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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Shane Claiborne certainly has the courage of his convictions. But he also has the tendency to have a myopic view of faith. Our theology is very different, but he is a man who writes with an infectious passion. I spent a lot of time cringing and going "well, not really..." but then he'd pull me back in with the message of community and care. And I'd agree with others that he poses a call to action without actionable ideas. It's very Nike -just do it. It's easy to read this, feel guilty for a while, and then disengage, which I don't want to do.
So, in the end, I probably won't be reading any of his other books, but that doesn't mean I don't value having read this.
So, in the end, I probably won't be reading any of his other books, but that doesn't mean I don't value having read this.
I both enjoyed this book and also was annoyed by it at various points throughout the book. While I would consider myself opposed to war, left-leaning and in a lot of ways agree with what was described in this book I also think that the author at times is entirely unrealistic. I could go into a big spiel on how I disagree with various aspects of the book but I don't think that is necessary. In general, I think a lot of the church at large could read this book and take a lot away from it. Consumerism is something that I think has ruined the church's reputation and I can agree with the author on that. We should be serving the poor more. However, I think the way to do that is probably where the author and I would diverge to some extent. Still, overall an interesting read. Definitely has been thought-provoking and I would recommend in general to a Christian audience.
We read this book in our small group and really enjoyed it! By the end it felt kind of repetitive—it generated a lot of good discussions, but by the end we were having the same discussions that we'd had before. They were still good discussions though, so I'd say overall this book is a win. I'd definitely recommend the audiobook, it's really fun to listen to.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Fantastic for everyone who believes, or wants to believe, that there is and can be more to Christianity than the mainstream American evangelism in which we're immersed. His is a perspective, not a Gospel command--but it is a compelling perspective and at the very least offers hope for the Church that another Christianity is possible. Claiborne's authorial voice was hard for me to get used to--much more casual than the books I usually read and heavily reliant on the experiential. In the first chapter or so, I was a little turned off by that combination and highly suspicious of his authenticity and humility. By the midpoint, however, it reads more like an unapologetic vulnerability I'm inclined to trust, since, about 15 years later, he still is who he says he is (by all accounts).
Perusing some of the other reviews, two critiques in particular stood out to me. Firstly, that Claiborne is a bad writer. I won't deny that the writing of the Irresistible Revolution is unrefined, somewhat repetitive, and so casual as to seem irresponsible. But I think it's valid, too, that Claiborne is not a writer by trade; in writing this book, he was never trying to produce a literary masterpiece. In that sense, I think he executed relatively well what he actually set out to do. Nitpicking his style feels like a deliberately obtuse distraction from the heart of the book.
Secondly, some people seem to be accusing him of cherry picking Scripture. No shade to these people individually, but this is a ridiculous take. There are only so many verses you can "cherry pick" from the Bible before it ceases to be cherry picking and instead becomes what the Bible is literally saying. Idk.
My only real criticism is the lack of nuance. I can't be too mad; this book was written in 2005 and the kind of nuance I thirst after wasn't nearly as mainstream as it is now, 17 years later. Intersectionality is a big issue for me. "We can change the world"--yes! But the world hasn't given us all the same opportunities. Claiborne is a straight, cisgender, white, Christian man. No, he is not toxic, and yes, he's a different kind of Christian man, but the fact remains that he is at the top of the societal food chain. Talking about how many times you've been arrested because of your demonstrations and released because of your God falls flat with me. Yes and amen, hallelujah that God didn't put you in prison and keep you there--but let's not pretend that your whiteness doesn't protect you from the worst of police brutality and our biased judicial system. This lifestyle is substantially safer for Claiborne to practice than it is for women, BIPOC, and queer people. While Christians have never been called to a life of safety, I think it's an issue worth discussing.
