Joerg Rieger, Jesus vs. Caesar
Joerg Rieger
- Distinguished Professor of Theology
- Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies
- Founding Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice
- Affiliate Faculty, Turner Family Center for Social Ventures, Owen Graduate School of Management
Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology, the Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies, and the Founding Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice. Previously he was the Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He received an M.Div. from the Theologische Hochschule Reutlingen, Germany, a Th.M. from Duke Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke University.
Rieger’s work brings together the study of theology and of the movements for liberation and justice that mark our age, exemplified by the following questions: Considering the multiple relations of religion and power, what difference does religion make, for good and for ill, and what might be the constructive contributions of theology? What are the implications of various embodiments of faith for politics, economics, and ecology? What options and alternatives can we envision and how might the tools of theology help us make appropriate choices? Rieger’s constructive work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for the roles that images of the divine play in the pressures of everyday life, locally, nationally, and internationally.
Author and editor of 22 books and more than 140 academic articles, a selection of his books includes Jesus vs. Caesar: For People Tired of Serving the Wrong God (2018), No Religion but Social Religion: Liberating Wesleyan Theology (2018), Unified We are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities (with Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger, 2016), Faith on the Road: A Short Theology of Travel and Justice (2015), Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude (with Kwok Pui-lan, 2012), Grace under Pressure: Negotiating the Heart of the Methodist Traditions (2011), Globalization and Theology (2010), No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future (2009), Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times (2007), and God and the Excluded: Visions and Blindspots in Contemporary Theology (2001). His books have been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, Korean, and Chinese.
Rieger is editor of the academic book series New Approaches to Religion and Power with Palgrave Macmillan Publishers and, together with Professor Kwok Pui-lan, he edits the academic book series Religion in the Modern World (Rowman and Littlefield).
Rieger has lectured throughout the United States as well as internationally, including presentations in Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, China, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, and Israel/Palestine, with planned presentations in Korea, Taiwan, and various countries in Oceania. He is an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church.
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Joerg Rieger
Joerg Rieger | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 3, 1963 |
| Nationality | German |
| Spouse(s) | Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger[1] |
| Ecclesiastical career | |
| Religion | Christianity (Methodist) |
| Church | United Methodist Church |
| Ordained |
|
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | Approaches to the Real[3] (1994) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Theology |
| Sub-discipline | Constructive theology |
| School or tradition | |
| Institutions | |
| Website | joergrieger |
Joerg Michael Rieger (born 1963) is a German[5] professor of Christian theology whose work emphasizes economic justice and political movements. Rieger is also an ordained minister of the United Methodist Church.[2]
Life and career
Born on August 3, 1963,[6] Rieger is Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair in Wesleyan Studies and Distinguished Professor of Theology at the Divinity School and the Graduate Program of Religion at Vanderbilt University. Previously he was the Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the Theologische Hochschule Reutlingen, Germany, a Master of Theology degree from Duke Divinity School, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in religion and ethics from Duke University.[7]
Rieger is the author and editor of more than 20 books and over 135 academic articles, which have been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, Korean, and Chinese.[8]
Rieger is editor of the academic book series New Approaches to Religion and Power with Palgrave Macmillan Publishers and, together with Kwok Pui-lan, he edits the academic book series Religion in the Modern World (Rowman and Littlefield).[8][failed verification]
Rieger has lectured throughout the United States as well as internationally, including presentations in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium, England, Russia, Thailand, and China.[9]
Ideas
