I was able to hear Shane Claiborne right here in Fresno at Fresno Pacific Univesrity today thanks to a joint meeting of the At Risk Ministries Network and City Builders. Thanks to 1by1 Leadership for bringing out this dynamic young man to challenge us about living in community and finding a 21st expression of what it means to be Christian. His passion, humor, humility, and grace allowed him to say some hard things to us and have them received enthusiastically.
Shane is known for the community that he is vitally associate with, The Simple Way in Philadelphia and is author of the recently released book, The Irresistible Revolution : Living as an Ordinary Radical.
A sample chapter can be found at this link.
I was profoundly moved by the story of Shane's journey and his call to a radical expression of Christian discipleship. St, Francis, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Rich Mullins, and John Perkins all seem to form a lens through which Shane is able to read the language that expresses that calling of Jesus Christ.
The commitment of those who come into long term community at The SImple Way is to love God, love, people, and follow Jesus.
Perhaps Dorothy Day was right in suggesting that the world is yet to see a compelling and authentic Christian witness lived out visibly on every street corner (my very loose paraphrase and expansion).
When I hear guys like this who are really living it, I don't know whether to be challenged, shamed, or inspired - maybe some of all. I just know that what we've been doing by rote isn't "it." There is something to be grasped and lived that is so real that it will leave no ambiguity as to who our Lord is and what His message to the world is - love, peace, servanthood.
Shane said that while we have been right to teach orthodoxy, we have been sadly lacking in orthopraxis. I am going to read the book and encourage you to do so as well. Hopefully we can arrange to have Shane as a guest on our forums.
You can discuss his ideas in the Christian Fellowship Forum or the Religion Forum on Netscape/CompuServe.
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The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical By Shane Claiborne / Zondervan Corp. Spiritual revolution begins within---and then extends the love of Christ to the world in radical and arresting ways! From dressing the wounds of lepers to visiting families amidst the bombs of Iraq, Claiborne confronts the culture of "comfortable" Christianity---inviting you to join his vision of faith for real change, inside and out! 368 pages, softcover from Zondervan. |
