Last Week at RHM: March 23, 2026

Thank You!

We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who supports the work of Renewed Heart Ministries. Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue our mission of love, justice, and compassion, even in a time when ministries like ours are being called to do more with less.

Your support means the world to us. Whether we’re speaking into the broader society, engaging within our faith communities, or working one on one alongside others endeavoring to follow Jesus’ teachings of love and justice, we remain committed to advocating for a world that is inclusive, just, and safe for all. Your partnership helps keep our work alive.

To all of our supporters, from all of us at Renewed Heart Ministries, thank you. We are so deeply grateful for you, and we couldn’t do this work without you.

If you’d like to join them in supporting our work, please go to renewedheartministries.com and click on “Donate.”


Recommended Reading for March

Why Christians Should Be Leftists

by Phil Christman

The Sermon on the Mount offers a rousing call to political solidarity―if only we have ears to hear it. 
 
Being a Christian and being a socialist go together for Phil Christman. He explains why in this stirring manifesto, which is part testimony of his own journey out of conservatism, part entertaining introduction to the American left, and part impassioned call to his fellow believers to take a fresh look at their own politics. Christman speaks particularly to Christians who are already uncomfortable with how political leaders on the right leverage sexism, racism, and homophobia. He encourages these believers: Keep going! Apply your moral discernment to capitalism, too!
 
Demonstrating why he’s regarded as one of the best essayists in America, Christman deftly synthesizes politics, theology, pop culture, and ethics in this erudite and lively treatise. Throughout he offers a gentle but firm challenge to Christians who are disillusioned by politics as usual and searching for a new approach to civic life that takes Jesus’s teachings seriously.
 
“I am approaching the social through the personal, by giving a testimony of sorts. You can take the boy out of evangelicalism, but can you really take the evangelicalism out of the boy? Even now, I have to tell the story.”

Last Syllable Book Award Nonfiction Longlist (2025)



social jesus blog banner

Last Week’s Social Jesus Blog Posts

Lazarus and the Politics of Liberation

Part 1 of A Story of Hope for our Present Moment

In the story of Lazarus, the narrative reason for Jesus’ crucifixion differs drastically from the reasons in the Synoptic Gospels.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2026/03/lazarus-politics-liberation

Lazarus and Today’s Struggles for Justice

Part 2 of A Story of Hope for our Present Moment

Compassion is not distant from human struggles. Justice work and faithful action begin with genuine solidarity.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2026/03/lazarus-todays-struggles-justice

Lazarus and the Unfinished Work of Liberation

Part 3 of A Story of Hope for our Present Moment

Liberation requires more than individual transformation; it calls communities to participate actively in our unbinding.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/socialjesus/2026/03/lazarus-unfinished-work-liberation




New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast

A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice. 

This week:

Season 3 Episode 13: A Story of Hope for our Present Moment

John 11:1-45

The command Jesus gives at the tomb in our reading is also significant. Although Jesus calls Lazarus out of the grave, he then tells the surrounding community, “Unbind him, and let him go.” In our reading this week, Lazarus emerges alive, but still wrapped in the burial cloths. It is the community’s task to remove them. Seen this way, the resurrection of Lazarus becomes not only a miracle story but a call. Communities that follow Jesus are invited to help roll away the stones of injustice and participate in the unbinding of those whom death-dealing systems have harmed and wrapped in despair now. In the story of Lazarus, resurrection interrupts grief and despair in the present, today, not later. It doesn’t ask us to wait for hope in the future. It offers us hope for today. It restores a person to community, relationship, and dignity today, not only as Martha says, “in the resurrection.” Christian social justice work can be understood in similar terms. Ours is the work of participating in life-giving transformation here and now.

Available on all major podcast carriers and at:

https://the-social-jesus-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/a-story-of-hope-for-our-present-moment



Upcoming Events

April 18, 2026

Good News Fellowship (via Zoom)

Toronto, Ontario Canada

For info: 304.520.0030


Weekly HeartGroup on Zoom Every Wednesday Night!

Each Wednesday evening, Renewed Heart Ministries hosts a Zoom-HeartGroup led by Herb Montgomery.  Our discussion each week will focus on the content in RHM’s weekly eSight articles and the Social Jesus podcast.  The time of each Zoom session will be on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Pacific/10:00 p.m. Eastern.

To receive the link for the Zoom meeting, email us at info@renewedheartministries.com.


Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels

by Herb Montgomery

Available now on Amazon!

In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.

Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.


Are you receiving all of RHM’s free resources each week?

You can find Renewed Heart Ministries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for our daily posts. Our JFE podcast can be subscribed to through the podcast platform you use. And you can even get messages from RHM delivered to you email inbox every day.

Sign up today so you don’t miss a thing!

Click “Sign Up!


Logo and Website

Support to RHM online

or by mail at