Does Religion Demand Social Change?

Abstract

“One of the few things that seems certain about Jesus of Nazareth is that he was condemned to death by the Romans on charges of sedition and was executed by the means commonly used for Zealots and other politically subvesive characters. The early Christian communities were often denounced as subversive groups, and Christians were described as those who ‘turned the world upside down.’ From time to time in Christian history, those most committed to religious reform were social revolutionaries…God's action in the world creates an ongoing process of social change, and consequently our faithfulness to him requires that we be involved at the cutting edge of change.”