The Rebel Christ - by Michael Coren (Paperback)

About the Book

The real Jesus was a rebel, a radical, and a revolutionary. Contrary to conservative Christian narratives today, the rebel Christ wasn't about judgment but forgiveness, not about rejection but inclusion. Michael Coren reveals what the real Jesus would say about the hot-button issues dividing Christians.

Book Synopsis

"Integrity, wit and passion. A fine advocate for the best of Christian thought and a faith that encompasses the human as well as the divine." --Stephen Fry

Christianity is in crisis, and its founder is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. This book presents the real Jesus: a rebel, a radical, and a revolutionary.

What did Jesus -- the original Jesus -- say about the pressing issues of his and our day? He didn't mention homosexuality but did call for the poor and marginalized to be protected and championed; he never spoke of abortion but did criticize the wealthy and complacent; he didn't side with the rulers and wealthy but did condemn those who judged and exploited others and turned their eyes away from those in need and from the cry for justice. This was Jesus the rebel, Christ the radical, who turned the world upside down and demanded that his followers do the same. Too many of those followers, tragically, seem to have misplaced that vital lesson.

Review Quotes

Michael Coren's new book The Rebel Christ is an inspired pleasure to read. It's clear and well-paced arguments reveal a refreshingly fierce optimism, and an indignation that springs from Coren's passion for Christianity's potential.

-- "The Charity Report"

Coren's blunt writing style may stretch the ideas of his conservative readers while bolstering those of his more progressive audience; the personal anecdotes sprinkled throughout the text complement his conclusions. For thoughtful theologians and laypeople alike.-- "Booklist"

Christianity today often comes in two forms: ignorance on fire or intelligence on ice. Michael Coren offers a different route. His theology enters the mind via the heart. His belief is in a God who loves us as we are but who doesn't want us to stay like that. Faith is the 'sandpaper of the soul', amending the human self in order to edit the world into somewhere more just and livable. If religion for you is just the bland leading the bland, then stop. Pick this book up and give it a go. It just might be that you too will become, in the spirit of Christ, a rebel with a cause.-- "Rev. Canon Mark Oakley, Dean of St John's College, University of Cambridge"

In an era when hysteria and hate-filled anger are seeking a new respectability in public discourse, Michael Coren is a welcome voice of sanity, reminding us that God is worshipped as a God of love.-- "Rev. Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church, University of Oxford"

Integrity, wit and passion. A fine advocate for the best of Christian thought and a faith that encompasses the human as well as the divine.-- "Stephen Fry"

About the Author

Michael Coren is the author of seventeen books, four of them bestsellers, published in twelve languages. An award-winning columnist, he is also ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada. He lives in Toronto.