Jesus for President, a Book Review for Atheists; Part 1, What is Shane Claiborne?

Shane Claiborne has an exciting new book out called Jesus for President, this one co-authored with co-conspirator Chris Haw. It's a beautifully designed, reframing of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation -- sort of an activist introduction to a thing called Narrative Theology, which is all the rage among Christian Revolutionaries.

Last year, Shane gave me my single best piece evidence for convincing skeptics that something absolutely incredible is going on inside the church. First, I show them this picture (Shane, the speaker, is one of those specs down on stage). Some kind of right-wing Christian rally, right? It's looks like they're all on their feet reading something together off those screens. How fascist.

Then I play the audio. All those people -- mostly white, Republican, Southern, born-again Christians -- were on their feet reciting a "Litany of Resistance". It was the end of a long sermon/lecture by Shane at at the Catalyst Conference in Georgia last year. The litany lasted about ten minutes (you can watch the whole thing here). Here's one very short clip from it:

click the play button above to listen

With governments that kill...
...we will not comply.
With the theology of empire...
...we will not comply.
With the business of militarism...
...we will not comply.
With the hoarding of riches
...we will not comply.
With the dissemination of fear
...we will not comply.
But today we pledge our allegiance to the kingdom of God...
...we pledge allegiance.
To the peace that is not like Rome's...
...we pledge allegiance.
To the Gospel of enemy love
...we pledge allegiance.
To the poor and the broken...
...we pledge allegiance....

Usually the reaction I get is something like: "Huh... [long pause] How did that happen?"

In this case, it happened because Shane has been fearlessly, creatively and lovingly preaching that gospel of resistance from inside of mainstream Christianity. He doesn't stand on the outside criticizing and condemning. As a result, people listen. Almost all the speakers at that three-day conference preached on social justice issues, but usually they remained just inside of the audience's comfort zone. Shane crossed that line and kept on going, and going, and going. But he has a magical ability to keep people with him as he goes. After his talk, I heard kids clustered in the hallways grappling together with all the ideas he had introduced. It was an incredible thing.

But the truth is that same thing is happening all the time, all over the country, every day -- at big Christian conferences, in living room Bible studies, in Bible college classrooms, in little churches and in mega churches. (Check out my blog Revolution in Jesusland to dig deeper.) Shane has become one of the most famous and effective voices in this continuation and transformation of the church. But this was all happening long before Shane uneasily consented to glamour shots at Christian mega-publisher Zondervan.

Claiborne's first and best-selling book, Irresistible Revolution, tells the story of his own journey from church youth group jock to radical follower of "the God of the oppressed." It begins with trembling first outings to the midnight streets of Philadelphia with his Bible college buddies. (They asked "What Would Jesus Do?" and, after studying the Bible, concluded: Hang out with homeless people, drug addicts and prostitutes.) He takes detours to work with Mother Teresa and intern at a "seeker sensitive" mega church in Chicago. Eventually, he returns to Philadelphia to co-found a Christian commune that humbly attempts to live in solidarity with and support of the poor and oppressed of a broken neighborhood.

Shane's story comes out of an organic and spontaneous movement. When I was telling activist theologian Brian Walsh about all the different places I was seeing this movement sprout up, he said, "So it's a movement of the spirit." That means something that God is making happen all over the place at the same time -- and that sure is what it feels like.

Irresistible Revolution is still making its way deeper and deeper into the heart of mainstream Christianity. I have seen it discussed in several Bible study groups and Sunday school classes -- even in conservative and rural churches. Some say it changed the course of their life. Others say it "challenged" them to think differently about God. Reading the book communally has spurred some churches to reach "outside of the four walls" to get involved more deeply in their community.

