The Holy Thursday Revolution

by Beatrice Bruteau

How can the world evolve from a culture of war and domination to one of friendship and communion? Philosopher Beatrice Bruteau shows how the two teaching events of Holy Thursday: the Footwashing and the Supper incited the Christian revolution with the power to repeat itself on every scale of social organization--even now.

Genres: Nonfiction, Spirituality

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2005

Reviews

[Elizabeth Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bruteau only wrote a handful of books, and those are worth reading and rereading. Few authors have radically reshaped my worldview as much as she has. THE HOLY THURSDAY REVOLUTION basically puts forward the theory that, while rank ordering and domination are the rule of evolution and have mostly governed human behavior, human consciousness means that we are capable of empathy and ethical responsibility and can--and should--live by another set of operating principles. To some extent I wish she hadn't titled this book as she did; without the heavy Christian overlay, more people might have read it and been influenced by her critique of our assumed worldview and invitation into another. At the same time I appreciate her application of Jesus' wildly radical perspective to contemporary politics and systems of thought and am grateful she puts Christianity front and center, because her work redeems Christianity from its hyper-morality, returning us to the revolution of living from a place of interconnected love.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a lot of depth to this book. The Domination worldview that we have is covered in great detail and the outcome of such a worldview is shown clearly. It seems that this is exactly what Jesus was opposed to in what he did and said. On the night of the Last Supper he washes the feet of the disciples, just the opposite of domination. The other big topic in the book is community. This too is demonstrated that same night as Jesus gives us something to remember that we give of ourselves to one another as he says he is giving himself to them. We see what he has in mind as the kingdom of God in his life of ministry. The transformation of our worldview to that which Jesus had is a process that is going on. It is not something that will drop down one day out of the sky. Bruteau is a realistic and deep thinker. No pie-in-the-sky religion in this book.

[Naum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Profound.

Gave me goosebumps.

Still digesting & rereading passages.

Will write more words to share.