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Living as an Ordinary Radical
Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we've made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane's faith led him to dress the wounds of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump $10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local kids with homework, and 'practicing resurrection' in the forgotten places of our world.
Shane's message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable . . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love.
It's what always happens to the saints and prophets who are dangerous: we bronze them, we drain them of their passion and life and trap them in stained-glass windows and icons, confining them safely in memories of the past. St. Francis becomes a birdbath, Malcolm X is put on a stamp, and Martin Luther King gets a holiday. And Jesus gets commercialized, whether it's the plastic night-lights or the golden crucifixes. (And now there is a bobbing-head "Buddy Jesus" for your car and the "Jesus is my homeboy" T-shirt.) It becomes hard to know who Jesus really is, much less to imagine that Jesus ever laughed, cried, or had poop that smelled.
I can remember when Christianity was still safe, comfortable, trendy. I grew up in the Bible Belt, in East Tennessee, where there's a church building on nearly every corner. I can't remember meeting anyone Jewish or Muslim, and I distinctly remember being dissuaded from dating a Catholic girl because she "prayed to Mary." I attended two or three different youth groups, whichever had the best entertainment and drew the largest crowd. Church was a place where there were cute girls, free junk food, and cheap snowboarding trips. I discovered a Christianity that entertained me with quirky songs and velcro walls.
In middle school, I had a sincere "conversion" experience. We took a trip to a large Christian festival with bands, speakers, and late-night pranks. One night a short, bald preacherman named Duffy Robbins gave an invitation to "accept Jesus," and nearly our whole youth group went forward (a new concept for most of us), crying and snotting, hugging people we didn't know. I was born again. The next year, we went to that same festival, and most of us went forward again (it was so good the first time) and got born again, again. In fact, we looked forward to it every year. I must have gotten born again six or eight times, and it was great every time. (I highly recommend it.)
But then you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren't giving me anything to pick up. A lot of us were hearing "don't smoke, don't drink, don't sleep around" and naturally started asking, "Okay, well, that was pretty much my life, so what do I do now?" Where were the do's? And nobody seemed to have much to offer us. Handing out tracts at the mall just didn't seem like the fullness of Christian discipleship, not to mention it just wasn't as fun as making out at the movies.
I was just another believer. I believed all the right stuff-that Jesus is the Son of God, died and rose again. I had become a "believer," but I had no idea what it means to be a follower. People had taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how Christians live.
SPIRITUAL BULIMIA
So as we do in our culture, I thought perhaps I needed to buy more stuff, Christian stuff. Luckily, I found an entire Christian industrial complex ready to help with Christian music, bumper stickers, T-shirts, books, and even candy ("Testa-mints" ... dead serious ... mints with a Bible verse attached, candy with a Christian aftertaste). They had lists of bands and the Christian alternatives to them, so I got rid of all my old CDs. (And I must confess, I was a bit disappointed by the Christian counterfeit. Who could compare to Guns N' Roses and Vanilla Ice?) And I bought books, devotionals, T-shirts. I developed a common illness that haunts Western Christianity. I call it spiritual bulimia. Bulimia, of course, is a tragic eating disorder, largely linked to identity and image, where folks consume large amounts of food but vomit it up before it has a chance to digest. I developed the spiritual form of it where I did my devotions, read all the new Christian books and saw the Christian movies, and then vomited information up to friends, small groups, and pastors. But it had never had the chance to digest. I had gorged myself on all the products of the Christian industrial complex but was spiritually starving to death. I was marked by an overconsumptive but malnourished spirituality, suffocated by Christianity but thirsty for God.