And then there are the young Christians who were already living out stories very similar to Shane's. They're usually thrilled to realize that they are in fact part of a large movement. But they're also made uneasy by the possibility that their own radical choices are just part of a passing fad to be commoditized by the very "Christian Industrial Complex" that Shane rants against the first chapter of the book. In Irresistible Revolution, Shane gives voice to a generation of young Christians who aspire to live wildly and dangerously selfless lives. But one of the ethics of that life is that you don't go seeking credit. Shane himself wrestles with the contradiction in an author's note at the beginning of the book. Sensing he is about to become one, he argues the last thing the world needs is another Christian subculture superstar.

In that respect, Jesus for President is the perfect companion to Irresistible Revolution. Having unexpectedly captured the attention of mainstream Christianity, Shane and Chris don't water down their politics or theology one bit. Instead, they deepen and broaden their radicalism. In Irresistible Revolution, it still sounded romantic when Shane said, "Jesus didn't fix my life, he wrecked it." It seems to be possible for some to read that book and conclude the Gospel is just about helping others. In Jesus for President, Shane and Chris unambiguously take aim at capitalism and empire; and they are much more explicit that Jesus calls upon his followers to actively resist systems and structures of oppression in ways that will ultimately put you in danger.

Since Irresistible Revolution, Shane has been speaking at tons of Christian conferences and mega churches. The more sharply he delivers his message, the more invitations he seems to get. I imagine he probably gets scolded by his hosts from time to time, but there are many in the audience electrified by what they hear. Christians recognize him as a prophet. And even the crankiest of conservative preachers knows that a prophet's job is to say things people don't want to hear. In that way, a certain kind of radicalism is built into Christianity. And Shane is taking it about as far as it goes.

OK, so that's an introduction to the Shane Claiborne phenomenon. In part two of this review I'll focus on Jesus for President itself.

Comments

[stanblack]

Whatever it takes to get these sentimental and religious romantics to do something, anything, besides screaming Jesus and amateur proselytizing is fine with me. Let them have their Jesus cake and eat it too.

[wondering]

I love this quote: "Almost all the speakers at that three-day conference preached on social justice issues, but usually they remained just inside of the audience's comfort zone."

You do understand what that implies, don't you? These same "mostly white, Republican, Southern, born-again Christians" were probably chanting along with some pretty objectionable call-and-response nonsense only moments before. Am I right?

That these people are so easily whip-sawed from one extreme to the other should give you pause. This has the look of mob mentality - they seem willing to follow any "preacher" off of the nearest cliff.

You object to other commenters calling them "sheep". But if the wool fits ...

You want us to read your book, so let me suggest one for you: it's called "The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer. (I'm pretty sure you won't like it.)

[Sneakerface]

I wouldn't vote for Christ (if he existed and were running for President) . He's a flip-flopper. If FauxNews anaylyzed his alleged sayings as written in the bible to the extent they picked over Jeremiah Wright's sermons for sound-bites, they'd find so many contradictions that his poll numbers would be lower than Guiliani's.

[mcthfg]

What matters is purpose.

[chombo]

I'm not really sure whether to be appalled or relieved. On the one hand you have this zombie chorus going - which speaks to the worst in religion (to me). Then you have what is at least a hopeful message coming out of the evangelical movement (though I still question just how wide spread this message of hope really is - and just how many of the people going home from those mega-churches are really taking that message to heart).

[Zack Exley - Huffpost Blogger]

Your "zombie chorus" reaction is a common one. But what makes them zombies? I grew up in a very individualistic subculture (northeastern, upper middle class, suburbs) and my friends and I all had a visceral reaction against people doing things together, in large #s, etc... At the same time we paid lip service to "community" as the highest ideal.

[chombo]

Just so we're clear here. You do know that we can't actually have Jesus as president, don't you? After all he wasn't born in this country.......he was probably actually a composite of numerous historical & mythical figures.....there's no empirical evidence for his existence, etc, etc

Although, if he were to enter the race, he'd make McCain look young in comparison.

I mean, alot of religious right wingnuts thought God made GWBush president. Of course, if He did it was on one of those Old Testament God (angry, spiteful) days that He did it. Let's hope He's not still in one of those moods.

[OneFish]

Jesus was a man who lived about 2000 years ago.

