Rohr, Sermon on the Mount

I’m reading through the “Richard Rohr Corpus” or at least as many of Rohr’s books that I can get. This is a subtle hint for Christmas presents.

Rohr’s second book, Jesus’ Plan for a New World, interacts with Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. It has been an incredible book, one that I wished everyone would read but most will be uninterested to do so. Rohr is a prophet, not in a bizarre, ecstatic way, but in a disarming and deconstructive type of way. There are atom bomb-type thoughts on every page. Readers be encouraged; readers beware, this book will spook you.

He had a bullet-point summary of the gospel (or at least its ramifications) in the first half of the book. I wanted to capture it here so I can have it tucked away,

My point here is that the gospel is not primarily a set of facts but a way of seeing and a way of being in the world because of God. Jesus speaks to the heart, saying (1) God is on your side; (2) God can be trusted; (3) the universe is safe and benevolent; (4) trust yourselves, one another and God; (5) there is no reason to be afraid; (6) it’s all headed toward something good! He does this primarily by touch, relationship, healing and parables. (66)