Book Review
*THIS BOOK REVIEW HAS BEEN EXPANDED WITH NEXT LATEST ENTRY*
When we begin enacting the new world, the nations will follow. Nations will not lead us to peace; it is people who will lead nations to peace as they begin to humanize the nations. -The Irresistiable Revolution (Shane Claiborne)
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My wondrous and recent friend Amanda mailed me this book, The Irresistable Revolution (by Shane Claiborne), which I am glad to have recieved and to have (mostly) read. The book recounts his journey of pursuing a more literal interpretation/ direct manifestation of Christ's/ the Early Church's ministry. He basically lives his life based around the community and the poor, particulalry those local to him. He says many things that the Church is dying to hear, such as how we must take responsibility for the institutions we empower based on such things as the taxes we pay, services we entreat, products we buy, etc. His emphasis on the poor and a more communal lifestyle are well supported by the Scriptures and the testimony of the Ante-Nicene/ Pre-Imperialized Church. His insistence on nonviolence also satisfies these sources, at least to an extent that significantly challenges your typical Western Christian. His work has an air of fruitiness to it (and this is coming from a guy who is significantly fruity); he seems to exhaust the words "bubbles," "beautiful," and, perhaps, even "love." But whatever, right?
My concerns with the book are few, but serious...
1) Shane presents his case for social justice in such a way that seems to put real faith in some sort of earthly utopia, without regards to Christ's return. The problems with this are...
A) As a Christian, as one who appeals to the Scriptures as the high authority, he should submit to the prophecy, which is the book of Revelation, that the world will not be corrected until God literaly "comes down here" again, and with a sword. Nonviolence, or at least an overall spirit of nonviolence (you can remove the hands that choke your throat, disarm and then take care of aggresors, protect children, etc., while avoiding militaries, vengence, fatality, and most personal attacks), is in fact something that the Western Church simply does not get. Ours is a society of unrepentent crusaders, who really don't even care about the "Holy Land" so much as the spoils of war. And yet, Christ was demonstrating that this was not the permanent mode that He would pursue. He promises to come back with a sword (Revelation of John), before the swords are once and for all reforged into plowshares (Isaiah the Prophet). This is important to keep in belief, not so that another crusade shall be inspired, but so that we take God exactly as He is, and not as some lesser idol. There are consequences for avoiding truth, even if we can't always chart them.
B) Jesus made it terribly clear that he doesn't really care to work redemptively through nations (excluding the Jewish nation, which is clearly on its own program). Jesus did his thing during severe Roman peresuction (come to think of it, I think they even had something to do with his execution...), but he didn't seem to feel the need to waste any time trying to work through the political system to accomplish soul work. It is reminscent of the way God lamented the Israelites desire for a king (so to be like all the other nations) during the time of Samuel the Prophet. God promised them that such an investment in worldly government would bring severe disappointment, but the people insisted, and God, afterall, believes in letting people learn lessons the hard way, when they want to.
C) Shane seems to identify himself, without condition, with those social activists who are able to live reasonably gracefully. He himself talks about Jesus a lot, but not in an exlusive sense... and Jesus was extremely exlusive ("you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood to enter the Kingdom of God," "you cannot go to the Father without going through me," etc..) While Shane seems to get that faith without deeds is dead, and care of the poor is most certainly such a deed- and one that is neglected- he seems to neglect the reality that the most important deed is sharing the person of Christ. And naming Jesus is often a very divisive thing to do. The way that Shane works alongside, quotes, and learns from those who reject Jesus as He claimed to Be, is right and good. My only concern is that, while pursuing love of neighbor along with them, he doesn't share Jesus with them, as He claims to Be. We are not doing anyone any favors by being silent about the demands Jesus makes on us. There are a lot of people out in the world who are much better people than me, currently, but who reject Jesus. But the only way any of us are any good is by the grace of God. So, eventually, to maintain that graceful position of comparitive righteousness, they must give gratitude to the One who gives it, or else lose it. This is not a popular teaching, either in the general Church or in the unchurched World. For it gives credit to the present, comparitive superiority of various philantropists, in comparsion to the vast majority of Christians (again, to include me). But it also condemns the one who will never accept the ultimate goodness of God, who made us to begin with, gave us morality to begin with, gives us grace so to, again, begin with. It is a view that is humble both to neighbor and to God. When Christ returns, if those non-Christians who I have worked alongside with shrink in fear, and, turning to me, are shocked and scandalized by my complete embrace of such an end of the world, then I have betrayed those fellow workers, and I have betrayed the Christ who sent me to work for Him.
Besides the whole utopia thing...
2) Shane blatantly picks and chooses the Scriptures he wants to consider the most important to live by, instead of submitting to the more overall contexts and themes. Then again, this is at least partially a reactionary book which takes into account the current prime temptations of the Western Church. So, that's makes a lot of room for one-sidedness... but still...
A) It is true that Jesus identifies himself with the poor and will hold us accountable to how we treat them, as if that were how we treat God. And yet, an overemphasis on that much-needed verse, to the point to where giving the poor a cup of water, without need of also pleading with them to accept Christ, only solves one problem while creating another. And, in the end, it is the Living Water of Christ that will save us, not the water of the earth that leaves us thirsty shortly after. I can't deny that Shane talks about Jesus a lot in this book as his personal motivation. But I don't see him sharing Jesus in the unique sense that makes him God, and the only source of true satisfaction. He talks a lot about the courage he takes to share his living space, time of day, posessions, and safety with his neighbors. And that truly is courageous. But the greatest courage comes from sharing the unique Person of Jesus.
B) It is also true that Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us. But that is also overemphasized to the point to where we are led to not rely on Christ's return. There's is too much faith in humanistic institutions here... I've been there, and my naivety didn't help anyone.
In Conclusion, unfortunately I really don't know that I would recommend this book, without first giving all the aforementioned warnings... Shane seems to start out on the right foot, but then dangerously overcompensates. Almost all Western Christians (certainly to include me) should follow Shane as he follows Christ, insofar as he loves his neighbor as himself, excluding (seemingly, anyway) sharing the Gospel. He is undoubtedly a hero. If you read the book, you'll see a lot of Scritpure verses come to life in a way we usually don't get to see. Just know that they will be abused as the book goes on. I'd like to meet the man... I'm sure we'd have a great time. I'd hope that, upon a 1-on-1 discussion, some of my fears could be alleviated by his establishing certain clarifications that were (hopefully!) always intended. But I can't be sure of that... all I know is what he wrote.
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Love your neighbor as yourself. -Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" -Matthew 25:37-40 (31-46 being the parable in its entirety)
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. -James 2:17
""The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." -Luke 17:20-21
"Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." -John 4:13-14
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves." -John 6:53
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life.; no one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6-7
"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ." -1 Corinthians 11
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords." -Revelation 19:15-16