It was Mark Twain who said, "It's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that scare me, but the parts I do understand." I don't know if you've read the Bible, and if you haven't, I think you may be in a better place than those of us who have read it so much that it has become stale. Maybe this is why Jesus says to the religious folks, "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you" (Matt. 21:31). For me, it became hard to read the Bible and walk away as if I had just watched a nice movie. Jesus never seemed to do anything normal. How about the fact that his first miracle was the old turning-water-into-wine thing to keep a party going? (Not a miracle that would go over well in some Christian circles.) And there's that time Jesus' friends leave him on the shore. If we had been in Jesus' shoes, some of us might have yelled for them to come back. Others might have jumped in the water and swum out to the boat. But Jesus just steps on the blessed water (Matt. 14:22-26). That's nuts. It scares his friends to death. Or take healing a blind person, for instance. I've seen people gather around and lay hands on the sick. Others anoint people with oil. But when Jesus wants to heal a blind guy, he picks up some dirt off the ground, spits in it, and then wipes it on the dude's eyes (John 9:6). That's weird. No one else did that. Can you imagine the other religious leaders? "Rabbi, could you hack me up a holy loogie?" Not a chance. No one else did stuff like that. Only Jesus would be crazy enough to suggest that if you want to become the greatest, you should become the least. Only Jesus would declare God's blessing on the poor rather than on the rich and would insist that it's not enough to love just your friends. I began to wonder if anybody still believed Jesus meant those things he said. I thought if we just stopped and asked, What if he really meant it? it could turn the world upside-down. It was a shame Christians had become so normal.
JESUS WRECKED MY LIFE
I know there are people out there who say, "My life was such a mess. I was drinking, partying, sleeping around ... and then I met Jesus and my whole life came together." God bless those people. But me, I had it together. I used to be cool. And then I met Jesus and he wrecked my life. The more I read the gospel, the more it messed me up, turning everything I believed in, valued, and hoped for upside-down. I am still recovering from my conversion. I know it's hard to imagine, but in high school, I was elected prom king. I was in the in-crowd, popular, ready to make lots of money and buy lots of stuff, on the upward track to success. I had been planning to go to med school. Like a lot of folks, I wanted to find a job where I could do as little work as possible for as much money as possible. I figured anesthesiology would work, just put folks to sleep with a little happy gas and let others do the dirty work. Then I could buy lots of stuff I didn't need. Mmm ... the American dream.
But as I pursued that dream of upward mobility preparing for college, things just didn't fit together. As I read Scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first. And I couldn't help but hope that there was something more to life than pop Christianity. I had no idea what I should do. I thought about leaving everything to follow Jesus, like the apostles, and hitting the road with nothing but my sandals and a staff, but I wasn't sure where to pick up a staff.
There were plenty of folks talking about the gospel and writing books about it, but as far as I could tell, living out the gospel had yet to be tried in recent days. So youth group got a little old-the songs got boring, the games grew stale, and I found other places to meet fine women. I wasn't sure the church had much to offer. Of course, I didn't dare stop going to church, convinced that "going to church" is what good people do, and I didn't want to become like "those people" who don't "go to church." Heathens. Ha. So I sucked it up and went every week, often cynical, usually bored, but always smiling.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne Copyright © 2006 by The Simple Way. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Contents Foreword by Jim Wallis 11
Introduction 17
Author's Note 31
1. When Christianity Was Still Safe 35
2. Resurrecting Church 53
3. In Search of a Christian 69
4. When Comfort Becomes 91
Uncomfortable
5. Another Way of Doing Life 115
6. Economics of Rebirth 155
7. Pledging Allegiance 191
When Kingdoms Collide
8. Jesus Made Me Do It! 223
9. Jesus Is for Losers 243
10. Extremists for Love 267
11. Making Revolution Irresistible 289
12. Growing Smaller and Smaller . . . 315
Until We Take Over the World
13. Crazy but Not Alone 341
Appendix 1: Local Revolutions and Ordinary Radicals 359
Appendix 2: Marks of a New Monasticism 363
Appendix 3: To Iraq 365
It's what always happens to the saints and prophets who are dangerous: we bronze them, we drain them of their passion and life and trap them in stained-glass windows and icons, confining them safely in memories of the past. St. Francis becomes a birdbath, Malcolm X is put on a stamp, and Martin Luther King gets a holiday.
