Open for Liberation
An Activist Reads the Bible
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- € 6,99
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- € 6,99
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Jesus was a revolutionary. He led an anti-colonial movement of the dispossessed which affirmed women's leadership, racial equality and sexual diversity. Yet within three centuries, Christianity began being used at the service of the very same forms of discrimination Jesus had spent his life opposing. Open for Liberation argues that the task of liberating humanity from oppression must involve liberating Christianity from the idea that oppression is consistent with faith. Tim Gee restores the radical spirit of Jesus.
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This disappointing manifesto by activist Gee (Counterpower) offers "a political reading of the Bible" and urges Christians to join the fight for social justice. The author outlines a progressive analysis of scripture, arguing that Christianity was originally "a movement of the marginalized and the oppressed" and that the Golden Rule compels Christians to combat injustice. The parable of the good Samaritan indicates Jesus's opposition to prejudice, Gee suggests, and the gospels argue against misogyny and homophobia as well. The author also explores moral messages in the stories of creation, the great flood, and Jesus's birth, but comes away with platitudes: "Could Noah's story be a prompt to change our ways, and live with more regard for other people and nature?" Christians looking for practical advice will be disappointed by the lack of guidance on how to live out these ideals, and Gee's tendency to make unorthodox assertions without providing supporting evidence (such as claiming the Song of Songs to be a "gay love poem") will frustrate even those sympathetic to his perspective. Some progressive Christians may find inspiration, but this undercooked treatise will leave most wanting.
