Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #553 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. If there is such a thing as a disarming radical, 30-year-old Claiborne is it. A former Tennessee Methodist and born-again, high school prom king, Claiborne is now a founding member of one of a growing number of radical faith communities. His is called the Simple Way, located in a destitute neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is a house of young believers, some single, some married, who live among the poor and homeless. They call themselves "ordinary radicals" because they attempt to live like Christ and the earliest converts to Christianity, ignoring social status and unencumbered by material comforts. Claiborne's chatty and compelling narrative is magnetic—his stories (from galvanizing a student movement that saved a group of homeless families from eviction to reaching Mother Teresa herself from a dorm phone at 2 a.m.) draw the reader in with humor and intimacy, only to turn the most common ways of practicing religion upside down. He somehow skewers the insulation of suburban living and the hypocrisy of wealthy churches without any self-righteous finger pointing. "The world," he says, "cannot afford the American dream." Claiborne's conviction, personal experience and description of others like him are a clarion call to rethink the meaning of church, conversion and Christianity; no reader will go away unshaken. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* From dressing the wounds of lepers in Calcutta to living among the homeless in Philadelphia to visiting families in Iraq, social activist Claiborne strives to live an authentic Christian life. In his view, he is a radical in the truest sense of the word, returning to the roots of Christianity by living as Jesus did and doing "small things with great love." A partner-founder of the Philadelphia-based faith community Simple Way, he presents an evangelical Christianity gentler and more inclusive than is usually seen, especially in the mass media. He describes Simple Way as a new culture that relies on radical interdependence and consists of grassroots organizations, intentional communities, and hospitality houses. Although the book isn't an autobiography, in it Claiborne reports much about his life: growing up in the Bible Belt, becoming a Jesus freak, moving to Philadelphia despite his family's misgivings, and helping the homeless there. Then he boldly requested an internship with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. She simply responded, "Come." Besides illuminating his own faith journey, Claiborne is insightful on the huge U.S. cultural and economic divide: the problem isn't that wealthy Christians don't care about the poor, he says, it's that they simply don't know the poor. A moving, often humorous account of a life of faith lived to the fullest. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Shane dares readers to evaluate their lives and reimagine a first-century posture to following Jesus in the 21st century….If you want a comfy Christian life, this book is not for you. But if you want to be challenged, uncomfortable, and even changed, it is a must read." — YouthWorker Journal

(YouthWorker Journal )

"Editor's Pick!…Inspiring. Fascinating. Challenging. Convicting. Loving. These are just a few of the words that describe the extraordinary story of Claiborne's journey from middle-class Christianity in east Tennessee to radical incarnational faith among the poor in inner-city Philadelphia." — ePistle (Evangelicals for Social Action)

(ePistle (Evangelicals for Social Action) )

"This is the book that will not let me go….this book has called me, and many others, to action, to a different kind of life….if you read it seriously, it may mess with your mind, heart and even your life." — Youthworker Journal

(Youthworker Journal )

Customer Reviews

Amazing book, amazing author
This guy understands what Jesus would REALLY do. This book is easy to read and hard to put down. It appeals to my idealistic side. I recommend it for Christians and people considering Christianity.

"Infectious" reading for ordinary folks
Definitely worth reading. Will be a 'tough' read for most of us as it lays out what being a true christian is and most of us aren't even close to living it out as it's spelled out here..and I tend to agree with this 'brothas overarching view. However, it does offer a glimpse of hope...even if we all have to take little steps everyday to achieve it and some of the stories he tells are truly uplifting. True there's not much in the way of "middle ground" offered or a step by step guide as pointied out by several reviewers...but that's not the point...Jesus didn't give 49% or 90% effort. It WAS all or nothing. I think what needs to be expanded on is ok, for some, all or nothing might be difficult for most of us, b/c we're already born in and entrenched in the capital economy...we didn't really choose it, we're here now...where can indivuals (with debt, child support, existing health issues, etc) begin. I think if Shane extends more on the "little things" that can lead us as individuals to becoming a true Christian...it would make it more inviting and at least more understanding for some of those on this list of reviewers. Shane, don't stop what you're doing. It is inspiring and yes infectious.

Irresistable Revolution
This is the type of that can change the way you see your life. The author tries to show us who the the real Jesus was and what it means to follow him. This is the best book I've read in a long time. I highly recommend it.