A Bold Resistance to the Status Quo

books:


	• The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical Shane Claiborne Zondervan, 2006 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 115 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Bold Resistance to the Status Quo

Shane "gets it," despite what some intelligent, well-meaning reviews/reviewers suggest. God is not something "out there" waiting to judge, condemn and/or save believers and cast into hell the non-believers. God is in our action. In our kneeling eye-level comfort of a child, in our compassion for others, in our empathy and tears and laughter and, most of all, in our selfless efforts toward the poor and downtrodden, i.e. those who have less than us. Selfless energy gives life to the Divine spark that resides in humankind, the Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Agnostics, Atheists, etc.

You don't need to "believe" this, you already know it. We can feel it in our gut when we help others. Divine goodness is inherent in all humanity, not just those who pledge a particular fraternity of faith.

The genius of "Irresistible Revolution" is its ability to cut through biblical argument and liberal-versus-conservative rhetoric to get to that core point of righteous living. Shane's message is in perfect sync with the messages of the great prophets of the past. Ageless advice handed down by parents everywhere, secular and devout, East and West teach us that we are to treat others as we would like to be treated. That's the universal Golden Rule. All the big tents teach it, preach it and/or live it.

The law of karma is the lifeblood of Buddhism and Hinduism: What goes around comes around. Muhammad in his final pilgrimage to Mecca told followers: "Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." In Buddhist scripture, Siddhartha, the first Buddha and founder of Buddhism, said, "Consider others as yourself." The supreme philosopher of ancient China, Master Kung (Confucius), said, "What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others."

The great Jewish scholar Rabbi Hillel, a sage and spiritual leader in the time of Jesus and King Herod, was once asked to sum up all the lessons of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, written by Moses and accepted by Islam). Hillel was asked to deliver his answer while standing on one foot. Succinctly, in other words. He replied, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man: this is the whole law; the rest is just commentary."

Chicago activist Saul Alinsky, like Shane, was a brash social organizer who became a champion for the poor. In Alinsky's 1971 book, "Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals," Alinsky argues for the use of aggressive nonviolent tactics for the good of all mankind, even when the action goes against the laws and politics of the land.

Similar to Shane, Alinsky espoused the view of the eighteenth-century humanist Johann Wolfgang Goethe, who'd said, "Conscience is the virtue of observers and not of agents of action." Alinsky wrote that "in action one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one's individual conscience and the good of mankind. [But] the choice must always be for the latter. Action is for mass salvation and not for the individual's personal salvation."

It's selfless, in other words.

To Alinsky, "means-and-end moralists" and "practical revolutionaries," as he defined them, are opposing forces. The former maintains the status quo; the latter works for change.

To me, that's why "The Irresistible Revolution" is irresistible. Change is urgently needed. No one can stare into the gargantuan gap of our economic divide and honestly arrive at any other conclusion.

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Life Destroying Content Inside

This book destroyed my easy little life. I am now over-analyzing every decision I make. I am actively planning my departure from the exploitation economy. I can no longer get excited about political candidates. Growing my own food and supporting local agriculture. If I keep it up at this rate, I am going to end up Amish, just with less-itchy clothing.

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Spirituality in the Real World

Not all of us are called to live as Shane lives, but this is an excellent book to get us thinking about what Jesus calls us to do/be in the real world of today's culture.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Using unconventional examples from his own life, Shane Claiborne stirs up questions about the church and the world, and challenges readers to truly live out their Christian faith.

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