According to Luise Schottroff and Wolfgang Stegemann, the search for the historical Jesus has been marked by the tendency to isolate Jesus from his disciples and from Judaism. They argue, however, that Jesus is inseparable from his first disciples and from the indigent Jews who made up the earliest Jesus movement. Understood in the context of his following, Jesus emerges from Schottroff and Stegemann as a Jew who not only proclaimed the reign of God in a unique way but who was himself a symbol of hope for the poor and oppressed of his time. This exciting socio-historical interpretation of the Jesus movement focuses chiefly on the earliest Jesus tradition, the Sayings-source, and the Gospel of Luke. Students, teachers of New Testament studies, and anyone who wants to explore Jesus's life context will be challenged by this book.

This book has a simple message for business leaders: you help yourselves by helping the poor. Instead of feeling as if the economy is working against them, the poor need to feel they have a stake in it so they will buy your products and put money in the bank. Supporting poor people's efforts to move into the middle class is the only way to enrich everyone, rich and poor alike.

Is economic development the best hope for the world's poor? A great many individuals, governments and organizations think the obvious answer is 'Yes’, the only issue being about how development can best be achieved. In recent decades some powerful voices from economics and anthropology have taken issue with this widespread consensus, and this book aims to add a philosophical dimension to the debate. Just who are ‘the poor’, and what should they hope for? Is the best hope of having a worthwhile life any different for the poor than it is for the rich? Drawing on Aristotle, Bacon, Hume, Reid, Marx and Nietzsche, as well as contemporary authors such as Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum and Tim Ingold, Gordon Graham argues in favour of replacing quantitative assessments of wealth and poverty with a qualitative account of the ways in which human lives can be enriched or impoverished. The final chapter explores the connection between economic and political development and religious ways of thinking.

A compelling call to carry God's mercy and compassion to the hurting people of this world This eminently practical book by two leading experts in the field of poverty reduction offers a clear plan to help ordinary Christians translate their compassion into thoughtful action. Authors Peter Greer and Phil Smith draw on their personal experiences t...

Jesus and the Powers rediscovers Jesus response to the imperial power of his day. Richard A. Horsley describes the relevance of political realities under great empires for understanding the rise of covenantal theology and apocalyptic vision in Israels history; then he explores aspects of Jesus activity in the context of the Roman Empire. Horsley examines Jesus as an exorcist and prophetic figure and the character of his death by crucifixion; then turns to discuss how the community life in the early Pauline assemblies gave form to a new response to imperial powers.

Since the publication of Gustavo Gutiérrez's 1973 groundbreaking work, A Theology of Liberation, much has been written on liberation theology and its central premise of the preferential option for the poor. Arguably, this has been one of the most important yet controversial theological themes of the twentieth century. As globalization creates greater gaps between the rich and the poor, and as the situation for many of the world’s poor worsens, there is an ever greater need to understand the gift and challenge of Christian faith from the context of the poor and marginalized of our society. This volume draws on the thought of leading international scholars and explores how the Christian tradition can help us understand the theological foundations for the option for the poor. The central focus of the book revolves around the question, How can one live a Christian life in a world of destitution? The contributors are concerned not only with a social, economic, or political understanding of poverty but above all with the option for the poor as a theological concept. While these essays are rooted in a solid grounding of our present “reality,” they look to the past to understand some of the central truths of Christian faith and to the future as a source of Christian hope. Following Gustavo Gutiérrez's essay on the multidimensionality of poverty, Elsa Tamez, Hugh Page, Jr., Brian Daley, and Jon Sobrino identify a central theological premise: poverty is contrary to the will of God. Drawing on scripture, the writings of the early fathers, the witness of Christian martyrs, and contemporary theological reflection, they argue that poverty represents the greatest challenge to Christian faith and discipleship. David Tracy and J. Matthew Ashley carry their reflection forward by examining the option for the poor in light of apocalyptic thought. Virgilio Elizondo, Patrick Kalilombe, María Pilar Aquino, M. Shawn Copeland, and Mary Catherine Hilkert examine the challenges of poverty with respect to culture, Africa, race, and gender. Casiano Floristán and Luis Maldonado explore the relationship between poverty, sacramentality, and popular religiosity. The final two essays by Aloysius Pieris and Michael Signer consider the option for the poor in relationship to other major world religions, particularly an Asian theology of religions and the meaning of care for the poor within Judaism.

This book reflects intersection between the lives, commitments, and strategies of two highly respected figures Dr. Paul Farmer and Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez joined in their option for the poor, their defense of life, and their commitment to liberation. Farmer has credited liberation theology as the inspiration for his effort to do "social justice medicine," while Gutierrez has recognized Farmer's work as particularly compelling example of the option for the poor, and the impact that theology can have outside the church. Draws on their respective writings, major addresses by both at Notre Dame, and a transcript of a dialogue between them.

"Collecting dozens of interviews conducted over 50 years to give voice to the 16 percent that live below the poverty line, journalist Kenan Heise ... addresses unemployment, prison, nutrition needs and hunger, the lives of impoverished children, panhandling, health-care struggles, the role of race in poverty, and Dumpster diving"--P. [4] of cover.

A compelling call to carry Christ's love and mercy to families in poverty around the world This eminently practical book by two leading experts on poverty alleviation offers a clear plan to help ordinary Christ-followers translate their compassion into thoughtful action. Authors Peter Greer and Phil Smith draw on their personal experiences to discuss proven solutions for effectively alleviating poverty. Created to Flourish examines the pitfalls of traditional approaches and outlines a new model of economic development aimed at breaking the cycle of dependency. Through discipleship-based savings groups and small loans, families in poverty are employing their God-given talents to provide for their families and serve their communities. With photographs showcasing the dignity of clients from around the HOPE International network, this book provides straightforward guidance for individuals and groups eager to carry God's justice, mercy, and compassion throughout our world.

Larry James appeared to be exactly where he was supposed to be-ministering with a large, suburban Dallas church. So why would he accept an invitation to direct a food pantry in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Dallas? What sealed the decision was something his wife, Brenda, said: "Larry, if you really believe all the things you've been telling us all these years, you need to take the job." So after fourteen years of preaching, he did. One day in the food pantry, Larry asked a woman named Josefina to help translate Spanish. She had come for assistance, but Josefina ended up helping any that day, and the next. Josefina came back the next day for nine years. Since that day two decades ago, Larry has been asking neighbors like Josefina to help solve their own problems, and this new way of serving side by side has transformed a small food pantry into one of the largest non-profit food distributors in the world. The organization-now called CitySquare-also develops housing for the formerly homeless and manages health clinics and community medical out reach in economically depressed and under-served places like East and South Dallas. This is an organizational success story you expect to see in the Wall Street journal, and yet it is like no other. Larry's journey provides the platform from which lie provides a practical, theological, market-savvy manual written for those who serve and invest in the work of urban transformation. Book jacket.