Stanley Hauerwas is a prominent American theologian that has written volumes in the last 50 years. Here at the sunset of his writing he has brought together thoughts from many of his works under the title “Jesus Changes Everything.” It will be interesting to dialogue with Hauerwas and his provocative and often unorthodox views on Faith.

June 10, 2025

Turning the Other Cheek

Hauerwas notes that “some Christians explicitly say that turning the other cheek doesn’t work anymore, that we have to fight back now.” But Hauerwas makes it clear that “turning the other cheek has never worked, if by “working” we mean creating a nice life for us and our children that is free of suffering and sacrifice, a life that fits neatly into the cultural expectations and political categories of our moment.” (p. xii)

Hauerwas goes on to say, “to deprive Christians of suffering is to tell them that they cannot follow Jesus to the cross.” He understands we often “use whatever means necessary to avoid the cross.” On the other hand, he writes, “Jesus is the Kingdom enfleshed, and he demonstrates this, surprisingly, through his utter vulnerability.”  (p. xiii)

Hauerwas dares (and dares us) to take the scriptures seriously enough to be disturbed by them. He has seen that “most of us Christians, particularly in the west, often contort the teachings of Jesus to fit into our own quest for the good life.”

Certainly turning the other cheek is not a popular and often used sermon text these days. But Hauerwas uses it to step on my toes, reminding me how this consumeristic culture has been woven into my perspectives and lifestyle choices. Ouch! 

What do you see and/or think after reading his thoughts?

Social Ethic

Hauerwas proclaims, “The church does not have a social ethic, the church is a social ethic.”

“Our ability to welcome the vulnerable, the disabled, and children; to speak truth; to practice generosity; to honor the limits and holiness of human bodies; to live ‘out of step’ with the world; and to love our enemies is the embodiment of an ethic birthed out of the resurrection. This kind of discipleship isn’t a strategy for winning an election, having a picture-perfect family, or getting a raise.” (p. xiv)

Like the eagle taking the comfortable fluff out of the nest to prod the eaglets to fly, Hauerwas makes it uncomfortable for Christians like me that aimed to raise a picture-perfect family, and thought an election needed to be won by the correct side, and so on. Perhaps culture has had more influence on contemporary Christianity than we would like to confess. Perhaps returning to the social ethic of Jesus would rearrange some of our priorities and practices. Before reading this man, I was quite comfortable in all that warm fluff lining the nest. 

I had a ‘cagin’ friend from Louisiana that loved to say, “Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” It is possible God sent Stanley Hauerwas on that mission as well. I do appreciate the list he mentions for the social ethic that forms the church. In the last dozen years or so I have been drawn to some of these elements as heaven’s call for the Kingdom.

Hauerwas Quotes for Thought (p. xxi)

Bad theology makes us ‘admirers’ of Jesus rather than ‘disciples’ of Jesus

Following Jesus is never safe

The wealth of the church is the poor

The worst unkindness is to rob others of their right to suffer

What has to end is the habit of Christians asking non-Christians to do what we cannot get Christians to do (p. xxv)

On the disciples quote it seems common today to read statements about the failure of the contemporary church to make disciples. If that is indeed a fact then there is nothing left but for Christians to be ‘admirers.’ Disciples will follow, they will emulate, they will adopt the mission and vision of the Master, they will practice what they have received. So it is no surprise when the polls repeatedly come back with the secular response, “We love Jesus but we do not like the church.”

On the safe to follow Jesus quote, many voices are now saying Christianity has domesticated Jesus. In other words Christianity can safely follow a tame and safe Jesus. We would all agree that the Jesus we read about in the Gospels is quite radical and surprising as he shows up in places we would not expect, with people we would not consider. If Christians today were following that Jesus life would cross the safety red line on many occasions. 

On the poor being the wealth of the church quote, I love it. Since God moved my personal walk into direct contact with the poor I have been drawn to agree with this statement. As the church serves the poor she wins the respect of society. As the church touches the poor she finds the most receptive harvest. As the church ministers to the poor the most attractive traits come to light. As the church lifts up the poor social transformation takes place. As the church gives priority to the poor the more fortunate folks are attracted. As the church walks with the poor she walks with Christ.

On the quote about robbed of the right to suffer, we will have to admit that security is one of the highest priorities of our culture, many would say the highest. That may be part of the reason the cross is the favorite jewelry of Christians and our favorite sentimental theme. Yet few want to take up that hideous instrument of death to self, as we hope to follow Jesus.

On the quote on asking non-Christians to do things, think about our ideas about government, what we debate the government should do and so on. In the first three hundred years the early church did not have any influence with the government (the Roman Empire) yet their lives of influence resonated through the empire and brought radical results. 

From these quotes we can see how Hauerwas challenges the church with provocative insights that make me feel the pinch as well. Ouch!