Quotes & Sayings


We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write from the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Jesus vs. Caesar, by Joerg Rieger


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

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Joerg Rieger
BornAugust 3, 1963 (age 57)
NationalityGerman
Spouse(s)Rosemarie Henkel-Rieger[1]
Ecclesiastical career
ReligionChristianity (Methodist)
ChurchUnited Methodist Church
Ordained
  • 1995 (deacon)
  • 1997 (elder)[2]
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisApproaches to the Real[3] (1994)
Academic work
DisciplineTheology
Sub-disciplineConstructive theology
School or tradition
Institutions
Websitejoergrieger.com Edit this at Wikidata

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 TheologySouthern Methodist University. He received a Master of Divinity degree from the Theologische Hochschule Reutlingen [de], 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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The 2020 Christian Left Conference's keynote speaker, Joerg Rieger, was live-streamed on Friday, August 14: "The Circular Firing ...
April 20, 2017 Joerg Rieger, Cal Turner Chancellor's Chair in Wesleyan Studies and Distinguished Professor of Theology at ...
CC
Joerg Rieger, PhD presenting "What Does Jesus Have to Do with Wall Street" at Nobel Conference 52.
Starting a revolution! A conversation with Prof Joerg Rieger VLOG 92 In this video I have the joy of speaking with Prof Joerg ...
Monday, November 19, 2012 American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting Chicago, Illinois Panelists: Miguel De La Torre, ...
CC
Rosemarie & Joerg Rieger talk with Tripp about faith, labor, and justice.
Joerg Rieger, PhD presenting "What Does Jesus Have to Do with Wall Street" at Nobel Conference 52.
CC
This is a presentation for Track 7, "Whitehead and Marx", in Section X, "Reimagining and Reinventing Societies and Social ...
Joerg Rieger is Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology at Southern Methodist University's Perkins School ...
Two eminent scholars, John Dominic Crossan and Joerg Rieger, bring together two complementary, academic backgrounds with ...
Joerg Rieger, PhD, Wendland-Cook Endowed Professor of Constructive Theology Education at Southern Methodist U






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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. - res

Please 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