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cocoonofbooks 's review for:
The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
by Shane Claiborne
This book is for every Christian willing to be shaken up, and every other person willing to give Christianity another look. As might be evident from the title, Claiborne thinks, dreams, plans, and does in a big way. What I found most valuable in this book were the multitude of stories, from Claiborne's own experiences and those of people he knows. He challenges every complacent Christian by showing what it actually looks like to be the hands and feet of Jesus and love our neighbors. (After reading it, you may need Rachel Held Evans' great post on finding the middle ground between selling everything to move in with the homeless and resigning yourself to continue life as usual.)
There is so much amazing content in this book that I found myself wishing Claiborne had had a better editor, as he has the irritating habit of retelling the same stories and reusing the same phrases (Yes, we get it, you like to have dance parties with fire hydrants). And sometimes his messages were too vague or abstract for me. (Don't be a candle, be a fire. But be a gentle fire. ...Um, OK?) However, this is all more or less forgiven by the vast number of incredible stories packed into this book; I may not remember what Claiborne said about God and light and darkness, but I'll remember the stories about the children's hospitals bombed in Iraq or having communion in the park.
I think Claiborne and I have some theological differences (particularly around sex and sexuality), but that doesn't seem to matter much after reading the whole book. Anyone who's willing to live out their faith that intensely and consistently is a better model for me than someone who simply checks off the same doctrinal statements that I do.
I would recommend this to just about everyone, for the sheer wealth of thought-provoking ideas about life, faith, and love.
There is so much amazing content in this book that I found myself wishing Claiborne had had a better editor, as he has the irritating habit of retelling the same stories and reusing the same phrases (Yes, we get it, you like to have dance parties with fire hydrants). And sometimes his messages were too vague or abstract for me. (Don't be a candle, be a fire. But be a gentle fire. ...Um, OK?) However, this is all more or less forgiven by the vast number of incredible stories packed into this book; I may not remember what Claiborne said about God and light and darkness, but I'll remember the stories about the children's hospitals bombed in Iraq or having communion in the park.
I think Claiborne and I have some theological differences (particularly around sex and sexuality), but that doesn't seem to matter much after reading the whole book. Anyone who's willing to live out their faith that intensely and consistently is a better model for me than someone who simply checks off the same doctrinal statements that I do.
I would recommend this to just about everyone, for the sheer wealth of thought-provoking ideas about life, faith, and love.