"The Irresistible Revolution" by Shaine Claiborne

I think part of the reason I've stalled so much in my reviews is I knew this would be a very difficult book to write about. I'm not even sure where to begin. The Irresistible Revolution is mostly Claiborne inviting us in his life as an ordinary radical. I've got to give him credit in that he is not one to preach one thing and then live a different way. He and his friends have started a simple-living community who seeks to love God and each other better and to alleviate the suffering around them. Being profoundly influenced by Tony Compolo, his time spent in India working with Mother Teresa and her ministry, and a trip to Iraq, Claiborne is definitely not one to stay inside of his comfort zone.

Claiborne says he is not a hippie. I'm sorry Shane, you are a hippie. You make your own clothes, have dredlocks, protest on a regular basis, get into the Republican National Convention and yell while Bush is speaking and get kicked out. You should wear the label with pride!

There are many good things I can say about this book. Claiborne's indictments of the modern church are much needed. His heart for the poor covers the pages. His life will certainly challenge anyone to get out of their safe Christian bubble and love on people who are broken and hungry for love...even when they don't look or speak or smell like we do.

However, along with the amens I found myself saying, there were many things that left me frustrated and not in a good way. One is his saying that a theological education is basically a waste of time...that we would learn much more about God by spending our time with homeless people than we would in a seminary. I think this is a flawed and dangerous outlook. Theology is the study of God and who God has revealed Himself to be through His word. A good study in Theology will make you more in love with God because you learn who He is. This in turn serves as the springboard for missions and social justice. I think of William Wilberforce, the great social reformer who focused his life on the ending of the slave trade in Britain. But the root of all of his action were the glorious doctrines of Christ. He would say that we can't severe the root of doctrine for the fruits of good deeds.

But what I find most disturbing is that it is never clear what Shane Claiborne believes the gospel is. He says things about the gospel, says things like "we got together and preached the gospel", but it is a very hazy picture Claiborne paints. His focus is alleviating poverty and helping those in need (and also there seems to be some tie-in with blowing bubbles, sidewalk-chalk, and dancing...which I never really understood). I believe these are very Biblical concepts (save for the bubbles and chalk), but they are not the gospel. In other moments his interpretations of scripture and culture left me shaking my head. Claiborne also advocates for a kind of civil disobedience. Oftentimes Claiborne breaks the law to help others, seemingly without trying to come up with other solutions that honor the laws that have been given and help others as well. Often his views on things are simplistic (war is always wrong because it kills people) without looking at everything that is involved. Unfortunately not everything is black and white. Decisions would be a lot easier if they were.

I often came across some questionable theology. There is one part Claiborne describes, I think it was during his time in Calcutta, where he describes God as in the poor he is helping, in the tea, in the bread they eat... and how God was in it whenever someone would whisper namaste to him. Namaste is used commonly by hindus, sikhs, buddhists, and others, and to many has a spiritual meaning of recognizing the common divinity within the other person. It's difficult to see if Claiborne actually believes that God is actually in these people and things. It is easier to see when we look at the teachings of Tony Campolo, who Claiborne has been taught under and greatly influenced. Campolo believes that Christ is mystically incarnate in everyone, regardless of whether they have been redeemed or not. I know it is unfair to transfer one person's doctrines to another, but I can only do so because the rhetoric and the relationship gives this some credence.

I could go on. So while there is much to recommend here, I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. If you're searching for a manifesto of someone with a radical heart for the "least of these" while championing genuine orthodoxy, I suggest looking elsewhere.