarity to what it means to be Conservative and Liberal.
Too often Americans attach their own political views to religious views, which are against the teachings in the Gospels.

A must read for all Chrisians and Pastors.

Sincerely,

Darrell Pone,MD
Old Westbury, NY

In a book like this, it is refreshing to see that Hendricks does not merely prattle on about his viewpoints without providing reasoning for them. He takes the time to root his political views in the historical, biblical (admittedly more creative/liberal interpretation) and political realities of both Jesus' world and our own. He shows that in his opinion, both the liberal nature of Jesus' political teachings and the moral nature of contemporary liberal political beliefs can be both validated and equated with on another.

Hendricks understands the essential difference between liberal and conservative politics as choosing either to conserve the status quo in order to preserve the comfort of the privileged or to radically alter the status quo in order to serve 'the least of these.' His view of biblical interpretation is decidedly liberal: that the bible should be understood more as a historical prototype than as a mythic archetype (which would be the conservative manner of interpretation).

No matter how one interprets the biblical texts, however, there is ample evidence that their main thrust is to bring about the establishment of God's righteous dominion 'on earth as it is in heaven.' In our contemporary politics and religion, conservatives have usurped the moral/religious high ground. But if they do not soon admit to the need for both our churches and our society to care for the weak and the poor, one wonders how much longer that can possibly remain the case...

The scholarly work in this book is excellent. The author has laid out the political and social background of biblical stories and Gospels, helping the reader to understand the true teachings of Jesus.
Further, the author, Obrey M. Hendricks Jr., in true activist fashion, doesn't mince any words when 'speaking truth to power' in his analysis of Christianity's hijacking in contemporary America.
I learned a great deal of information in this book, maybe more so than 16 years of Catholic education.
Read this book and share it with others
and Take Jesus Back.

Obery M. Hendricks, Jr.'s The Politics of Jesus is a phenomenal book based on sound biblical scholarship--but not necessarily one that readers who have let organized religion define their relationship with Jesus will find comfortable to read. As such, it is not a book for the faint of heart--in fact, it could be taken as an indictment by "lukewarm" Christians who, by failing to heed and act upon the teachings of Jesus, have ignored the needs of the poorest among us within the institutions in our country that systematically oppress them.

Through his study of Jesus as "not only a political activist, but also as a master political strategist", Dr. Hendricks let us witness "the courageously loving humanity of Jesus of Nazareth" as presented through "a new Christian manifesto":

an empowering and inspirational resource for actions and policies that will transform our society--and the world--into a kingdom of justice in which all God's children, regardless of color, creed, or national origin, can have life, and that [life] in abundance, in every sphere of living. (10)


He bases his "Rediscovering [of] the True Revolutionary Nature of Jesus' Teachings" (as promised in the subtitle) on two crucial Old Testament concepts, mishpat and sadiqah. Mishpat can be rendered in two ways, the first of which is justice, that is "the establishment or restoration of fair, equitable, and harmonious relationships in society" such that "any member of the community has the same rights as any other [as well as] the same inalienable right to abundance and wholeness and freedom from oppression."
The second rendering of the term is judgment, that is "the sense of balancing or working to resolve all conflicts--social, economic, and political--with the equal rights of all in mind" (43-44)

Sadiqah refers to righteousness, that is, "the fulfillment of our responsibilities to relationships with others as the ultimate fulfillment of our responsibility to God" (44).

We are invited to see Jesus as a man of his time in first-century Israel, a devout Jew well schooled in these concepts. Jesus spoke truth to the power responsible for the systematic oppression wrought on the people of Israel--his people--by the Roman Empire and the Jewish priestly class who collaborated with the Roman authorities.

We read about seven political strategies which Dr. Hendricks asserts Jesus used in his ministry. These strategies--Treat the People's needs as holy; Give a voice to the voiceless; Expose the workings of oppression; Call the demons by name; Save your anger for the mistreatment of others; Take blows without returning them; Don't just explain the alternative, show it--not only give us an insight into how Jesus worked to enact mishpat/sadiqah in his day but also provide a plan for those of us who would like to see the United States live up to her potential of "liberty and justice for all."

Dr. Hendricks uses these strategies as criteria against which to evaluate how conservatives and liberals have fulfilled--or failed to fulfill--the politics of Jesus. These chapters will most likely make for difficult reading for those who claim to be the Religious Right (by the way, liberals don't come out unscathed), but for those among us who seek the truth that sets us free (and that can certainly include members of the Religious Right), honest reflections on what Dr. Hendricks argues--and our actions in accordance with these arguments--might help us all to become true followers of Jesus and thereby work toward a fair and more equitable society for all Americans, one in which we fulfill our sacred duty to God.