Want to know why so many university students are addicted to Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution
Here’s a snippet:
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.
How about this:
I once heard a pastor say, “The church is like Noah’s ark. It stinks, but if you get out of it, you’ll drown.”
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Thanks so much to those of you who suggested I read The Kite Runner
Irresistable Revolution is a book I wish everyone would read…and a book I wish I’d never read. Shane says Jesus messed him up. If you let him, Jesus will do the same to you through that book. Shane shines light in dark places of selfishness, insecurity and greed I desperately want to remain hidden.
The Claiborne book, and that quote, is pretty right-on stuff.
The Kite Runner is amazing. I knew that you would love it. Now pass it on to Diane. She will love it.
1000 splendid suns…yes!!!
Love the quote. Jesus does turn our lives upside down.
I think another reason Claiborne is so popular with the up-and-coming generation is because he takes on a lot of the big, controversial questions with a radical tone, but avoids taking either of the worn-out (and defective) sides politics and ideas of social justice have for too long come down on. He is not that predictable, and I think a lot of young people think that his subject — how to be Christ to the world, including the poor — isn’t either.
It’s part of the coming swan-song for the misled so-called culture wars and the insufficient answers they have given about who Christians ought to be and how they ought to think about the world — answers that are too simplistic and not Christ-like enough, and that have more to do with economics and with populism than with being like Christ.
And that’s a good thing to be getting over, I might add.
That book messed me up!
Thousand Splendid Suns is better than Kite Runner. Pick it up.
Claiborne will mess a person up. And he does it without saying anything new. As professor Wendell Willis used to tell us, “The preaching part of your job is less about telling people something they don’t know and more about reminding them of what they already know.”
The only way to “stay in church” after listening to Jesus is to engage in a community nothing like the typical church.
Larry speaks the truth as usual. I’m 34 and I’m ‘addicted’ to that little book, too (then again I still listen to “alternative music” and have an 11th grade reading level). I actually bought a copy of Revolution yesterday for a friend who served in Iraq and I’m really curious about how he will respond. That was either one of my best moves ever or one of my worst. I told him it was dangerous before I gave it to him. We’ll see.
my dad reads your blog alot, and he told me about your junior league team losing 4-3 to del mar, who beat new mexico 20-8. i looked at the little league website and found out that new mexico had beaten del mar 18-8 in the pool play round. just wanted to let you know.
this is the page where i found the scores for the southwest regional.
http://www.littleleague.org/series/2007divisions/jlbb/qualify/ussouthwest.htm
Shane Claiborne’s, Irresistible Revolution was one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read. It rocked my spiritual world.
Loved Irresistible Revolution - absolutely loved it! He paints a picture of Christ followers doing the work of Jesus; rolled up sleeves and dirty fingernails. But then, isn’t that a true picture of Jesus during His short time on this earth?
I’m certainly not of Claiborne’s generation, but after 30 years living in a “third world” country, I learned there’s no other way you can take Jesus to peoples of the world other than by rolling up sleeves and getting your fingernails dirty, something the large majority of American Christians are reluctant to do, IF they have any idea what that means.
Unfortunately, we seem to want to teach Jesus and Him crucified at a safe distance, in our well maintained buildings through clean, unwrinkled checks tossed in a collection plate. When our outreach ministries have to beg for volunteers, we calm our consciences by adding a few more dollars to the checks and continue to keep our distance from the real work and face-to-face communication with those that Jesus would have lived among.
Sometimes I wish our expensive buildings would be sold to a school or some such, and we would begin to meet under a tree or bridge somewhere; meeting with those that live under the trees and bridges. Maybe our checks would then go to the homeless, hungry, sick, afflicted and needy rather than to manicuring lawns and buying new carpeting.
Thank the LORD and may He bless Claiborne and his contemporaries; may He raise up an army of Claibornes in our midst, in our hearts!!!!
Sorry for the soap box, but I’ve been frustrated ever since returning to these pampered United States of America. May we begin to wake up and be repulsed by our tightly buttoned sleeves and clean fingernails.