The lack of nuance for which I can be more critical is his use of historical figures--particularly Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr. Regarding the latter, Claiborne at the very least doesn't make the very white mistake of taking him out of context and using his philosophy of nonviolence to maintain the status quo. But he cites both of them pretty often and, I think, neglects a certain complexity of their characters. (To be clear, though, I don't think every source you cite has to harmonize with your work 100%). So much of this book is about the lie of redemptive violence and the truth of redemptive peacemaking. Maybe this is just a personal hot take but I feel like you can't talk about how un-Christian redemptive violence is and then quote Bonhoeffer's (based) theology takes without addressing the fact that he may or may not have been affiliated with the 20 July Plot. These figures are complex and I love them for their complexity, and sometimes I felt like their complexity was compromised to keep the book from being 500 pages (not everyone's cup of tea, I know).
My criticisms constitute most of this book review, but this was still a 4.5 star read! On the whole I thought it was great! Keep living the revolution! And don't let my aimless rambling distract from the fact that I loved, loved, loved this book.
Perusing some of the other reviews, two critiques in particular stood out to me. Firstly, that Claiborne is a bad writer. I won't deny that the writing of the Irresistible Revolution is unrefined, somewhat repetitive, and so casual as to seem irresponsible. But I think it's valid, too, that Claiborne is not a writer by trade; in writing this book, he was never trying to produce a literary masterpiece. In that sense, I think he executed relatively well what he actually set out to do. Nitpicking his style feels like a deliberately obtuse distraction from the heart of the book.
Secondly, some people seem to be accusing him of cherry picking Scripture. No shade to these people individually, but this is a ridiculous take. There are only so many verses you can "cherry pick" from the Bible before it ceases to be cherry picking and instead becomes what the Bible is literally saying. Idk.
My only real criticism is the lack of nuance. I can't be too mad; this book was written in 2005 and the kind of nuance I thirst after wasn't nearly as mainstream as it is now, 17 years later. Intersectionality is a big issue for me. "We can change the world"--yes! But the world hasn't given us all the same opportunities. Claiborne is a straight, cisgender, white, Christian man. No, he is not toxic, and yes, he's a different kind of Christian man, but the fact remains that he is at the top of the societal food chain. Talking about how many times you've been arrested because of your demonstrations and released because of your God falls flat with me. Yes and amen, hallelujah that God didn't put you in prison and keep you there--but let's not pretend that your whiteness doesn't protect you from the worst of police brutality and our biased judicial system. This lifestyle is substantially safer for Claiborne to practice than it is for women, BIPOC, and queer people. While Christians have never been called to a life of safety, I think it's an issue worth discussing.
The lack of nuance for which I can be more critical is his use of historical figures--particularly Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr. Regarding the latter, Claiborne at the very least doesn't make the very white mistake of taking him out of context and using his philosophy of nonviolence to maintain the status quo. But he cites both of them pretty often and, I think, neglects a certain complexity of their characters. (To be clear, though, I don't think every source you cite has to harmonize with your work 100%). So much of this book is about the lie of redemptive violence and the truth of redemptive peacemaking. Maybe this is just a personal hot take but I feel like you can't talk about how un-Christian redemptive violence is and then quote Bonhoeffer's (based) theology takes without addressing the fact that he may or may not have been affiliated with the 20 July Plot. These figures are complex and I love them for their complexity, and sometimes I felt like their complexity was compromised to keep the book from being 500 pages (not everyone's cup of tea, I know).
My criticisms constitute most of this book review, but this was still a 4.5 star read! On the whole I thought it was great! Keep living the revolution! And don't let my aimless rambling distract from the fact that I loved, loved, loved this book.
This book is very challenging to read...in the best possible way. It drives me to prayer and really look at the cost of being a Christ follower. It makes me think about what it means to truly live like the Christ I claim to follow, and love like He did.
I adore Shane Claiborne and his strong call to peace. Loved this book!
uh, oh... this book brings change. Read only if you dare.
rereading this book (first time i read it - july 07) with alice!
I don't agree with everything Shane says. I don't think all Christians are called to live in complete poverty or write Jesus in on our presidential ballet. However, most of the book challenged how comfortable I let myself get in Christianity. That's what today's church does. I finished the book the other day and I still can't stop thinking about what I as a Christian am called to do on things I had all figured out.. Really thought provoking if nothing else
An excellent book. Highly recommended for churchgoers and also for those who think that practicing Christianity is nutty and/or that all Christians are hypocrites.