The Jesus Manifesto

Posted on 11.16.2009

A edited version of a recent essay of mine is up at The Jesus Manifesto. Please check out the site and their wonderful array of resources, essays, conversations and reflections. And a warm thanks to Mark for inquiring about and helping with the essay.

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4 thoughts on “The Jesus Manifesto”

  1. I see scores of articles on the The Jesus Manifesto website, but I don't see any author's names. Care to include the title of your essay, so I don't have to click link after link after link? Also, you could just link to your essay, rather than to the website. Thanks.

  3. Your protests to the contrary notwithstanding, 5 posts in one day has to qualify as manic. I will now hack your site and call it an intervention.

  4. Very nice essay, Richard. I guess I have a few comments. One, of course, radical hospitality is not unique to christian communities. The welcome and hospitality accorded the stranger was an important feature of pre-christian hebrew society, of islamic societies generally, and of many nomadic groups *to this day*. Hospitality to non-co-religionists/non tribal members and hospitality without expectation of recompense is associated with the early christian church, but surely not with the later? In other words--as the Church and European society became identical--that is: no non-co-religionists, how true is it to say that any kind of radical hospitality was really shown? Were non christians shown hospitality by christian communities and monasteries?

    I'm not trying to diminish the role of radical hospitality in Jesus's message. I think its definitely there. But once the church community became strong I feel its pretty clear that the hospitable impulse, like many other radical impulses, was tamed by the church elders. Tamed because the truly radical form--recognition of the god in both men and women, in the poor and oppressed, in the drunk or ill or rejected--would have turned society topsy turvey in short order.

    aimai

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