“Is it just as good?” Yep. Maybe better. I devoured it in three days.
Ironic, isn’t it, how much time we spend in church “crucifying Jesus” again and again, as if we want to make sure our future is secure. Actually, fairly self-serving this addiction to salvation beyond this life. We spend so much time with this enterprise that we have a hard time hearing what Jesus said or seeing what he did in his life.
I’m so intrigued by what you just posted, Larry. Wow.
AMEN!! Larry, AMEN!!!
Thousand Splendid Suns is much better. Get the audio book if you can; it is well done.
Hosseini’s 2nd book is just as good…here is a commentary from a good friend who has the interesting perpective. His dad is Afghan:
“This one was very different from the Kite Runner as it gave the perspective of inside the country during the wars. I remember all those events and my Dad’s
reaction to them….I really like his stories and they give us such a wider perspective on the world and the dangers of being a fundamentalist with no room for vagueness,
mystery or tolerance of others….These stories have helped me understand my Dad a lot. I see now why he rejected most of the outward modes of religion for as long as I have
known him.”
The “Christ Crucified” theme is also brought out in the book by Barbara Ehrenreich called “Nickel and Dimed.”
Hmmmm… two interesting book choices to have people comment on in just the one post.
They are both equally deserving of separate consideration and introspection (not the naval-gazing kind, but rather the ‘how will this read galvanize me off my patoukas to change how I interact with Christ and the real world around me?’).
Having lived in Afghanistan (Kandahar/Helmand), I find it sad and very frustrating that American Christians have only become concerned about Afghans since American soldiers have died there in a politically publicised war (our government’s involvement while the Russians were at war there seems to have been off most Americans’ radar for global concern at the time). I am thankful for books such as Khaled Hosseini’s that raise people’s awareness of the fact that Afghans are indeed viable human beings. There is much to be explored still in the arena of Christian/Muslim relations.
It is encouraging when American Christ-followers show a desire to go beyond the trend-du-jour and best-seller craze learn about and genuinely engage with and love Muslims in their midst on the home front (in the USA) – rather than judge them or be suspect of them. Then there is hope for meaningful relationship to be extended to communities in Afghanistan where guns and explosives can be replaced with trust and friendship. Hopefully, some day that time will come. Their beautiful multi-faceted culture goes way beyond having them weave rugs/baskets with American nationalistic symbols (Stars and Stripes, American Eagles, etc) for sell in trendy American boutiques.
There are some terrifically compassionate people to get to know at Dallas Central Mosque (Richardson, TX). They have worked through the years to take care of refugees from Afghanistan. Here are some links to get anyone interested started:
http://www.iant.com/
http://www.pluralism.org/research/profiles/display.php?profile=70352
Pluralism is a tricky thing, especially in a Western capitalistic society where there are so many religious denominations. I am often asked why there are so many in America. It is difficult to know how to adequately answer that. But it might help the Christians there understand why there can be so many troubles and splits amongst the Sunni and Shiite tribes in worlds that are far away.
(Just look at the troubles between the Samaritan sect and the rest of the Jews!)
Blessings all.
PS: If anyone is interested, I have a friend and contact at IANT who I could put you in contact with. Absolutely marvellous person who worked with my husband and I in helping some refugees to Dallas from Kabul. But as we are now in the UK, we do not get to help with the efforts there. (However, we have our hands full here in our area in the UK!)
Cheers!
Claiborne has a co-authored book coming out in the winter. You can pre-order it on Amazon.
I’m thinking we need to begin a campaign to urge Larry James to write a book. Anybody with me?!?!?
DU
Claiborne’s words about the church torture me. I can’t take that place anymore. The stench is too much for me to bare. Now my problem is where do I go? I don’t know Larry James, but I have admired and longed for a community like he seems to have fostered in Dallas (and mentioned in this thread.)
I guess I don’t want to “drowned” outside of a church. Is there not another way to follow the pattern of Jesus outside of the traditional (and fundamentally broken) church model?
