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Jesus' Plan for a New World: The Sermon on the Mount
by Richard Rohr, John Bookser Feister
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Saint Anthony Messenger Press (1996-06)
ISBN: 0867162031
EAN: 9780867162035
Dewy Decimal #: 225
Paperback: 175 pages
Edition: 1st
SKU: 08080273
Condition: Like New As issued n
Comments: Paperback. Like new condition with no markings and no creases to spine or cover. Very slight wear to cover. Near fine copy.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
When politicians today talk about a "new world order," they are actually referring to the "old world order"--the heart of the New Testament. Rohr and Feister explore the Gospel According to Matthew and delve into the Sermon on the Mount, considered the blueprint of the Christian lifestyle. They emerge with a clearer understanding of the Gospel writers, especially Matthew, who passed the sermon on to us.
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Customer Reviews
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The "real" way of Jesus
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-07-22
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Richard Rohr and John Feister present a clear analysis and useful meditations on the sermon on the mount. First they help us prepare to hear Jesus, by increasing our understanding of the culture and world order at the time of Jesus so that we may better understand the man.
Second they analyze the sermon itself in its transformative guidance and attitudes. In only 175 pages this spiritual book directs the reader to numerous spiritual concepts. Jesus Plan for the World discusses the symbolism and meaning of the sermon on the mount, and presents worthy insights relevant to our journey of faith. In this review I will address a few of those insights.
The authors clarify the way of Jesus by writing that;
First, many religions view conversion as the "old self on a new path". The new path focuses upon adopting new language, new practices and new behavior that "is sincere". The old self, however, keeps our anger and our prejudices. Often we may begin to condemn anyone who does not agree with our new "way".
Second, they suggest that Jesus called for "the new self on a new path". We "transform" our feelings and motivations. Our "new self" begins to focus upon the boundless love of God. Our goals and motivations become "transformed". This is the conversion asked by Jesus.
Rohr and Feister discuss four great themes of scripture.
1. Exodus and Easter: life and death is growth and transformation if we truly trust God.
2. Emphasis upon the "bottom": the scriptures "reverse " human expectations by focusing upon the downtrodden, the slave, the poor, and the sinner.
3. Correlation between gifts and worthiness: it is not that we are worthy but that God is good. We focus upon acceptance instead of attainment, upon surrender instead of hard work.
4. Letting go: we must let go of "control". We let go of fear (be not afraid). We let go of self (god will be your strength), And we let go of hurts through forgiveness.
This is an excellent book. I recommend it for anyone wanting to enhance their journey of faith.
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Thinking outside the box
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-05-09
A profound, well researched book on the essence of Jesus's teachings both on the spiritual and the sociological level. The author, deeply influenced by the early mystics and eastern traditions,fully captures the complexity and grace of a God ever compassionate and kind. The multi-layered analysis of this book -socio-political, historical, philosophical - does not make it "easy " reading , but who ever said the "Mystery" of Being is easy to grasp? If you are looking for greater understanding of the "real" Jesus and His transformative power in your life, this is the book to read.
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Good news!
Rating  (1)
Date: 2008-03-26
1 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
The pope's book, "Jesus of Nazareth," has a chapter devoted to the Sermon on the Mount, and it's much, much better than Fr. Rohr's take.
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Demystifying "Jesus' Plan for a New World (Originally posted Feb 2004)
Rating (1)
Date: 2006-09-22
11 out of 19 customers found this reveiw helpful
I know that as soon as I disagree with anything Father Richard Rohr (or his co-author John Bookser Feister) teaches that I am likely to be quickly dismissed or labeled as a close-minded Fundamentalist who "refuses to listen to what the Gospel authors are `REALLY' saying to their communities
With that said, there is "truth" to be found in the book, Jesus' Plan for a New World (Order), but that can also be said of the works of some of human history's worst oppressors. Richard Rohr is a skilled artist, brilliant in his command of language, powerful in his use of half-truths; therein lays the danger.
There is no denying that terrible atrocities have occurred in the name of Christianity, mistakenly justified by the abuse of Scripture. People have used and misused religious texts for millennia to justify their particular agendas, or so that they may more fully live into their personal bias. Rohr uses his mastery of language to confound the reader, hide his underlying message, shifting one away from the core of Jesus' teachings. Did Jesus tell us (his disciples and followers throughout human history) to stand on the side of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized? Absolutely! Is Jesus asking us to hate oppression? Yes! But the Scriptures are so much richer than this. The Bible, as clearly stated in the introduction to this book "is the most controversial book in print."
At the very core of Jesus' teachings is the love of God and love for each other (all of humanity - including the "oppressed/ marginalized" as well as the "oppressors"); Rohr skillfully and very subtly shifts this core to loving the poor and oppressed and hating the oppressors vis a vis the "system" of big business, the "West," "patriarchal Christianity," etc. Rohr is neither the first nor the last person attempting to mold Jesus into a "new age" vision to align with his own political ideology. Between the lines of his text, Rohr seems to be suggesting that an idyllic socialism, first espoused by Babeuf and Owens, later repurposed by Engels, Marx, Stalin, Lenin, and so on is at the base of Jesus' plan for a new world order (i.e. `redistribution of wealth,' `government seizure of private property,' `blocked access to press,' and so on with undeniable horrific consequences to those who were oppressed within those systems - greater numbers of people were silenced and killed by socialist regimes than in the Holocaust of Nazi Germany).
