Whose side is Jesus really on? Whose views do his teachings support? Should we aspire to be "Christlike"—meaning homeless, subversive, scandalous, in constant danger of being kidnapped or arrested, and keeping company with the less-than-respectable?

In a time of national debate about what the Bible says on social issues Wills a distinguished historian and writer on religion examines what Jesus actually said about how we should live our lives—and how he chose to live his own.