Synopses & Reviews
Over the fifteen years that Harvey Cox taught his Harvard undergraduate class "Jesus and the Moral Life," the course grew so popular that the lectures had to be taught in a theater usually reserved for rock concerts. The overwhelming response was a clear signal of the hunger for guidance in today's confusing world, where moral guidelines seem to shift daily. How can we ask today "What Would Jesus Do?", when Jesus never had to cope with an unintended pregnancy, or confront a teenage daughter about her drug use, or decide whether to put an ailing parent in a retirement home?
In his new book, Cox brings the moral wisdom of Rabbi Jesus into the twenty-first century by way of the questions, arguments, responses, and doubts of centuries of rabbinic and Christian theological exploration, as well as the voices of the thousands of Harvard students who attended his course over the years. Cox shows how we can extrapolate from Jesus' parables and bridge the gap between the ancient and modern worlds. As an example, he recalls his experience while locked in a southern jail during the civil rights movement, when the song "We Shall Overcome" rang from nearby cells. The message he takes is from the story of the Resurrection: transcendent hope rising from the depths of injustice.
When Jesus Came to Harvard is not another look at the historical Jesus, but it considers Jesus' contemporary significance by concentrating on the stories he told and those told about him. For youth and adults, Christian and non-Christian, When Jesus Came to Harvard is urgently relevant.
Review
"[Makes] religious teachings relevant to people of all faiths and of no faith at all, in the daunting context of today's world." --Boston Sunday Globe
"A persuasive nudge to broaden our understanding of morality . . . Rich, intriguing, and provocative." The San Francisco Chronicle
[Cox] weighs in on the contemporary Jesus boom with his usual sagacity and wit, finding America's latest and greatest obsession alive and well among Christians and Buddhists, believers and un-believers, and even in the secular citadel of Harvard." --Stephen Prothero, author of American Jesus
"Stimulating." --Boston Sunday Globe
"Elegantly organized . . . Cox pulls off a near miracle as he gathers disparate scholarly and religious views of Jesus, while demonstrating respectful, deep knowledge of Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist traditions, and various Christian teachings." The Seattle Times
"Want to know what Jesus would do? Harvey Cox's book When Jesus Came to Harvard might help." The Chicago Tribune
"An acute observer of faith and culture . . . He covers a dazzling array of subjects . . . Cox's exuberant probing of the Gospels is wise and humane." The San Francisco Chronicle
"Cox is intelligent and provocative, but also kind and reverent . . . [presenting] a postmodern Christian's vision of Jesus which just might inspire readers thirsting in the secular city." Raleigh News & Observer
"Provacative . . . erudite yet accessible." Hartford Courant
"Weaving together movie themes, politics, poetry, and Eastern philosophy, Cox makes a powerful argument." Library Journal
"Compelling . . . much-needed insight into a world where life is still difficult and Jesus still counts." --Peter J. Gomes
"Full of existential wisdom, sparkling and unexpected religious insights, and life-affirming humor and hope . . . Christian, Jewish, and indeed every kind of reader will be enlightened and fascinated." --Rabbi Irving Greenberg
"A chance to sneak into the back row and catch a few snippets of a master at work." Christian Science Monitor
"Thought-provoking and soul-stirring . . . one of the best books of the year." Spirituality & Health Magazine
Review
"After Tom Wolfe's depressing depiction of college students as moral idiots, it's refreshing to hear a counter testimony from someone who's spent the past 40 years on a university campus....For us, When Jesus Came to Harvard is a rare chance to sample the wisdom and charm of one of the country's great teachers addressing one of the world's richest subjects at a bargain price ($26 instead of $36,000, with no questions about your SAT scores)." Ron Charles, The Christian Science Monitor (read the entire Christian Science Monitor review)
Synopsis
In this urgently relevant, wholly enlightening discussion of modern moral decisions, the Harvard theology professor Harvey Cox considers the significance of Jesus and his teachings today. As he did in his undergraduate class Jesus and the Moral Lifea course that grew so popular that the lectures were held in a theater often used for rock concertsCox examines contemporary dilemmas in the light of lessons gleaned from the Gospels. Invigorating and incisive, this book encourages an intellectual approach to faith and inspires a clear way of thinking about moral choices for all of us.
About the Author
Harvey Cox is Thomas Professor of Divinity at Harvard University. He is the author of many books, including The Secular City and The Seduction of the Spirit, which was nominated for the National Book Award. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Contents Introduction 1. He Was Then, We Are Now 2. Rabbi Jesus on the Scene 3. A World Full of Stories I Stories They Told About Him 4. The Ballad of the Begats 5. Picking Just the Right Woman 6. Exiles from Eden 7. The Gurus and the Usual Suspects 8. Riffing on Simeon 9. Beat the Devil 10. The Campaign Begins II Stories He Told 11. Jesus Retells His Peoples Story 12. Salt and Lamps 13. The Rabbi Teaches Torah 14. Parables and Zen Slaps 15. The Crooked CEO and the Spoiled Brat 16. Why the Crowds Came 17. The Armageddon Syndrome III. More Stories They Told About Him 18. The Transfiguration and the Prophets Night Journey 19. Bridge Burning and Street Theater 20. Trial and Retrial 21. Dead Man Walking 22. Reason, Emotion, and Torture 23. It Had To Be Done 24. A World Without God?
25. The Easter Story 26. The Laughter of the Universe Postscript Notes Acknowledgments Index