The way Jesus messes us up through people like Shawn Claiborne and Larry James is that He works through them as they do what they say … doing what He did and saying what He said.
http://www.thesimpleway.org/shane/sampler.pdf
From the freebie chapter:
“It felt like we were reinventing the early church for the first time in two thousand years. (We were quite ignorant.)”
Sounds familiar….except for the incredibly wise self-realization contained in the parentheses.
Kudos, Allison, on mentioning that reference in the Barbara Ehrenreich book. This post made me think of the same thing! I need to find a copy of the book (I had borrowed it) and share that section with everyone.
Whoa, guys! I’m no Shane Claiborne and we certainly haven’t figured it out here by any means. However, I appreciate your kindness. Allison made me go back to my journal and find my entry on Ehrenreich’s book. I will post the journal entry with her quote on my blog sometime this week.
Really like the Noah quote. Funny.
http://www.matthewsblog.waynesborochurchofchrist.org
I found that quote from Ehrenreich online. While you may not appreciate her referring to Jesus as a “socialist” or a “wine-guzzler,” the point of this self-proclaimed atheist is well-taken. Here are her thoughts upon attending a tent revival in Minnesota:
“It would be nice if someone [at the revival] would read this sad-eyed crowd the Sermon on the Mount, accompanied by a rousing commentary on income inequality and the need for a hike in the minimum wage. But Jesus makes his appearance here only as a corpse; the living man, wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist, is never once mentioned, nor anything he had to say. Christ crucified rules, and it may be that the true business of modern Christianity is to crucify him again and again so that he can never get a word out of his mouth . . . I get up to leave . . . and walk out to search for my car, half expecting to find Jesus out there in the dark, gagged and tethered to a tent pole.”
Mike - I noticed that the church shooting yesterday was in Neosho. Prayers go out to that community of believers.
Irresistible Revolution is fantastic. I actually listened to a sermon by Shane the other night and I was lying in bed sobbing. I was supposed to be teaching the next week at bible camp about using your gifts and talents for God’s glory and I realized I wasnt doing that myself. I had an “R” rated conversation with God, but I wll give you the “PG-13″ version. I said, “God I am a big freaking hypocrite and I am not ok with that.”
I am thankful to Shane and others who have been used by God to reshape my vision for serving God. You should all get the book and read it as soon as you get a chance.
Nathan - Thanks for that note. I had read about the loss in pool play, but as a coach I read that differently. The top two teams are advancing. There is absolutely no advantage in being the top team (unlike a double elim tournament). At some point, when you know you’re going to make it to the playoff, you start lining up your pitching, especially given the new pitch limits. Much better to go into the playoff game with a loss and your pitching lined up than to go in with no losses and the pitching depleted.
My Mamaw made her daughter’s (my mom) dresses out of flour sacks in the 40’s and 50’s.
My Mamaw visited the the people in the rest homes in the 20’s, 30’s ,40’s, 50’s, 60’s,70’s. 80’s, 90’s, 00’s.
Read the Grapes of Wrath.
This is Irresistible Revolution is no new revolution, only a revolution whose deemed to be great because of people with credentials. Nobody cares my Mamaw did this till she died; not more than 30 miles from her home.
This has been going on for ages. My Mamaw could not pen a book, but she should could sure pen a life.
Look in the ordinary and find the extraordinary. No one needs a terminal degree to be profound.
I met a homeless man named Kenny by a convenience store. I bought him a beer, I wasn’t there to “close the deal” but I was going to make him feel like a damn for 30 minutes.
Come to find out he did not want to get off the juice, who could blame him, what do we or I really have to offer this man. To him it is always a bus ticket ride away.
What we have to understand is Kenny has given up as so many as of us have and we need to realize we are in the same boat. How do we stop giving up? No bullshit pat answers please?
I bet no one dares to tackle this comment. Let’s keep it sterile and discuss which 13-14 yr old team beats whom by how much.
