“The dream of God as we see it in Jesus—his alternative social vision—is usefully crystallized in three complementary ways. First, I call it a “politics of compassion.” For Jesus, compassion was more than a virtue for the individual. It was the basis of his criticism of the social system of his day. Compassion was also the paradigm or core value of his social vision: Jesus’ understanding of God as compassionate led to a social vision grounded in compassion. It stood in sharp contrast to the core value of the social vision of elite theology, which was a politics of holiness and purity centered in the temple and legitimating the social order. Compassion as a core political paradigm suggests a political order that is life-giving, nourishing, and inclusive”. (*Marcus Borg)

^{(Marcus Borg was an American New Testament scholar and theologian. He was among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity)}