The God Who Riots: Taking Back the Radical Jesus

In his first book, public theologian and YouTuber Garcia argues that contemporary strikes, protests, and riots embody the radical message and revolutionary actions of the Biblical Jesus Christ who destabilized the Roman Empire. Garcia also draws on liberation theology to urge progressive Christians to prioritize justice over niceties and harmony. For instance, Garcia recounts the Biblical story of Jesus overturning money-changing tables and evicting other commercial enterprises from the temple, which he writes helped foment a revolutionary change in first-century Palestine. He makes the case that Jesus’s message was to love others and free people from oppression; to help guide these initiatives Garcia asks readers to consider the actions of Jesus to be a guide. Over 10 chapters, the author utilizes Scripture, various Christian doctrines, personal anecdotes and the works of Paulo Freire, John Dominic Crossan, and Marcus Joel Borg to help readers gain a sense of the work that Jesus calls them to put into action.