Inclusivity

Diarmuid O'Murchu is an Irish priest and social psychologist who takes a radical view of the gospel message, as indicated by his title. Although Jesus was an outsider in terms of the establishment of his day, his message was inclusive and he spent much of his time with the marginalised – not the so-called pure and chosen ones who eventually became responsible for his execution as he was such a thorn in their flesh. Diarmuid translates the Kingdom of God as the Companionship of Empowerment, showing how this was at the core of Jesus's subversive message of transformation. He contrasts the devotion of consolation based on the cross with a spirituality of liberation, which he himself embraces. The message of the Sermon on the Mount is one of nonviolence and compassion – loving your enemies - as Gandhi realised. For Diarmuid, the great betrayal of the gospel came with the institutionalisation of Christianity under Constantine, when it became a centralised and politicised body based on conformity and uniformity,

Although the Gospels are written in Greek for cultural reasons, Jesus was more of a prophet transcending reason and overturning literalist traditions; nor was he a supporter of authoritarian government. Theology, however, became a supreme rational endeavour although mystical illumination is beyond reason. Diarmuid also writes about women as disciples (17 are mentioned in the epistles), observing that Mary Magdalene stayed the course at the crucifixion and was the first to see Jesus resurrected. So the book is a powerful call for an inclusive Christianity in the spirit of Pope Francis and extending to equality between men and women in the context of spiritual wholeness.