And Jesus gets commercialized, whether it's the plastic night-lights or the golden crucifixes. (And now there is a bobbing-head 'Buddy Jesus' for your car and the 'Jesus is my homeboy' T-shirt.) It becomes hard to know who Jesus really is, much less to imagine that Jesus ever laughed, cried, or had poop that smelled.
I can remember when Christianity was still safe, comfortable, trendy. I grew up in the Bible Belt, in East Tennessee, where there's a church building on nearly every corner. I can't remember meeting anyone Jewish or Muslim, and I distinctly remember being dissuaded from dating a Catholic girl because she 'prayed to Mary.' I attended two or three different youth groups,
whichever had the best entertainment and drew the largest crowd. Church was a place where there were cute girls, free junk food, and cheap snowboarding trips. I discovered a Christianity that entertained me with quirky songs and velcro walls.1
In middle school, I had a sincere 'conversion'
experience. We took a trip to a large Christian festival with bands, speakers, and late-night pranks. One night a short, bald preacherman named Duffy Robbins gave an invitation to 'accept Jesus,' and nearly our whole youth group went forward (a new concept for most of us), crying and snotting, hugging people we didn't know. I was born again. The next year, we went to that same festival, and most of us went forward again (it was so good the first time) and got born again, again.
In fact, we looked forward to it every year. I must have gotten born again six or eight times, and it was great every time. (I highly recommend it.)
But then you start to think there must be more to Christianity, more than just laying your life and sins at the foot of the cross. I came to realize that preachers were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross and weren't giving me anything to pick up. A lot of us were hearing 'don't smoke, don't drink, don't sleep around' and naturally started asking, 'Okay, well, that was pretty much my life, so what do I do now?' Where were the do's? And nobody seemed to have much to offer us. Handing out tracts at the mall just didn't seem like the fullness of Christian discipleship, not to mention it just wasn't as fun as making out at the movies.
I was just another believer. I believed all the right stuff — that Jesus is the Son of God, died and rose again. I had become a 'believer,' but I had no idea what it means to be a follower. People had taught me what Christians believe, but no one had told me how Christians live.
So as we do in our culture, I thought perhaps I needed to buy more stuff, Christian stuff. Luckily, I found an entire Christian industrial complex ready to help with Christian music, bumper stickers, T-shirts,
books, and even candy ('Testamints' . . . dead serious .
. . mints with a Bible verse attached, candy with a Christian aftertaste). They had lists of bands and the Christian alternatives to them, so I got rid of all my old CDs. (And I must confess, I was a bit disappointed by the Christian counterfeit. Who could compare to Guns N' Roses and Vanilla Ice?)
PapaLester
Posted February 10, 2009
I don't want pablum that tells me I'm great or how to self-fix. I want a book that challenges my faith to become more. I don't object to having every belief I have challenged because that makes me stronger, and sometimes it makes me change. This book challenged some of my beliefs and made me evaluate them on the basis of scripture, and some of them I had to change. It also challenged me to get active in doing the work of the kingdom of Christ.<BR/>You won't be able to put it down in the first half of the book. You'll want to in the second half, but you'll keep coming back because you need to. Don't read it if you want God to leave you alone.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Kayti
Posted October 27, 2008
I think every believer NEEDS to read this book! Every time I pick up this book I am instantly motivated and inspired but the stories and insights Shane shares with his readers. This book has changed the way I look at my faith and even more so what I am going to DO with my faith.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 31, 2008
If you're ready to roll up your sleeves, and march in God's army, pick up a copy of The Irresistible Revolution and get ready to load up on some serious ammunition. And for good measure, you'll also get a fresh compass and a friend to help you dig out of the trenches and be counted as a radical who is courageous and foolish enough to stand out as a true follower of Christ. From the streets of Calcutta, to war-zones of Iraq, to neighbourhood slums, to money-multiplying Wall Street, Shane Claiborne transports the face of Christ into a suffering and lonely world. In Irresistible Revolution, he converts his stories into a compelling case for the 'ordinary radical' . His down to earth style will engage you, much like a conversation with an old friend. But