Rieger is an activist constructive theologian[10] in the tradition of liberation theology.[11] Robert Wafawanaka has referred to Reiger as an "Occupy theologian" because he endorses the views of the Occupy movement and shares its ethos.[12] Rieger understands theology as functioning to support or transform reality, especially historical and contemporary economic systems.[13] His work focuses on economic class[14] and empire.[15] In politics, Rieger argues against the separation of religion and politics.[16]
Rieger describes his work as an effort to bring theology and contemporary liberation movements together.[17] His work addresses the relation of theology and public life, reflecting on the misuse of power in religion, politics, and economics.[a] His main interest is in developments and movements that bring about change and in the positive contributions of religion and theology. His work in theology draws on a wide range of historical and contemporary traditions, with a concern for manifestations of the divine in the pressures of everyday life.[9][18][19]
Rieger advocates for a materialistic spirituality centered on working to improve the material conditions of the marginalized.[20] He believes current economic systems are incompatible with the biblical conception of God.[21] Rieger has described economic ideologies as religions, and asserts that people typically assent to them as a matter of blind faith, not empirical evidence. He renounces the perceived hegemony of free market ideology offering Christian theology as an alternative.[22]
Rieger's criticizes the currently dominant economic system especially for increasing global economic inequality,[23] and also for poverty, distorting of the way people and their work are valued, and limiting control people have over their lives.[24] As a response to economic injustice, Rieger promotes solidarity with those negatively impacted by current economic processes[25] and encourages Christians to modify economic systems to promote the wellbeing of everyone.[26]
Rieger and Kwok Pui-lan coined the notion of deep solidarity,[27] which is a recognition that the community as a whole is harmed by the unjust system, not just a particular group to be paternalistically supported from a place of superiority or distance.[28] Within this framework, the presence of college-educated individuals participating in the Occupy movement is not lack of authenticity in their appeal for economic justice, but rather an achievement in helping a broader portion of the public identify themselves as oppressed and able to see inequality as a threat to society as whole.[29]
Published works
Books authored
- Jesus vs. Caesar: For People Tired of Serving the Wrong God. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2018.
- No Religion but Social Religion: Liberating Wesleyan Theology. With Contributions by Paulo Ayres Mattos, Helmut Renders, and José Carlos de Souza. Nashville: GBHEM, 2018.
- Unified We Are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities. With Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger. Saint Louis, Mo.: Chalice Press, 2016.
- Faith on the Road: A Short Theology of Travel and Justice. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2015.
- Graça libertadora: como o metodismo pode se envolver no século vinte e um. (Liberating Grace: How Methodism Can Engage the Twenty-First Century.) With additional contributions by Helmut Renders, José Carlos de Souza, and Paulo Ayres Mattos. Portuguese only, translated from the English by Elizangela A. Soares. São Bernardo do Campo, SP: Editeo, 2015.
- with Pui-lan, K. (2012). Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude. Religion in the Modern World. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-1793-5. Chinese Translation (transl. by Jenny Wong Yan). Hong Kong: Chinese Christian Literature Council, 2015.
- Traveling: Christian Explorations of Daily Living. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2011. Portuguese translation: Fé e viagens no mundo globalizado (transl. by José Raimundo Vidigal). Sao Paulo: Editora Paulus, 2014. Chinese Translation (transl. by Jane Ng). Hong Kong: Chinese Christian Literature Council, 2014. Korean Translation. Seoul: Poiema, an imprint of Gimm-Young Publishers, 2015.
- Grace Under Pressure: Negotiating the Heart of the Methodist Tradition. Nashville: United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. 2011. ISBN 978-0-938162-77-3. Portuguese translation: Graça sob Pressão: Negociando o Coração das Tradições Metodistas (transl. by Felipe Maia). São Bernardo do Campo: Editeo, 2012. Spanish translation: Gracia bajo presión (transl. by Alejandro Alfaro-Santi). Buenos Aires: Ediciones La Aurora, 2016.
- Globalization and Theology. Horizons in theology. Abingdon Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4267-0065-1. Italian translation: Globalizzazione e Teologia (transl. by Andrea Aguti). Preface by Rosino Gibellini. Brescia: Editrice Queriniana, 2015.
- No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4514-1112-6. Spanish Translation: La religion del Mercado: Una aproximación crítica a la acumulación y la probreza (transl. and ed. by Néstor Míguez). Buenos Aires: Ediciones La Aurora, 2016.
