I have always had an activist nature. Ever since I wrote to George Bush, Sr., when I was eleven and asked him to uphold the constitution, I have had a sneaking suspicion that if I just shouted loud enough the world would listen. Do not ask me where this optimism came from; the subsequent tragedies and continued atrocities speak against this deep-seated knowledge.

But despite my high ideals and numerous frustrated journal entries, what have I done to dispel the gloom across our planet? Not much. I can never seem to paint my urge to march with my image of a meek and mild Jesus in the same picture. Getting activism to blend with love has not come easily for me.  Nor has it come easily for abortion rights activists or suicide bombers. There must be a better way.

Enter Shane Claiborne. His book The Irresistible Revolution makes Christianity palatable for me who cannot stomach apathy or proud violence. Through personal narrative, Bible study and eloquent insight, he envisions church as a community that lives the gospel it preaches (a novel idea).

Claiborne’s opening contrast of safe Christianity and the “Jesus who wrecked his life” gives an abrupt intro into the tension that permeates this book. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? If we are not going to the places he goes, can we expect to find Him? And if living out His principles ended in His death, how can we expect anything less?

For Claiborne, finding Jesus did not come about through youth group entertainment in his “safe” East Tennessee church. It was not until some questionable college buddies invited him to meet their homeless friends in inner city Philadelphia that his awakening began. “I learned more about God from the tears of homeless mothers than any systematic theology ever taught me,” Claiborne says.

Through more excursions on the streets and heroic combined efforts between classmates and a group of homeless moms, Claiborne begins to see what community in Christ can be like. It is beautiful. After more adventures (with Mother Teresa, Rich Mullins and Iraq), Claiborne settles down to put his ideals into practice by starting The Simple Way, a community located in inner city Philadelphia.

In between the stories, Claiborne sets up a biblical case for active service. He is always quick to acknowledge that there is more than one way to live out the teachings of Jesus: Zaccheus gave only half of what he owned to the poor while Jesus specifically told the Rich Young Ruler to give everything. I like this give and take. It makes me feel his brand of activism is rooted less in demagoguery and more on Jesus. That said, Claiborne does not let anyone off easy. He is willing to be radical in his suggestions and literal in his interpretations of what it means to be in Jesus’ steps.

An important difference between Claiborne’s vision of the straight and narrow and others I have seen is his unwillingness to waste time by criticizing the church. Instead of trying to start a counter-reformation, he is interested in encouraging and edifying the church so that we can partner together in a new kind of witnessing, one that means giving our lives. So many times the new is ready to crush the old, leaving the body disabled. 

As with any book, the author’s conclusions are occasionally influenced by a priori assumptions. Some of Claiborne’s biblical interpretations, in my opinion, seem stretched too tightly to fit. I certainly wanted him to be right, but I was not sure his texts always created the best support.

One other area of disagreement is more ethereal but real to me nonetheless. Although I agree with Claiborne’s premise that God wants us to make our sphere of influence a little heaven on earth, that the kingdom of God is within us now, I am uncomfortable with his seeming hope that our planet can rejuvenate, really be heaven. Call me old-fashioned…I still believe that this world is about to self-destruct and will on the heels of Jesus coming. To me, given that reality, it is better to give our poor brothers more than just a penchant to demand their rights. We need to turn them into little Jesus’ too. The stuff of earth is only temporal even if we are all sharing it.

Although I am not sure I would make all of Claiborne’s causes my own, I cannot help but smile at the notion of someone actually making decisions based on his beliefs, not on his desire for future pleasure or accolades. The concept that being a follower of Jesus means suffering and “by jove, we better embrace it with gusto if we want to be a sheep” is comforting. I am tired of people who seem to think that God wants us all to be millionaires or find setting up retirement plans more biblical than clothing the naked. I truly am reaching the point where I want to go home more than I want to make one here. This reality is exciting to me. To know that there are others who share this hope is beautiful.