be prepared, much of what he has to say is far from comfortable. In these pages you will be dared to take up your cross, and tear down some walls. You will hear first hand of the miracle of community, of working together, being one body in Christ. You will be asked to drop the rock of unforgiveness and embrace the poor, the needy and the 'ugly'. And kiss complacency good-bye. Watch out for the gut-wrenching and heart-breaking moments laced in pain...and some joyful, triumphant ones. Watch how you never lose the distinct feeling that Jesus is right there walking through every page as you read along. You will sense his presence watching over you, holding out His hand, insisting, 'Come follow me...come and see.' Watch yourself capture a fresh and renewed understanding of who Jesus was and what He asks of you...and behold the absolute ironic beauty of a revolution 'a heart revolv-ing around Him' that is truly irresistible.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 5, 2006
I was intrigued by Shane Claiborne's story, but truly compelled by his writing, and the things that stir his heart -- the needs of God's people -- and his desire to reach out to them in sacrifical ways thoroughly washed in the cleansing waters of a deep humility. The things Shane has to say are difficult -- difficult to take in, and penetrating to one's spirit. But oh, so important! Weep when you read this book, let it change the way you think about things. Ponder and pray about what you should do that you're not already doing. And then buy a copy for a half-dozen of your friends and give them the same challenge.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 22, 2012
This book has helped me grow in faith in so many ways! It has made me think very differently about the world! If you are looking for inspiration, encouragment, or just want to know that other people care, than this is the book for you!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 14, 2008
I have seen the church from the inside out (Pastor's son). My heart beats with Shane's. Christians from varieties of churches have the tendency to close themselves within the walls of the church for security and comfort. All too often it creates a disconnect in two ways. 1) we become disconnected from the needs of others and 2)We become disconnected from the call of Christ in our own lives. Surely we can change our ways. And as words can never change a world...only the actions carried forth from the words will make a difference
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 2, 2008
For a white, upper-middle class Christian living in the burbs, this is a very unsettling book. What is unquestionable, however, is that Shane loves Jesus Christ and is seeking the best way to live out the Great Commission. His quest shakes yuppie Christendom to the core. That is exactly what he desires and, I believe, what I needed to help jump start my beliefs so they translated into actions. You don't have to agree with all of Claiborne's politics to find inspiration in his calling.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 30, 2012
Pretty much what inspired me to do two years of volunteer work
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 23, 2012
Don't read this if you aren't willing to take an honest look at yourself and the way you live in our world. A wonderful, radical book!
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Posted December 6, 2011
This book is absolutely incredible, and gives a clear picture of how FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST were called to live their lives. Not just as CHRISTIANS but as true FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 3, 2011
I keep buying another copy, because I give mine away before I get it finished. Two of us are sharing the current copy. Important possibilities for peace and very entertaining.
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Posted December 14, 2010
This book changed the way I think about Christianity and what it means to truly follow Jesus. A must read for all. Shane writes about his life and how God calls us to love people directly and love God. Simple but practically really hard. It's more risk because it flips the perspective of this world and culture upside down, exactly what Jesus and the early church were doing. Getting back to the basics of Christianity and being a community with the poor. Not indirectly giving or meeting a need (which i'm not saying is bad) but seeing faces and building relationships with those that you are meeting the need. Inspiring to join this Irresistible Revolution Shane and several others are apart of. Amazing book. Game Changer in my life.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Having grown up within The Church of the Brethren and thinking of the newest taglines for COB "Peacefully, Simply, Together." and "Another way of living". This book really defines for me what both of these taglines are all about.
