The Parables of Jesus and the Problems of the World: How Ancient Narratives Comprehend Modern Malaise

by Richard Q. Ford

Overview

Remarkable is how extensively in each parable Jesus provides a subtle but rich array of unexpected possibilities hidden within the hierarchies of power so commonplace in his world. By doing so he profoundly addresses the perils inherent in the prerogatives of many of us living in today's world. In these ancient interpersonal tragedies, readers can discover modern global analogues--where the powerful still control the powerless and where others of us, immersed as we are in privilege, are still willing to side with control.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498232982
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	09/09/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	182
File size:	530 KB

About the Author

Richard Q. Ford, MDiv, PhD, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, is coauthor with Sidney J. Blatt of Therapeutic Change: An Object Relations Perspective, and author of The Parables of Jesus: Recovering the Art of Listening. He resides in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Richard Q. Ford, MDiv, PhD, a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, is coauthor with Sidney J. Blatt of Therapeutic Change: An Object Relations Perspective, and author of The Parables of Jesus: Recovering the Art of Listening. He resides in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 Tenants and a Landlord, Iraq and the United States 8

2 Slaves and a Master, the Sudan and China 18

3 Jesus's Parable of the Talents: The Imaging and Mimicry of Empire 29

4 Laborers and a Vineyard Owner, Iraqi Oil and the United States 40

5 A Woman with Leaven, a Woman with a Jar, and A Man with a Sword Gender Inequities 52

6 A Slave and a Master, Main Street and Wall Street 68

7 A Manager and a Rich Man, Afghanistan and the United States 80

8 A Younger Son and a Father: Waiting for Gods Restoring, or Restoring God's Waiting? 94

9 The Poor and a Householder, The Third World and Debt 106

10 A Widow and a Judge, Climate Change and Fossil Fuel Executives 120

11 Summaries of This Book's Interpretations 139

12 The Luring of Jesus and the Longing of God 148

Appendix: Parable Boundaries 163

Bibliography 167