Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims

by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw

Scapegoats are innocent victims who have experienced blame and violence at the hands of society. René Girard proposes that the Gospels present Jesus as a scapegoat whose innocent death exposes how humans have always created scapegoats. This revelation should have cured societal scapegoating, yet those who claim to live by the Gospels have missed that message. They continue to scapegoat and remain blind to the suffering of scapegoats in modern life. Christians today tend to read the New Testament as victors, not as victims. The teachings and actions of Jesus thus lose much of their subversive significance. The Gospels become one harmonized story about individual salvation rather than distinct representations of Jesus's revolutionary work on behalf of victims. Scapegoats revisits the Gospel narratives with the understanding that they tell scapegoats' stories, and that through those stories the kingdom of God is revealed. Bashaw goes beyond Girard's arguments to show that Jesus's whole public ministry (not only his death) combats the marginalization of victims. These scapegoat stories work together to illuminate an essential truth of the Gospels--that Jesus modeled a reality in which victims become survivors and the marginalized become central to the kingdom.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, History

286 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2022

Reviews

[Jared Winkler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspiring and relevant approach to the gospels. This book was helpful in examining what the scapegoat is, the societal mechanisms of scapegoating and historical and modern scapegoating. All of this centering around the gospel creates an incredible narrative around the crucifixion and the atonement mechanism it provides. Jesus's ministry provides a way for us to truly see the victim's in our midst, and should inspire us to join their struggles in all forms. When we understand Jesus as the ultimate scapegoat it should drive us to abolish all modern forms of scapegoating.

[Unsympathizer]

Not a lot of Girard. Various points where she stretches a lesson or parable that can be explained in a few paragraphs to any entire chapter.

[Jazmine Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a phenomenal collection of insights into the scapegoating mechanism at play in New Testament passages. From front to back, this book provides non-stop meat to chew on with powerfully liberating implications for us today.

“The Gospel accounts show us who we are, a broken community driven to violence by envy and fear; only after we see that can we begin to understand what they teach us about who God is.” (p 14)

“We scapegoat because we fear change, because we cannot admit our own people’s sins, and because we constantly want what we cannot have. We transform the strength and innocence of our scapegoats – strength we covet – into a distorted projection of our weaknesses and guilt. If we plumbed the depths of the white, western conscience, perhaps we would find a will of shame, stagnant recognition that there are sins in our past that we don’t want to face, that there are laws and systems in place today that continue to privilege white people. The truth, we must faces that much of white stability and success has been built on what was never ours to take – first the land and futures of Native Americans, then the bodies in dignity of black Americans. This disturbing reality weaves its way, so completely into the fabric of America that some can no longer discern its soiled strands.” (p 263)

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gospels were written by victims, about victims, to be read/heard by victims. However, from almost the beginning and through her many centuries, Christianity has often used the gospels to do the very opposite of what Jesus taught. Throughout this volume, Jennifer Garcia Bashaw offers the lens of victims through which to interpret the gospels. Through use of specific narratives found in the gospels and through a raw retelling of painful and horrific events throughout Christian history, she offers a better way of reading the gospels with the stated purpose of having Christians recognize their involvement and complicity in scapegoating so that they "can stop creating scapegoats and work on their behalf instead."

I learned many somethings from each chapter -- things to think about, ponder, and challenge my predisposition to the Western, American, middle-class life. All in all, a volume worth reading and returning to.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this book. It took me much longer than it should have because I read several books about Girard and mimetic theory. This one is one of two from a uniquely Christian perspective. Bashaw's work is intelligent and well-formed. She is a strong writer and a solid academic, especially with her insight into New Testament and Biblical interpretation. This book uses the scapegoating method as a hermeneutic lens, which works well.
At times, Bashaw is wordy and redundant, and there are some other areas I would have liked the work to explore more, but this is an essential new book of theology that should, in turn, influence our social spheres as well. I highly recommend it to any student of theology and Christianity.

[Schuyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This gave a great change of perspective to some of the popular passages of Jesus interacting with the disenfranchised. I’m glad she called out some of the violence the church has committed as well because imo you have to face that history. Know better, do better.
I feel like this has connected so well with other things I have been learning the past few years I love seeing the threads connect but I think this is also friendly to new readers. Language is accessible not some academic stuff you have to be in the club to follow.

***ALSO she gives recommended books lists at the end of most chapters and that is my dream come true.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pretty dense read, but the effort was worth it for the insights about how Jesus related to the marginalized, which are really quite beautiful in their subversiveness (how has the church largely missed the point with this?). I was hoping the book would be more focused on Girard’s Scapegoat (mimetic) theory. While the author definitely referenced and built off of his concepts, she took it in a different direction than I was expecting. Probably a more practical one, but I’m always more attracted to the theoretical 🤪

[Rachel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with a group from church. I learned a lot about church history. I appreciated how the author focused on a particular gospel for each main point, as this brought life into each gospel in a fresh way. I would recommend that church groups read this book together as their weekly study material.

[Mollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! This book is fantastic! I highly recommend to anyone willing to take a hard look at how the current climate in Christianity perpetuates the oppression that Jesus came to tear down!