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Posted February 9, 2010
The Irresistible Revolution is Shane Claiborne experience loving God and loving people. Shane Claiborne has traveled the world, been part of many major churches and argued with unjust laws. One of Shane Claiborne's major turning points was when he traveled to Calcutta to be with Mother Teresa and learn from her. Shane has also traveled to Iraq during the war to love the Iraqis and to search for peace. Shane lives a radical life searching to love one another where ever he goes.
Shane Claiborne has been forming a strong community where he lives and encourages everyone to be in community. He pushes that it is how the world needs to live. He also shares that we everyone is human and we can love one another. One joke he shares is that his friends put a card board life size cut of George W. Bush in Shane's bedroom to scare him and Shane ended up leaving George Bush to remind him every mourning that he is human and that we can love the president even though he was supporting the war (of course this is when George Bush was president).
The Irresistible Revolution helps put your into a bigger perspective and makes you more grateful. This book can motivate you waking up and trying to have a smile on your face and wanting to share that smile with someone else. But everyone in this whole world disagrees with everyone. A lot of the Shane's ideas are his opinions you may disagree with him. Such as he states the wealthy people are the loneliest people or his views are pro choice (I am as well) and disagrees with Republicans.
The Irresistible Revolution is for everyone, not just Christians. Shane shares his philosophy on how to love. Anyone with an open mind can learn a lot of knowledge from him. The style of writing he uses is very casual as if he is having a conversation with you. There are footnotes on the bottom of the page to references he makes. From chapter to chapter he occasionally will crack a joke. The Irresistible Revolution is a nice read and questions your lifestyle.
PadrePL
Posted December 19, 2009
Shane Claiborne shares his journey from his Evangelical Protestant upbringing through Christian college awaking and activism, India with Mother Theresa, Iraq with Christian Peacemakers and many experiences with Christian home churches and small communities. I was confronted with the real meaning of Jesus and Christianity in a world with so many divergent Christian views.
I wish I had read this when I was in college in the early 70s. It would have radically changed the direction of my life toward authentic Christian living. Alas, it was not written until 2006!
A "must read" for young people seeking direction for their spiritual lives.
small1CP
Posted September 5, 2009
I Also Recommend:
It seems like most American Christians have forgotten what it really means to live out the Christian life. Many are stuck letting politics define their Christianity, and this book helps one to realize we need to break out of that box. Not that we have to follow in Shane's (the author's) footsteps exactly, but the book inspires to reach out of our comfortable world to do what Jesus really said.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book honestly changed my life. I am a Christian and have been for about 5 years. This book got me realigned with Jesus Christ and the God of the bible, not the one that america sells. I have a completely refreshed understanding. I would suggest this book to anyone, but especially Christians. If you like a watered down gospel, this is not the book for you. Shane dares to align himself with exactly what the bible tells us to do. It sounds simple, but it is truly amazing! God bless Shane Claiborne!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 13, 2009
What I enjoyed most about this book is the author sharing his experience of the time he spend working with mother Teresa, his depth of thought when he pondered whether he lived a truly Christian life, and his ability to realize how he could be a better Christian.
What I liked least about the book is it seemed to drone on and on now and then when, in my opinion, the point had already been made. The book was recommended to me by a friend and I am glad I read it.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.mkaybill
Posted March 3, 2009
Posted March 3, 2009, 9:01 p.m. A great read for those who are wrestling with "church going" and true Christianity. Although I did not agree with everything Claiborne had to say (I think he would be pleased with that), he did validate the questions I have regarding organized religion. If you're looking for answers to all your questions, this is probably not a book that will resonate with you, because it leaves the reader with more questions than answers. It is a book I would recommend to people of all faiths and people with little or no faith. It's an easy read full of provacative thoughts on issues of relevance for the "bored" Christian in today's society.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.this book is too good not to read. its inspiring & really makes you think twice about what it is I really believe in, is it all jus religion OR is it really a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. i didnt want it to have to come to an end but thats just it, it doesnt have to. it all starts with us.....one person at a time. LOVED IT LOVED IT!
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Overview
Living as an Ordinary Radical
Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we've made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends ...