Radical Roots: Jesus, Justice, and Spiritual Rebellion

Eric Marquette

Welcome back to The House of Ravenbrook. I’m Eric Marquette, and as always, I’m joined by the ever-irreverent Ruby Sturt. Ruby, how’s your day going?

Ruby Sturt

Oh, you know, Eric, just trying to subvert the empire one cup of tea at a time. And, uh, prepping for this episode has me feeling a bit like a first-century troublemaker. Which, honestly, is my natural state.

Eric Marquette

That’s fitting, because today we’re diving into the radical roots of Jesus—specifically, how his teachings got, well, hijacked by empire and hierarchy. I mean, the story of Christianity’s evolution is basically a masterclass in how power reshapes a message, right?

Ruby Sturt

Absolutely. And it’s wild to think about how the early Jesus movement was this grassroots, almost underground thing—focused on the outcasts, the sick, the folks nobody wanted to touch, literally and metaphorically. But then, you get Constantine rolling in, making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and suddenly it’s all about order, obedience, and, you know, keeping the status quo.

Eric Marquette

Yeah, Constantine’s conversion in the fourth century is such a turning point. Before that, Christianity was persecuted, a bit of a thorn in the side of the empire. But once it became official, the church started to mirror the empire’s own structures—hierarchies, power, even the architecture. And then you’ve got Augustine, who, I mean, he’s a complicated figure, but his emphasis on original sin and the need for church mediation really cemented the idea that you needed the institution to access the divine.

Ruby Sturt

Right, and that’s such a shift from what you see in the Gospels. Jesus is out there touching lepers, eating with tax collectors, talking to women in public—he’s constantly breaking the rules. It’s like, if you were on the margins, you were exactly who he wanted to hang out with. But the institutional church, over time, kind of flips that on its head. Suddenly, it’s about purity, obedience, and, honestly, keeping certain people out.

Eric Marquette

It’s almost like the radical edge gets sanded down. The message of challenging power structures, of upending social hierarchies, gets replaced with, “Let’s keep things tidy and predictable.” And, as we’ve talked about in previous episodes—like when we discussed the spiral of spiritual growth and questioning inherited beliefs—there’s this real need to reclaim that original, subversive spirit.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and I think that’s why so many modern spiritual traditions, including Ravenbrook, are interested in going back to the roots. Like, what happens if you strip away the imperial layers and just look at what Jesus actually did? How do you resist those hierarchical interpretations that have been used to justify, well, a lot of dodgy stuff over the centuries?

Eric Marquette

It’s a good question. I think a lot of people are hungry for a spirituality that’s less about gatekeeping and more about radical inclusion. And, honestly, that’s what makes the Ravenbrook approach so interesting—it’s about reclaiming agency, questioning authority, and, as we’ve said before, trusting your own experience. Which, in a way, is pretty close to what Jesus was doing in his own context.

Ruby Sturt

Totally. And, you know, it’s not just about nostalgia for the past. It’s about asking, “What does it look like to live out that kind of subversive compassion now?” Like, who are the lepers and tax collectors today? Who’s being pushed to the margins, and how do we show up for them in a way that actually challenges the systems that keep them there?

Eric Marquette

And maybe, how do we avoid just recreating new hierarchies in the process? It’s a bit of a tightrope, isn’t it?

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, it’s messy. But I think that’s the point. If your spirituality isn’t making you a bit uncomfortable, you’re probably missing something.

Ruby Sturt

So, speaking of discomfort, let’s talk about Jesus and women. Because, honestly, if you read the Gospels with even a slightly feminist lens, it’s kind of shocking how much gets glossed over. Like, Mary Magdalene is everywhere, but she’s been reduced to this caricature of “the repentant sinner” for centuries. When, in reality, she’s front and center—first at the tomb, first to see the resurrection, basically the apostle to the apostles.

Eric Marquette

Exactly. And then there’s the Samaritan woman at the well. That story is so loaded—she’s a double outsider, both as a Samaritan and as a woman with a complicated past. But Jesus doesn’t just talk to her, he has a full-on theological debate with her. He treats her as an intellectual equal, which, in that context, is pretty radical.

Ruby Sturt

And don’t forget the women who supported Jesus financially. Joanna, Susanna, all these women who are basically bankrolling the movement. It’s like, the early Jesus community was way more gender-inclusive than most churches are now. And yet, over time, the institutional church just kind of… erased that. Or at least, minimized it.

Eric Marquette

It’s a pattern, isn’t it? The radical gets domesticated. And it’s not just about gender. It’s about wealth, too. I mean, the parable of the Rich Fool is a scathing critique of materialism. Jesus isn’t just saying, “Don’t be greedy.” He’s saying, “If you build your life around accumulating stuff, you’re missing the point entirely.”

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is even more brutal. The rich guy ignores Lazarus at his gate, and then, after death, the roles are reversed. It’s not subtle. It’s a direct challenge to the idea that wealth is a sign of divine favor. If anything, it’s a warning that wealth can actually be a spiritual liability.

Eric Marquette

And that’s so relevant now, isn’t it? We still have this narrative that if you’re successful, it’s because you’re blessed, and if you’re struggling, it’s your own fault. But Jesus flips that. He’s constantly siding with the poor, the sick, the excluded. It’s a call to rethink our values, not just as individuals, but as a society.

Ruby Sturt

It reminds me of this debate I had at uni—classic Ruby tangent incoming—where the question was, “Can faith ever be separated from social action?” And, I mean, I tried to argue that you could have a private, apolitical faith, but the more I read, the more I realized that’s just not how it works. At least not if you’re taking Jesus seriously. His faith was activism. Every parable, every healing, every meal with the wrong people—it was all a challenge to the status quo.

Eric Marquette

That’s such a good point. And it’s something we’ve touched on before, especially when we talked about the Ravenbrook Tradition’s emphasis on social justice and community engagement. It’s not just about personal enlightenment; it’s about changing the world around you. And that’s a thread that runs straight from Jesus to now, if you’re willing to see it.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and I think that’s why these stories still matter. They’re not just ancient history—they’re blueprints for how to resist systems that dehumanize people. Whether it’s patriarchy, economic injustice, or any other form of exclusion, the challenge is to keep asking, “Who’s being left out, and what are we going to do about it?”

Eric Marquette

And maybe, how do we make sure we’re not just talking about inclusion, but actually practicing it? Because, as we’ve seen, it’s easy to pay lip service to these ideas and much harder to live them out.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, it’s a lifelong project. But, honestly, I’d rather be part of a messy, inclusive community than a tidy, exclusive one any day.

Eric Marquette

So, let’s talk about resistance. Because if there’s one thing that stands out in the Gospels, it’s that Jesus wasn’t just a nice guy handing out free bread. He was a strategist. The cleansing of the Temple, for example—it’s not just about religious purity. It’s a direct, nonviolent confrontation with economic exploitation and corruption. He’s flipping tables, but he’s also flipping the script on what power looks like.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and the parables, too. They’re not just cute stories. They’re subversive. Like, the Good Samaritan isn’t just about being nice to strangers—it’s a dig at the religious elite and a challenge to the whole system of who counts as “neighbor.” It’s activism in story form.

Eric Marquette

And that’s where nonviolent resistance comes in. Jesus doesn’t advocate for violent revolution, but he’s constantly undermining the legitimacy of the powers that be. It’s strategic, it’s risky, and it’s deeply political. And that legacy carries forward. I mean, look at the civil rights movement—Martin Luther King Jr. explicitly drew on Jesus’s model of nonviolent resistance. It’s a lineage of activism that’s about transformation, not just protest.

Ruby Sturt

And it’s not just about the big, headline-grabbing moments. It’s about building community, creating alternative spaces where people can experience justice and dignity. That’s something we see in the Ravenbrook Tradition, too. There’s this emphasis on practical magick, on daily rituals that are about empowerment and solidarity, not just personal gain. It’s activism, but with a spiritual backbone.

Eric Marquette

Yeah, and I think that’s where Ravenbrook both echoes and diverges from Jesus’s model. There’s a shared commitment to inclusion, to challenging injustice, but the methods are adapted for a different context. It’s less about confronting a literal empire and more about resisting the subtle, everyday forms of exclusion and oppression. But the spirit is the same—nonviolent, creative, and rooted in community.

Ruby Sturt

And, honestly, that’s what keeps me hopeful. Because, as we’ve said before, the work of justice is never finished. It’s a spiral, not a straight line. You keep coming back to the same questions, but each time with a bit more wisdom, a bit more courage. And maybe, if we’re lucky, a bit more love.

Eric Marquette

Well said. And I think that’s a good place to wrap for today. We’ve covered a lot—from the hidden politics of Jesus, to radical inclusion, to the ongoing work of resistance. If you’re listening and feeling a bit unsettled, that’s probably a good sign. Keep questioning, keep challenging, and keep building those communities of justice and compassion.

Ruby Sturt

Yeah, and don’t be afraid to flip a few tables—metaphorically, or, you know, if you’re feeling bold. Thanks for joining us, Eric. And thanks to everyone listening. We’ll be back soon with more magick, mystery, and a healthy dose of rebellion. Catch you next time!

Eric Marquette

Take care, Ruby. And goodbye to all our listeners—until next time, keep the spirit of resistance alive.