The Irresisible Revolution

I've finished Shane Claiborne's book The Irresisible Revolution.

Some final quotes to share:

We live in a world of dangerous extremes. "These are extreme times," Dr King said. "The question is not whether we will be extremists but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?" (p. 270)

A good question, the followers of Jesus should indeed be 'extremists for love and grace.'


I used to think that those of us who hope for things we cannot see and who believe that the world can be different than it is were the crazy ones. We are usually called that by people who spend their lives trying to convince everyone that the crazy things they do actually make sense. Now more and more people are starting to imagine that mabye another world is possible and necessary and actually imaginable. I'm starting to wonder if, actually, we have gone sane in a mad world. In a world of smart bombs and military intelligence, we need more fools, holy fools who insist that the folly of the cross is wiser than any human power. And the world may call us crazy. (p. 343)

Do we have the confidence in the gospel to believe that the whole world may be mad but believing in Jesus is the only kind of sane there is? This challenge works on so many different levels.

On the whole Shane's book is challenging, although some of the later chapters are repeating, or let's be positive, reinforcing points made earlier in the book. I can understand Shane's zeal for this kind of Christian living he has found and experienced, but, and this is a big but, he is not describing 'normal' Christian living. I'm well aware there's a huge debate about what 'normal' Christian living may be, but any one description doesn't do justice to the width and variety of Christian living.

Inclusion and Exclusion

More from this remarkable book by Shane Claiborne.

Writing on the rich young ruler, Matt 19:16-30 and parallels:

I think it broke Jesus' heart to let the man walk away. The text says the Jesus looks at him and "loves him" as he walks away. But Jesus doesn't run after the man saying, "Hey, it's a journey, just give half," or "Start with 10 percent/" He simply lets the man choose his wealth.
In our culture of "seeker sensitivity" and radical inclusivity, the great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd. With the most sincere hearts, we do not want to see anyone walk away from Jesus because of the discomfort of his cross, so we clip the claws on the Lion a little, we clean up a bit the bloody Passion we are called to follow. ...
Jesus doesn't exclude rich people; he just lets them know their rebirth will cost them everything they have. (pp. 103-104)


I've more than once been accused of not being inclusive. It always feels bad to have this thrown at you. I think these words of Shane's begin to show me a way through this inclusive/exclusive stand off.

A desire to include everyone is good, I believe God calls everyone to Jesus, to enter his Kingdom through Christ. Inclusion is good. But we can't do it right. We would always make exceptions for our family, our friends, the people we like. This is where Bultmann started his demythologizing programme, make the gospel more palatable to modern humanity. But, if you give up on the gospel to include everyone all you are left with is a social club.

Jesus excludes. Yes, I think it broke his heart when the rich young man turned away, but Jesus let him go. Jesus and his radical teaching about the Kingdom excluded this man who loved his riches more than he loved Jesus. If you love anything more than you love Jesus you will end up excluded. Anything? Yes, anything: money, possessions, sexual preferences, family, work, ministry, anything.

Jesus knows more about the gospel than I ever will. I suspect those who seek to insult me by calling me non-inclusive would end up calling Jesus the same.

Shane Claiborne, John 14 and 'The Greater Things'

I'm at long last getting round to reading Shane Claiborne's 'The Irresistible Revolution', I think it has been on my blog to read list longer than any other book!

On pp. 84-85 Shane writes about Jn 14:12 "Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in my will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

This is in a chapter recording Shane's visit to Calcutta to visit, learn from and serve with Mother Teresa. Shane writes,

But I began to discover "the greater things." It was not just miracles. I started to see that the miracles were an expression not so much of Jesus' mighty power as of his love. In fact, the power of the miraculous spectacle was the temptation he faced in the desert - to turn stones to bread or to fling himself from the temple. But what had lasting significance were not the miracles themselves but Jesus' love. ... It wasn't that Jesus healed a leper but that he touched a leper, because no one touched lepers. And the incredible thing about that love is that it now lives inside of us. (pp.84-85)

I've heard it taught that the greater things are more miracles, bigger miracles then even Jesus did. But like Shane I know too well how many are sick and don't get healed, how many are hungry and don't get fed, how many are outcast and never welcomed in. I find Shane's reading of this verse very persuasive. Lazarus, raised by Jesus still died, the leper touched and healed would still die, the hungry feed with loaves and fishes would be hungry again. But all would remember, and retell their experience of being loved by Jesus. The radical love of Jesus is now powerfully at work in the lives of millions of Christ's people all over the world. It is long past time for us to radically change the world!