Fifty-two readings to spark weekly group discussion on putting Jesus' most central teachings into practice.
Jesus' most famous teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, possesses an irresistible quality. Who hasn't felt stirred and unsettled after reading these words, which get to the root of the human condition?
This follow-up to the acclaimed collection Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People taps an even broader array of sources, bringing together prophetic voices from every era and a range of traditions to consider the repercussions of these essential words.
More than a commentary or devotional, this book is designed to be read together with others, to inspire communities of faith to discuss what it might look like to put Jesus' teachings into practice today.
From Teresa of Avila to Mother Teresa, from Martin Luther to Martin Luther King, from Francis of Assisi to Francis Chan, from Dorothy Day to Dorothy Sayers, these excerpts can deeply enrich personal study and devotion. But they are also meant to be read and discussed in community and then acted on. Prepare yourself for a healthy feast, but then prepare yourself for obedience and service in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ! -- Craig L. Blomberg, Denver Seminary
Review Quotes:
Moore has brought together compelling selections from more than a hundred writers to call for the formation of a fellowship of disciples who will simply live as Jesus taught us to live. I strongly recommend this book for study, reflection, and prayerful living. -- Richard J. Foster, author of Celebration of Discipline
Review Quotes:
As I read this collection, I tried to imagine the authors of the various reflections in conversation. What would Leo Tolstoy say to Karl Barth, or Francis of Assisi to Wendell Berry? The more I read, though, the more I started to imagine all of them in one place--listening to Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount. And, before long, I found myself blending into the crowd with them, hearing these strange, arresting, upending words of life. This book will prompt you to surprise, to delight, to melancholy, to argument, and, at every turn, will lead you back to Jesus. --Russell Moore, Christianity Today
A magnificent collection of reflections on Jesus's most familiar, and most radical, teaching. -- James Martin, SJ, author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage
Beautiful and challenging? Yes, indeed. Ecumenical and faithful? Certainly so. This book... is the most delightfully curated, fully inter-denominational book we've seen in a long time. -- Hearts & Minds Bookstore
A treasure chest of wisdom drawn from some of the greatest thinkers and saints the church has known. -- Greg Boyd, Senior Pastor, Woodland Hills Church
There are no words more important than the Sermon on the Mount. And I can think of no better cloud of witnesses to reflect on those words than the people in this book. It is a gift to the world.-- Shane Claiborne, author, activist, and co-founder of The Simple Way and Red Letter Christians
Charles E. Moore, in Following the Call, brings us a rich opportunity, individually and collectively, to enter into the "good trouble" of Jesus and his soul-shaking Sermon on the Mount. --Friends Journal
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Part I: Kingdom Character (Matthew 5:1-16)
Master Teacher: E. Stanley Jones, Henri Nouwen,
Good News: Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
Foolish Wisdom: Virginia Stem Owens, Frederick Buechner, John Dear
Blessedness: James C. Howell, Kathy Escobar
Poverty of Spirit: Philip Yancey, Eberhard Arnold, Dorothy Day
Mourning: Nicholas Wolterstorff, Rabindranath Tagore, Frederica Mathewes-Green
The Meek: Elisabeth Elliot, Richard Rohr, Teresa of Avila
Hungry and Thirsty: William Barclay
The Merciful: Charles E. Moore, Leo Tolstoy
Purity of Heart: Søren Kierkegaard, Thomas Merton, Brennan Manning
Peacemaking: John Dear, Thomas Merton, Peter Kreeft
Persecution: St. Jerome, Gene L. Davenport, Oscar Romero, Jeanne de Celles
Salt and Light: Tom Skinner, Jane Tyson Clement, John R. W. Stott
Part II: Kingdom Commands (Matthew 5:17-48)
The Law: Barbara Brown Taylor, Jen Wilkin, Addison Hodges Hart, Jürgen Moltmann
The Greater Righteousness: Leo Tolstoy, Oswald Chambers, Scot McKnight
Anger: Dallas Willard, Francis de Sales, William Blake
Right Worship: F. B. Meyer, Henri Nouwen, George MacDonald.
Adultery: J. Heinrich Arnold, Francis Chan
Faithfulness: Gerhard Lohfink, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, William W. Klein
Truthfulness: Glen H. Stassen, Scot McKnight, Steve Wilmshurst, Francis de Sales, Eberhard Arnold, Thomas Merton
Nonresistance: Giovanni Papini, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Harry Emerson Fosdick, Howard Thurman
Overcoming Evil: E. Stanley Jones, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther King Jr., Anthony the Great
Love of Enemy: Helmut Thielicke, Nikolai Velimirovic
Perfect Love: Addison Hodges Hart, Jürgen Moltmann, Chiara Lubich
Part III: Kingdom Devotion (Matthew 6:1-18)
From the Heart: Sinclair Ferguson, Abraham Joshua Heschel, John Flavel
When You Give: Leo Tolstoy, Mother Teresa
When You Pray: Karl Barth, Daniel M. Doriani, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Madeleine L'Engle, Amy Carmichael, Mother Teresa
The Father Knows: Martin Luther, Helmut Thielicke, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
Lord Teach Us: Andrew Murray, Elton Trueblood, Pope Benedict XVI
Our Father: St. Cyprian, N. T. Wright, Hannah Whitall Smith, Teresa of Avila, Dom Helder Camara
God's Name: William H. Willimon & Stanley Hauerwas, Alfred Delp, Leonardo Boff
God's Kingdom: Eberhard Arnold, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt
God's Will: Meister Eckhart, Robert McAfee Brown, François Fénelon, Chiara Lubich
Our Daily Bread: Gregory of Nyssa, Leonardo Boff, F. B. Meyer
Forgive Us: M. Scott Peck, Philip Graham Ryken, Frederica Mathewes-Green
As We Forgive: Horace Bushnell, Dorothy L. Sayers, C. S. Lewis
Temptation: Charles H. Spurgeon, Thomas à Kempis, Madeleine L'Engle
Deliver Us: Earl Palmer, Pope Benedict XVI, Romano Guardini
Part IV: Kingdom Priorities (Matthew 6:19-7:28)
Lasting Treasures: John Wesley, Basil the Great, Clement of Alexandria, A.W. Tozer
The Good Eye: Timothy Keller
God or Mammon: Eberhard Arnold, Jacques Ellul, David Bentley Hart
Beyond Worry: Madame Guyon, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Clarence Jordan, Christina Rossetti, Howard Thurman
God's Kingdom First: Leonard Ragaz, Christoph.Friedrich Blumhardt
Judging Others: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anthony de Mello, Christena Cleveland, Roy Hession
Casting Pearls: Dallas Willard, Jacques Ellul
Asking, Seeking, Knocking: Andrew Murray
The Golden Rule: Roger Shinn, John Wesley, Leo Tolstoy
Two Ways: The Didache, C. S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Michael Sattler, Hermas
False Prophets: Scot McKnight, John R. W. Stott, Gene L. Davenport, Basilea Schlink
Lord, Lord: George MacDonald, Wendell Berry
Building on Rock: Jerrett Banks, Oswald Chambers
Our Final Authority: Søren Kierkegaard, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Discussion Guide
Sources and Acknowledgements
Index of Authors
Charles E. Moore is a member of the Bruderhof community. He writes for Plough Quarterly and has compiled and edited several acclaimed books, including Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People; Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard; Everyone Belongs to God: Discovering the Hidden Christ; and Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyrdom and Costly Discipleship.
Plough Publishing House
Pub Date: September 07, 2021
1.26" H x 7.95" L x 5.43" W
380 pages
paperback