- Beyond the Spirit of Empire: Theology and Politics in a New Key. Reclaiming Liberation Theology Series. Co-authored with Néstor Míguez and Jung Mo Sung. London: SCM Press, 2009. Portuguese translation: Para além do espírito do Império: Novas perspectivas em política e religião (transl. by Gilmar Saint’ Clair Ribeiro and Barbara T. Lambert). Sao Paulo: Paulinas, 2012. Spanish translation: Más allá del espiritu imperial: Nuevas perspectivas en política y religión (transl. by Nicolás Panotto and Néstor Míguez). Prologo de F. Hinkelammert. Buenos Aires: Ediciones La Aurora, 2016.
- Christ & Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8006-2038-7. German translation: Christus und das Imperium: Von Paulus bis zum Postkolonialismus (transl. by Sabine Plonz). Berlin: Lit Verlag, 2009.Portuguese translation: Cristo e Império: de Paulo aos tempos pós-coloniais, Coleção Bíblia e Sociologia (transl. by Luiz Alexandre Solano Rossi). Sao Paulo: Editora Paulus, 2009.
- God and the Excluded: Visions and Blind Spots in Contemporary Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 2001. ISBN 978-1-4514-1110-2.
- Remember the Poor: The Challenge to Theology in the Twenty-First Century. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International. 1998. ISBN 978-1-56338-256-7. Portuguese translation: Lembrar-se dos Pobres: o desafio da teologia no século XXI (transl. by Thiago Gambi). Sao Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2009.
Books edited
- Religious Experience and New Materialism: Movements Matter. Co-editor with Edward Waggoner. Radical Theologies Series. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
- Religion, Theology, and Class: Fresh Engagements after Long Silence. New Approaches to Religion and Power. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US. 2013. ISBN 978-1-137-33924-9.
- Across Borders: Latin Perspectives in the Americas Reshaping Religion, Theology, and Life. Editor. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013.
- Empire and the Christian Tradition: New Readings of Classical Theologians. Co-editor, with Don Compier and Kwok Pui Lan. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007.
- Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice. Associate Editor. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2007.
- Opting for the Margins: Postmodernity and Liberation in Christian Theology. American Academy of Religion, Reflection and Theory in the Study of Religion Series. Editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Methodist and Radical: Rejuvenating a Tradition. Co-editor with John Vincent. Nashville: Kingswood Books, 2003.
- Theology from the Belly of the Whale: A Frederick Herzog Reader. Editor. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1999.
- Liberating the Future: God, Mammon, and Theology. Editor. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.
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Jesus vs. Caesar:
For People Tired of Serving the Wrong God
by Joerg Rieger
When we observe a tension between Jesus and Caesar, we acknowledge that a fundamental tension remains at the heart of Christianity. When this tension is poorly understood, Christians face disastrous consequences. The tension is not between religion and atheism or secularism. Nor is it between organized religion and personal spirituality. The tension is located within the heart of Christianity itself because it is a radical conflict between true and false forms of Christian faith. Jesus embodies and exposes this tension in ways that illuminate both how God is with us and what must change for a world that participates in God’s life. This book serves as an indictment of the pieties of empire, whether government, corporate or any other forms of the faith that dominate and exclude. One form of Christian faith (Jesus) versus another form of Christian faith (Caesar). Whom and what will we trust and serve? What did Jesus disclose to the religious, economic, and political worlds of Israel and Rome?
This tension between true and false forms of religion is also deeply rooted in the Jewish traditions. The Hebrew prophets were gravely concerned about established forms of Jewish religion that appear to be respectable but result in oppression. The prophet Isaiah hears the voice of God pronouncing judgment: “You serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers” (Isaiah 58:3). True religion loosens “the bonds of injustice" (Isa 58:6) while self-serving religion is false religion.
This tension between true religion and false religion is a critical opportunity for those who would follow Jesus instead of “Caesar.”
