Book Review: Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

I'd had a few friends recommend this book and a few who cautioned that some of what Shane Claiborne has to say is not always biblical.  And I'll admit, I was a little nervous when I saw the book had been endorsed by Rob Bell.  So, I read this book with a somewhat critical eye.  (Really, shouldn't we read everything a bit critically?)  I enjoyed the relaxed writing style Claiborne uses, and throughout the book felt like he's a pretty relatable guy.  Someone you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with and not feel awkward.  He had a lot of good things to say in his book as well, things I think a lot of Christians need to hear.

The purpose of writing is to be a wake up call for the church to get back to a Biblical kind of christianity.  He calls for a revolution of love in which we truly do love our neighbors as ourselves, and live with a servant's heart among the poor.  The way this plays out in his own life is to live communally in one of the worst parts of Philadelphia.  The community that they have established is one that is welcoming and loving to all people, be they business men, drug addicts, or prostitutes.  That's a pretty powerful witness when you think about it.  After all, Jesus spent most of his time hanging around the kind of people we would deem "unlovable."  These are the people he came to save.

Claiborne is an activist for many social issues and has had his fair share of involvement in protests and the like.  He's been arrested more times than he can count, but he's been a part of some pretty inspiring stories of social change.  While I might not agree with all of his methods, I do agree that as christians we are called to take up the case for the poor, the widow, and the orphan.  This is something he does a good job of.  

One critique I have of his ideas is I think he gets too caught up in dealing with the issues themselves and sharing the actual gospel gets pushed to the side.  Claiborne is a big fan of Francis of Assisi who said, "Preach the gospel always, and if necessary, use words."  The issue I have with that is the gospel is news to be preached not just acted out.  You can shelter a homeless man or give food to the hungry, but if you don't fill their soul with the gospel of Jesus Christ, you aren't doing them any good in light of eternity.  We cannot forsake the telling of the gospel as we confront social issues.

Claiborne will convict you to get out there in the trenches with the downcast and destitute, all to make known the glory of God and the Good News of Christ.  Christians shouldn't live insulated lives, never crossing paths with the poor.  Jesus calls us to love the poor because in so doing we love Christ all the more.  Let us not forget Matthew 25 where Jesus separates the sheep and the goats.  To the righteous he says they fed him, gave him a drink when he was thirsty, and clothed him.  When asked about this he says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  

A few quotes from the book:

"Few people are interested in a religion that has nothing to say to the world and offers them only life after death, when what people are really wondering is whether there is life before death."  

"Today the church is tempted by the spectacular, to do big, miraculous things so people might believe, but Jesus has called us to littleness and compares our revolution to the little mustard seed, to yeast making its way through dough, slowly infecting this dark world with love."

"We are called to be the Good Samaritan, but after you lift so many people out of the ditch you start to ask, maybe the whole road to Jericho needs to be repaved."

"While the ghettos may have their share of violence and crime, the suburbs are the home of the more subtle demonic forces --numbness, complacency, comfort -- and it is these that can eat away at our souls."

"True generosity is measured not by how much we give away, but by how much we have left, especially when we look at the needs of our neighbors."