Rohr uses slight nuances in language to distance himself from being labeled a "communist." I do agree with Rohr that Jesus cannot (and should not) be called a patriot (pg. 140), neither should he be called a communist. He uses much the same approach to distance himself from the teachings of the Jesus Seminar (i.e. John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg - both quoted in his book).
Another dangerous aspect of Rohr's teaching through this book is that there is no REALLY REAL basis for understanding good and evil, no moral ground upon which to stand, other than viewing the world through the "bias" of the "poor and oppressed," which begs the question; who ARE the poor and oppressed if, as Richard Rohr says that "the utter truth of this world....is nonetheless an acceptance that EVERYTHING except God is relative and is passing away?" (pg. 27) How do we differentiate between the truly oppressed in a system and the oppressors? How do we account for the absence of moral clarity in such a Jesus as Rohr proposes? Now please do not misunderstand me, I am not condemning anyone, but I (as do we all) have the responsibility to differentiate between good and evil, right and wrong. This is not to propose a "strictly close-minded uninformed black and white" view of the world, there is certainly a divine complexity in God's created universe beyond that which we can see, what we may call chaos or hidden order. Chaos is formed out of simple rules. Christian chaos is formed by Jesus' simple rule to love God and love our neighbors (all of humanity) as ourselves.
If you are looking for a book that gives you an understanding of why it is important to focus on Jesus rather than religion for religion's sake, I would recommend the book, More Jesus, Less Religion: Moving from Rules to Relationship by Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton.
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Demystifying "Jesus' Plan for a New World"
Rating (1)
Date: 2005-02-08
12 out of 30 customers found this reveiw helpful
I know that as soon as I disagree with anything Father Richard Rohr (or his co-author John Bookser Feister) teaches that I am likely to be quickly dismissed or labeled as a close-minded Fundamentalist who "refuses to listen to what the Gospel authors are `REALLY' saying to their communities
With that said, there is "truth" to be found in the book, Jesus' Plan for a New World (Order), but that can also be said of the works of some of human history's worst oppressors. Richard Rohr is a skilled artist, brilliant in his command of language, powerful in his use of half-truths; therein lays the danger.
There is no denying that terrible atrocities have occurred in the name of Christianity, mistakenly justified by the abuse of Scripture. People have used and misused religious texts for millennia to justify their particular agendas, or so that they may more fully live into their personal bias. Rohr uses his mastery of language to confound the reader, hide his underlying message, shifting one away from the core of Jesus' teachings. Did Jesus tell us (his disciples and followers throughout human history) to stand on the side of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized? Absolutely! Is Jesus asking us to hate oppression? Yes! But the Scriptures are so much richer than this. The Bible, as clearly stated in the introduction to this book "is the most controversial book in print."
At the very core of Jesus' teachings is the love of God and love for each other (all of humanity - including the "oppressed/ marginalized" as well as the "oppressors"); Rohr skillfully and very subtly shifts this core to loving the poor and oppressed and hating the oppressors vis a vis the "system" of big business, the "West," "patriarchal Christianity," etc. Rohr is neither the first nor the last person attempting to mold Jesus into a "new age" vision to align with his own political ideology. Between the lines of his text, Rohr seems to be suggesting that an idyllic socialism, first espoused by Babeuf and Owens, later repurposed by Engels, Marx, Stalin, Lenin, and so on is at the base of Jesus' plan for a new world order (i.e. `redistribution of wealth,' `government seizure of private property,' `blocked access to press,' and so on with undeniable horrific consequences to those who were oppressed within those systems - greater numbers of people were silenced and killed by socialist regimes than in the Holocaust of Nazi Germany).
Rohr uses slight nuances in language to distance himself from being labeled a "communist." I do agree with Rohr that Jesus cannot (and should not) be called a patriot (pg. 140), neither should he be called a communist. He uses much the same approach to distance himself from the teachings of the Jesus Seminar (i.e. John Dominic Crossan, Marcus Borg - both quoted in his book).
Another dangerous aspect of Rohr's teaching through this book is that there is no REALLY REAL basis for understanding good and evil, no moral ground upon which to stand, other than viewing the world through the "bias" of the "poor and oppressed," which begs the question; who ARE the poor and oppressed if, as Richard Rohr says that "the utter truth of this world....is nonetheless an acceptance that EVERYTHING except God is relative and is passing away?" (pg. 27) How do we differentiate between the truly oppressed in a system and the oppressors? How do we account for the absence of moral clarity in such a Jesus as Rohr proposes? Now please do not misunderstand me, I am not condemning anyone, but I (as do we all) have the responsibility to differentiate between good and evil, right and wrong. This is not to propose a "strictly close-minded uninformed black and white" view of the world, there is certainly a divine complexity in God's created universe beyond that which we can see, what we may call chaos or hidden order. Chaos is formed out of simple rules. Christian chaos is formed by Jesus' simple rule to love God and love our neighbors (all of humanity) as ourselves.
If you are looking for a book that gives you an understanding of why it is important to focus on Jesus rather than religion for religion's sake, I would recommend the book, More Jesus, Less Religion: Moving from Rules to Relationship by Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton.
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