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Books by the Author
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CHRIST AMONG THE DISCIPLINES
CONFERENCE NOTES
by R.E. Slater
November 24, 2020
Please note: I write these notes to myself. They are not intended to be exact transcriptions from the speakers themselves. What I have written are not their words but my own thoughts. - resPlease note: All panelists provided textual statements for comments to attendees. These are not allowed to be publically published as they are intended to form to the moment-in-time not replicable beyond the panel discussions themselves as very specific conversations to one another in the AAR setting
Panelist Bios:
Craig Keen, Ph.D., is an award-winning professor of theology who has held various offices in the Wesleyan Theological Society, including promotional secretary, program chair, and president. Keen has published several articles in the Wesleyan Theological Journal, has a chapter in the book Embodied Holiness: Toward a Corporate Theology of Spiritual Growth (InterVarsity Press, 1999), and has written two books, both published by Cascade Books: The Transgression of the Integrity of God: Essays and Addresses (2012) and After Crucifixion: The Promise of Theology (2013). He is also under contract with Cascade Books to write Sanctity: Standing Up to the Coming of God. He served as co-chair of the Systematic Theology Working Group of the Twelfth Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, and in 2002 he served on an eight-member committee that envisaged, planned, and implemented the first Global Theology Conference of the Church of the Nazarene in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Tripp Fuller is a podcaster, theologian, minister and competitive home brewer. Currently he is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Theology & Science at the University of Edinburgh. He received his PhD in Philosophy, Religion, and Theology at Claremont Graduate University. For over 12 years Tripp has been doing the Homebrewed Christianity podcast (think on demand internet radio) where he interviews different scholars about their work so you can get nerdy in traffic, on the treadmill or doing the dishes. Last year it had over 3 million downloads. It also inspired a book series with Fortress Press called the Homebrewed Christianity Guides to… topics like God, Jesus, Spirit, Church History etc. Tripp is a very committed and (some of his friends think overly ) engaged Lakers fan, takes Star Wars and Lord of the Rings very seriously, enjoys coaching his oldest son Elgin’s flag football and basketball team, and prides himself in giving rousing editions of Sandra Boynton tunes during bedtime reading. Tripp, partner since 18 Alecia, & three kids (11, 5, & 2) are all headed to Scotland for three years where they hope to develop a sweet accent and avoid eating haggis. In the classroom, online, or in the pulpit, his passion is helping the church develop a zesty theology with traction in our world today.
Grace Ji-Sun Kim received her M.Div. from Knox College (University of Toronto) and her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. She is Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion. Kim is the author or editor of 19 books. She is honored to be included in the Englewood Review of Book‘s list of “Ten Important Women Theologians That You Should Be Reading” and to be included in their list of books to read under “Our God is Too White? Diversifying our Theology”. Eerdmans included her in Five Great Women Scholars (and Their Books) and is included in the “15 Majority World Books that will Change the Way you see the World in 2017”. She is also one of the “Top 10 Writers Shaping Our Movement” put together by the Center for Progressive Renewal. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is an ordained minister of word and sacrament within the PC (USA) denomination. She is married to Dr. Perry Y.C. Lee (Associate Professor of Mathematics, Kutztown University) and they have 3 children Theo, Elisabeth and Joshua.
Joerg Rieger is Distinguished Professor of Theology, Cal Turner Chancellor’s Chair of Wesleyan Studies, and the Founding Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University. His work addresses the relation of theology and public life, reflecting on the misuse of power in religion, politics, and economics. His main interest is in developments and movements that bring about change and in the positive contributions of religion and theology. Author and editor of 23 books and over 160 academic articles, his books include Jesus vs. Caesar: For People Tired of Serving the Wrong God (2018), No Religion but Social Religion: Liberating Wesleyan Theology (2018), Unified We are a Force: How Faith and Labor Can Overcome America’s Inequalities (with Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger, 2016), Faith on the Road: A Short Theology of Travel and Justice (2015), Occupy Religion: Theology of the Multitude (with Kwok Pui-lan, 2012), No Rising Tide: Theology, Economics, and the Future (2009), and Christ and Empire: From Paul to Postcolonial Times (2007). Lecturing nationally and internationally, his works have been translated into Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Croatian, German, Malayalam, Korean, and Chinese.
Observation by Craig Keen
see online statement
Observation by Tripp Fuller
see online statement
"Jesus vs Caesar" a Response to Joerg Rieger
Nov 17, 2020
Tripp Fuller - this is my paper for the upcoming
Christology Among the Disciplines conference.
Observation by Grace Ji-Sun Kim
see online statement
Response by Joerg Rieger
see online statement
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