Jesus Takes a Side grounds liberation theology and social justice spirituality in the present moment in the United States, while also offering a personal context for the theological work Jonny Rashid is offering with his life's work.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Jonny makes a clear & approachable case that Jesus is for us, not against us, in the most humble way. The oppressor is often confused, feeling themselves centered in the story and suffering. Jonny’s book compassionately guides us to recognition of who is truly in the margins and how we can love them with the compassion Jesus wants us to find.

Love this quote: Empathizing with the oppressed can change our urgency and even show us the ways that we are oppressed and in need of saving. Whether we learn how we are oppressed, or how we are complicit in oppression, the gospel is good news for all us because it liberates us all. The biblical witness showcases that God sees the oppressed, and that God’s action in the world is consistently to free the oppressed and to fill the oppressed with “good things,”

Jesus Takes a Side is a clear, convincing, prophetic call to re-center the oppressed and reclaim Jesus’ full agenda as a critical aspect of what it means to be a “Christian.” When it comes to aligning with God’s priorities (e.g., the politics of his Kingdom), there is no “third way”; there is only God’s way. After reading this book, you will be motivated to humbly seek what that way is and passionately seek its progression.

Jesus came from a region of the world and people group within the Roman Empire that Donald Trump would characterize as a “shithole” country (“can anything good come from Nazareth?” said the leaders of Jesus’ day). This book is a compelling call for all Christians to rediscover the context and focus of Jesus’ life and message of liberation. He came not just to liberate us from personal sin, but to “proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed” (Luke 4:18). In other words, Jesus was on the side of the oppressed over empire, which by definition means taking a side against nationalism and any economic and social systems that produce oppression.

This book reminds us that politics is the practice of sorting out rights and resources. For a Christ-follower, those priorities simply must align with the priorities of Jesus. Jesus Takes a Side affirms that there is no compromised “third way” when it comes to prioritizing the oppressed, because that is clearly God’s priority. However, there can be third, fourth, or even fifth ways to approach a challenge, such as racism, poverty, or homelessness. The book would have benefitted from additional exploration of how ideas currently labeled “progressive” or “conservative” could be creatively applied to solving these problems, but only if these approaches were aligned in prioritizing the same groups that God does. There can be political creativity to try new approaches in order to find the best solution; however, there is no creativity when it comes to the ultimate goal: to liberate the oppressed.

Too often, our reluctance to engage beyond trivializations and straw positions motivate us to avoid meaningful political engagement altogether. In other words, we don’t want to listen to each other long enough to truly understand and risk our hardened positions being shifted. But this belies our lack of faith in God to lead us to real change and the furtherance of his agenda, which is to right wrongs (justice) and demonstrate grace, even to the oppressors.

This is a book that will challenge both conservatives and progressives willing to have their priorities and approaches challenged to reconsider whether any of us are fully on the same side as Jesus. It’s worth taking up this personal challenge.

(3.25/5) I read this book because it seemed counter to the two positions in the evangelical church right now (which are either "you can't be a Christian if you don't vote for Donald Trump" or the "Third Way"). There were parts I agreed with and parts with which I disagreed, but I did learn a lot from this perspective. I think this could definitely be a resource for anyone in the "you can't be a Christian if you don't vote for Donald Trump" party to gain a new perspective/understand why others would feel differently while still being faithful believers.