[Sneakerface]

To borrow a pop-culture reference - that's like, your opinion, man. There is no solid evidence that any such person existed at that time.

[ScooterLiddy]

Flavius Josephus! Oh, sorry that was likely inserted into his history years later.

[guarumo]

This is familiar.

[Counterglow]

Well, if nothing else, it's refreshing to see some people who call themselves Christians actually paying some attention to what Christ said. I thought the televangelists and their politician friends had driven them all away.

[radmul]

You make it sound like this group of sheep is better than the other groups of sheep. I don't want cults based on superstition having anything to do with politics. Irational thinking and infantilization of anyone hurts us all. religion is place rational thought goes to die and is not part of the solution to the worlds problems as it is the major cause.

[gallstones]

I am atheist and I don't need religion or a religious sponsored mantra to instill ideas of morality in me.

[Pandu]

Yes, you do. 8^P

[isis]

Sounds like they have done a good job of studying the Bible and following it. Looking forward to rading more.

[wolfgangmo]

Holy crap.

[ScooterLiddy]

If they REALLY study the bible and follow it be very afraid.

[anthonyve]

Nature consists of a whole bunch of interlocking systems. Each has a feedback mechanism that triggers an opposing force whenever the system swings too far away from equilibrium.

[Merlin7]

This is just more confirmation that religion, like politics, is all about tribalism. It really doesn't matter what the shaman or fuehrer says on that platform, just that the followers will mindlessly do the leader's bidding. It's so depressing, watching people embrace beliefs unsupported by any evidence whatsoever. Whether it's Jesus or Mohammed or Mao or Peter Pan, the psychological mechanics are the same. It's imperative that our society get a handle on this. Our government should deny access to broadcasting to people who promote belief in religion or other fantasy-based belief systems, and immediately end all tax exemptions and other incentives for such groups. With nuclear weapons proliferating worldwide, religion has become a global threat -- perhaps the biggest global threat -- to the human existence.

[Zack Exley - Huffpost Blogger]

What makes you so sure that the people reciting that litany were not thinking about it? In fact all those people (they were all church leaders and volunteers) spend hours each week studying and discussing the Bible & their faith -- they study it communally, with the ideal being participation by all.

[Merlin7]

Stop scaring me!

[wondering]

So what?

Immersing yourself in nonsense does NOT imbue it with validity. Are you arguing the Proof by Numbers - that so many choose to believe in a fairy tale makes it necessarily true? If so, then there can be no doubt as to the existence of UFOs, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and Santa Claus. Each is fervently believed in by a multitude of human beings, so - by your logic - each is protected from doubt or question.

[RumiSouth]

Right. Because we'd all be better off with more "reality shows." And I am queen of Sheba.

[Pandu]

Did someone give you the authority to determine whether their beliefs are "unsupported by any evidence whatsoever?"

[chombo]

Actually looking at the evidence (or lack of) gives you the "authority" to state that certain beliefs are "unsupported by any evidence whatsoever". That's how the whole evidence versus no evidence thing works. Look it up.

[Pandu]

MY COMMENTS ARE BEING TRUNCATED AFTER THE FIRST PARAGRAPH. MY LAST COMMENT WAS SUPPOSED TO CONTINUE (made into one paragraph here): Do you know the world from their points of view? "It's imperative that our society get a handle on this. Our government should deny access to broadcasting to..." Man, you're freaking me out. Are you some sort of fascist?

[austinobserver]

As long as Christianity was used as a club against communism and socialism, it had the full support of the corporatists. And when it continued to be used by the corporatists after the fall of the Soviet Union in order to consolidate control, it was completely safe. But once Christianity becomes more of a threat than an aid to corporatism, don't worry, the corporatists will shut it down so fast it will make your head spin.

[SILVANUS]

Anything that puts forth what Christ really meant is fine by me. My lifelong gripe has been the hatemongers who CALL themselves Christians and exploit or oppress everyone they meet.

[tubette]

Amazing! Can't wait to hear if the movement takes on... we can only hope.