The Hijacking of Jesus

Christianity in America has become almost synonymous with right-wing fanaticism, conservative politics and — thanks to Mel Gibson — a brutally sadistic version of the religious experience. Millions of devout Christians, like Dan Wakefield, are appalled by this distortion of their faith that stands for peace, equality, healing, and compassion for society’s outcasts. In The Hijacking of Jesus, Dan Wakefield asks how and why the Christian faith has been so effectively appropriated by the Bush administration. Why is it that Republicans have become the party of “moral values?” How is it that mainline Christian denominations and leadership, both Catholic and Protestant, have remained remarkably silent on the war in Iraq, the civil rights erosion of the Patriot Act, the growth of poverty, the Terry Schiavo debacle, and the fact that over 40 million people now live without health insurance? And how can Christians recapture and reclaim their faith from the cynical manipulations of Bill Frist, Tom DeLay, and George W. Bush?