I heard a speaker at a Christian Scholar’s Conference at DLU say, “Churches of Christ need to rejoin the Christian race.” As many churches of Christ are inching into mainstream evangelical Protestantism, it may be well to hear the hard edge voices of reformation within evangelicalism to return to the “narrow gate” and the “narrow path” of Jesus’ original gospel. Such is David Bercot in THE KINGDOM THAT TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN.
Larry Washer (Baptist) on youtube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nplD7JhJMOU
Love in Jesus,
Frank
Ongoing Restoration Needed
Gerorge Barna has written more than three dozen books and has led the Barna Group, often quoted for its polling data about the state of religion in America. In 2005 he published Revolution, a book that created quite a rumble within the evangelical community.
Barna is critical of most organized churches. After 24 years of studying the trends of the church in North America, he concludes that the established church has failed. He identifies seven “passions†of the first Christians that must be restored for the church to be what it was intended to be; these are regarding the nature of (1) worship, (2) faith-based conversations, (3) intentional spiritual growth, (4) resource investment, (5) servanthood, (6) spiritual friendships, and (7) family faith. The work of the church, as Barna sees it, is to bring about a transformation in the lives of people with regard to these seven passions.
What led him to this Revolution movement was the startling conclusion that, after several years of researching “churched†people, he found little evidence that their lives were being transformed by their church experience.
Instead, the transformation of these folks in the Barna survey had taken place outside the established church. He contends this is true of all churches—mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Roman Catholic. Thus, the “real†church is something beyond all of the established churches. It is that church that must be restored
It can always be just cups of cold water. In the spirit of the Samaritan , whoever comes into your daily line of vision can be those you help. Also do not forget the massive good works being accomplished in our great brotherhood all over this nation and in the world. Everyday countless lives are being touched by the compassionate hearts of Jesus disciples. They will never receive any headlines or the applause of men but one day the applause of the crucified hands. The gospel is being taught and charitable acts of kindness by unselfish servants are providing hope and help to a great many people.
After my husband and I read the excerpt from Claiborne’s book, we went to amazon and read one of the chapters. We were hooked, ordered the book, and were not disappointed! Claiborne is poignant, deep, passionate, and absolutely hilarious!!!! So many great one-liners that pierce the soul and sting with convicting truth. N.T. Wright speaks about the “bleeding love of God”, Shane’s testimony reminded me about this bleeding love. I was deeply convicted, and encouraged. We also found some video of Shane on youtube. I do see him as radical, and sometimes he makes me feel uncomfortable, but I feel the same way about Jesus. Some of our favorite quotes:
“God made us in His image, and we decided to return the favor.”
“As I read the Scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first.”
“How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday, an ignore one on Monday?”
“Namaste.”
“We preach prophesy, and dream together about how to awaken the church from her violent slumber.”
I loved both of Hosseini’s novels. I am horrified what the people, especially women have to endure. The killings in God’s name don’t reflect Him at all, just bad men. We view a world wihout Christ and it is terrifying.
Mike,
I “spy” on you every once and a while and always enjoy what I read. I heard you preach a decade ago and enjoyed it very much as well. So there, apparently you rock.
But enough about you. I just read The Kite Runner and it wrecked me too. Fortunately it also put me back together in the end so it worked out. The Movie comes out this November.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809765419/trailer
Can’t wait.
Claibourne is also someone I highly respect. His call for the church to get their social act together is bang on. It is my passion to not only see but help make that happen.
Anyways, I figured spying is kinda lame so here I am.
Hope to read you again soon.
God Bless,
John
P.S. Allen Close is my brother, I think you might know him. Maybe. He attended ACU awhile ago and preaches in Lexington, Sc. Just trying to connect the dots.
Hey if you’re a fan of Shane Claiborne and his book, then you should really check out the Another World is Possible DVD series. It’s a multimedia project by Shane Claiborne and Jamie Moffett (co-founders of the Simple Way) that emerged in response to their belief that things are not right in the world, and that they don’t have to stay that way. There are three DVD’s, one on war, one on poverty, and one on creation. You can find out more about them at http://www.awip.us.