The Narrow Path Ministries

Has anyone read Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne? I found a lot of his political views easy to disagree with but he really makes you think. I would be very interested in what anybody else that is familiar with him has to say

Hi HE Loves Me!

Welcome to the forum.

TK asked about that book in a different forum.

What does he have to say that is so thought-provoking?

Michelle

Hi michelle--

many evangelical christians are conservative (like me) and therefore, often by default, supportive (patriotic?) about military action. you know, the "my country right or wrong" mentality.

shane does a good job challenging these assumptions; he spent time in Iraq, and his position is that violence toward our enemies is never the answer. one quote i remember is that he was a talking to an iraqi christian woman (maybe a dr) whose neighborhood was being bombed by the US- she said "violence is only for those who have no imagination. Has america lost all of its imagination?" he admittedly struggles with these concepts, because he describes himself as "conservative" in most political respects. but his goal is to live out his life as he thinks jesus wants him to (what a novel concept). as a result, he does many things that would seem radical to many or most christians, when in actuality he is probably just living the normal christian life as contemplated in the NT.

the book is not all about his views on war, etc, it is more about how he and his community in Philadelphia have reached out to the poor, it talks about his visits to calcutta and the time spent with mother teresa and the lepers, etc. his challenge is essentially to get out of the pews and into the streets. and it's a pretty strong challenge.

TK

Hi TK--
Yes I also found it very challenging that a self-professed conservative evangelical living in America is finding himself criticized by the religious family he calls himself a part of, arrested and dragged before courts (with out breaking Gods law)for simpliy living out what quite possibly Jesus has called us all to live out?

Wow, sounds good. I will have to add this to my ever growing list of books I need to buy.

Thanks!