Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount Mandating a Better Righteousness

In a day when many in the church are trying to decide how low the bar of Christian living may be set, I find myself moving in the opposite direction. In my view, the bar must be set considerably higher than where most people—in the church and in the larger American society—are setting it. We need more than a minor correction. In both church and society revolutionary change is required so as to set our course on a new path. Our troubled situation, which has been developing over many years, has led me to take a new look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which, more than any other biblical passage is the defining document for the church. If properly interpreted, it can give us the best chance of providing the remedy we need