The Actual Jesus

This book moves away from the traditional historical and theological studies of Jesus to incorporate a variety of theoretical and material approaches, across centuries and diverse, global cultures. Through fiction and film, the connections are made with contemporary issues—such as borders, asylum seekers, farmworker activism, colonialism, violence, misogyny, civil war, and nuclear proliferation—with a focus on the appearances of the "actual Jesus" in these worlds. The Jesus in this study is explored in particular connections with the stories of baptism, wilderness experience, ascension, and apocalypse. What is found is often confusing, challenging, surprising, and disturbing, like the Jesus of the gospels.