DAVID A.J. RICHARDS

​​Richards places Jesus in a long lineage of nonviolent resisters from Socrates to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. all of whom defied entrenched patriarchies and paid for it with their lives. Democracies depend on nonviolent deliberation and equal voice, Richards contends, and therefore inherently threaten patriarchal systems rooted in domination and violence.

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Drawing on empirical psychology, history, and scriptural analysis, The Antipatriarchal Jesus challenges traditional Christian interpretations shaped by figures like Augustine and Luther, whose teachings often absorbed and reflected the values of the Roman patriarchy. In doing so, Richards offers a portrait of Jesus that confronts the anti-Semitism, sexism, and homophobia woven through centuries of Christian thought.

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This is a book for religious and secular readers alike who find Jesus to be one of history’s most compelling moral figures. As a gay and nonreligious scholar, Richards brings a uniquely “outsider” perspective, writing for the many readers in an increasingly secular society who share similar vantage points. He reveals why Jesus continues to move people so profoundly—and why, given the enduring power of patriarchy across cultures and centuries, it has been so difficult to see him clearly.

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Richards writes, “Many may discover here how and why Jesus continues to stir something deep in our human nature—the love of equals he believed was coming into existence through his life and teaching.”