What on Earth?: Considering the Social Implications of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount

by Barney Wiget

Overview

In his most famous Sermon, Jesus announces a Kingdom so counterintuitive that it appears upside down in contrast to conventional wisdom. By prescribing both a revolutionary personal piety and a radical social possibility he teaches us how to become better people who in turn make the world better. His vision for a countercultural Kingdom challenges our engagement with contemporary culture morally, socially, and even politically. The impact of this Kingdom "on the earth as it is in heaven," with a view to partnering with Jesus in his venture to nudge the world toward its intended design is the focus of this compelling treatment of the Sermon. By a lifestyle of holy nonconformity shaped by the "Blessed Attitudes" (Beatitudes), Jesus commissions his prophetic community to embody a social alternative that the world cannot imagine on its own and to foment a humble and loving cultural shift where the privileged and powerless flourish together in peace and justice. As previews of the coming attractions when Christ will return and reign as King over a new heaven and earth, Kingdom citizens work toward initiating such a world on earth as it is in heaven today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666795493
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/28/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Barney Wiget is a retired career church planter and pastor. He is the author of The Other End of the Dark: A Memoir about Divorce, Cancer, and Things God Does Anyway (2016) and Reaching Rahab: Joining God in His Quest for Friends (2018). This book is the outcome of years of ministry experience, his own journey through personal suffering, serving the urban poor and marginalized, and his theological learning curve.



Barney Wiget is a retired career church planter and pastor. He is the author of The Other End of the Dark: A Memoir about Divorce, Cancer, and Things God Does Anyway (2016) and Reaching Rahab: Joining God in His Quest for Friends (2018). This book is the outcome of years of ministry experience, his own journey through personal suffering, serving the urban poor and marginalized, and his theological learning curve.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The richness of Barney's latest book is not only in the abundance of quotes and sources but from the divine forging in his life through pain and suffering. Barney shows how each beatitude builds spiritual depth and takes the believer into a life that resembles the character of a gracious and loving God. This is a book written by a modern-day saint whose hardships have formed him into a weeping prophet."
—Timothy Paul Svoboda, Coordinator, YWAM San Francisco Bay Area

"Barney Wiget's writing crackles with the urgency of a voice crying out in the wilderness. With prophetic vision, he imagines a world guided by love and liberated from the tyranny of individualistic materialism. I trust Barney's words, because he courageously seeks to live out the radical vision of God's reign found in these pages. If you dare to read this book, it will challenge and inspire you."
—Mark Scandrette, author of Practicing the Way of Jesus

"This has become my new go-to book for the Sermon on the Mount. It's a provocative call to both holiness and justice. An invitation to disrupt the dysfunctional and build a better world."
—Craig Greenfield, Founder, Alongsiders International

"Touching on lifestyle, politics, attitudes, and a host of other rubber-meets-road challenges for what it means to be a follower of Jesus' words, Barney challenges us to rethink ourselves and reimagine the church on earth as it is in heaven. He names us 'Spirit-saturated insurgents who lovingly disrupt the world at its foundations and show our neighbors a better way.'"
—Daniel Brown, author of Embracing Grace: Settling the Guilt That Unsettles You

"Nowhere is the Lord's desire and strategy for mending broken lives through those who bear his name more clearly on display than in the Sermon on the Mount. So, as you read Barney's skillfully presented exploration of that keystone passage of Scripture, don't be surprised when you find yourself annoyed and disturbed in a way that ignites a profound longing to live and love more like Jesus."
—Randy Bolt, author of The John Project: A Devotional Commentary

"In this book, Barney Wiget defends brilliantly the simplicity we have in Christ (2 Cor 11:3). I found myself writing down his quotes every few pages while reading the book. As he confronts prevalent teachings in the contemporary church, I found myself examining my own teaching over the past almost-fifty years as a pastor. I'm convinced more than ever my 'only hope to live out the teachings of the Sermon of the Mount is,' as Barney says, 'in the power of the Savior of the Mount.'
—Loren Houltberg, Regional Pastor, Central District of Foursquare Churches

Editorial Reviews

"The richness of Barney's latest book is not only in the abundance of quotes and sources but from the divine forging in his life through pain and suffering. Barney shows how each beatitude builds spiritual depth and takes the believer into a life that resembles the character of a gracious and loving God. This is a book written by a modern-day saint whose hardships have formed him into a weeping prophet."
—Timothy Paul Svoboda, Coordinator, YWAM San Francisco Bay Area

"Barney Wiget's writing crackles with the urgency of a voice crying out in the wilderness. With prophetic vision, he imagines a world guided by love and liberated from the tyranny of individualistic materialism. I trust Barney's words, because he courageously seeks to live out the radical vision of God's reign found in these pages. If you dare to read this book, it will challenge and inspire you."
—Mark Scandrette, author of Practicing the Way of Jesus

"This has become my new go-to book for the Sermon on the Mount. It's a provocative call to both holiness and justice. An invitation to disrupt the dysfunctional and build a better world."
—Craig Greenfield, Founder, Alongsiders International

"Touching on lifestyle, politics, attitudes, and a host of other rubber-meets-road challenges for what it means to be a follower of Jesus' words, Barney challenges us to rethink ourselves and reimagine the church on earth as it is in heaven. He names us 'Spirit-saturated insurgents who lovingly disrupt the world at its foundations and show our neighbors a better way.'"
—Daniel Brown, author of Embracing Grace: Settling the Guilt That Unsettles You

"Nowhere is the Lord's desire and strategy for mending broken lives through those who bear his name more clearly on display than in the Sermon on the Mount. So, as you read Barney's skillfully presented exploration of that keystone passage of Scripture, don't be surprised when you find yourself annoyed and disturbed in a way that ignites a profound longing to live and love more like Jesus."
—Randy Bolt, author of The John Project: A Devotional Commentary

"In this book, Barney Wiget defends brilliantly the simplicity we have in Christ (2 Cor 11:3). I found myself writing down his quotes every few pages while reading the book. As he confronts prevalent teachings in the contemporary church, I found myself examining my own teaching over the past almost-fifty years as a pastor. I'm convinced more than ever my 'only hope to live out the teachings of the Sermon of the Mount is,' as Barney says, 'in the power of the Savior of the Mount.'
—Loren Houltberg, Regional Pastor, Central District of Foursquare Churches

From the Publisher