Separating Cross and Empire

Separating Cross and Empire: Reclaiming the Way of Jesus from the Powers That Distort It

By Jody McKewen

What happens when the Gospel of Jesus is hijacked by empire?

In Separating Cross and Empire, theologian and pastor Jody McKewen delivers a bold, prophetic call to reclaim the radical message of Jesus from centuries of distortion by political power, nationalism, and institutional religion. Drawing from historical analysis, cultural critique, and biblical insight, McKewen traces how the teachings of Christ-centered on love, justice, and liberation-have too often been co-opted to justify conquest, colonialism, systemic oppression, and religious exclusion.

This timely and courageous book is structured in three gripping parts:

• Part One: How We Got Here explores how empire infiltrated the Church-from Constantine to Christian nationalism in America.

• Part Two: Unlearning Empire challenges readers to confront the cost of alignment with power and recover the Gospel's subversive edge.

• Part Three: Reclaiming the Way of Jesus reimagines the Church as a force of justice, inclusion, and peace-radically aligned with the marginalized rather than the mighty.

With piercing clarity and pastoral urgency, Separating Cross and Empire is not just a book-it's a manifesto. It dares readers to unlearn the imperial Gospel and embrace the transforming vision of the Beloved Community Jesus proclaimed-a vision that resists domination and embraces the sacred dignity of all.

For readers of Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Brian Zahnd, N.T. Wright, and Howard Thurman, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking a faith rooted not in fear and control, but in courage, compassion, and liberation.