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The complete guide to debunking right-wing misinterpretations of the Bible—from economics and immigration to gender and sexuality.
Jesus loves borders, guns, unborn babies, and economic prosperity and hates homosexuality, taxes, welfare, and universal healthcare—or so say many Republican politicians, pundits, and preachers. Through outrageous misreadings of the New Testament gospels that started almost a century ago, conservative influencers have conjured a version of Jesus who speaks to their fears, desires, and resentments.
In Republican Jesus, Tony Keddie explains not only where this right-wing Christ came from and what he stands for but also why this version of Jesus is a fraud. By restoring Republicans’ cherry-picked gospel texts to their original literary and historical contexts, Keddie dismantles the biblical basis for Republican positions on hot-button issues like Big Government, taxation, abortion, immigration, and climate change. At the same time, he introduces readers to an ancient Jesus whose life experiences and ethics were totally unlike those of modern Americans, conservatives and liberals alike.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
A Note to Readers
Introduction
PART ONE. WHO IS REPUBLICAN JESUS?
1. A Portrait of Republican Jesus
PART TWO. WHERE DOES REPUBLICAN JESUS COME FROM?
2. Early Modern Heralds
3. A Corporate Assault on the New Deal
4. Tea and Prosperity in the Age of Trump
PART THREE. WHAT DOES REPUBLICAN JESUS STAND FOR? IS HE RIGHT OR WRONG?
5. Family Values
6. Charity
7. Church and State
8. Protection from Invaders
9. The End of the World
Afterword
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
Description
The complete guide to debunking right-wing misinterpretations of the Bible—from economics and immigration to gender and sexuality.
Jesus loves borders, guns, unborn babies, and economic prosperity and hates homosexuality, taxes, welfare, and universal healthcare—or so say many Republican politicians, pundits, and preachers. Through outrageous misreadings of the New Testament gospels that started almost a century ago, conservative influencers have conjured a version of Jesus who speaks to their fears, desires, and resentments.
In Republican Jesus, Tony Keddie explains not only where this right-wing Christ came from and what he stands for but also why this version of Jesus is a fraud. By restoring Republicans’ cherry-picked gospel texts to their original literary and historical contexts, Keddie dismantles the biblical basis for Republican positions on hot-button issues like Big Government, taxation, abortion, immigration, and climate change. At the same time, he introduces readers to an ancient Jesus whose life experiences and ethics were totally unlike those of modern Americans, conservatives and liberals alike.
