Recent Reads: The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
What the book's about: As the subtitle of The Irresistible Revolution suggests, this book is about "living as an ordinary radical."
Why I read this book: I rarely reread books and yet this is the 3rd time I've read this book. I first read The Irresistible Revolution when it came out a decade ago. I then read it six years later for my youth ministry's book club in preparation for hearing Shane speak at the ECLA's National Youth Gathering in New Orleans. This time around, I read it with a girl I mentor who is passionate about social justice. It was just as good the third time around as it was the first time.
My favorite quotes from the book:
- "Jesus never seemed to do anything normal."
- "We do indeed have a God of resurrection, a God who can create beauty from the messes we make of our world."
- "Some time back we had stopped living Christianity and just started studying it."
- "The great temptation is to compromise the cost of discipleship in order to draw a larger crowd."
- "When we remove the cross, we remove the central symbol of the nonviolence & grace of our Lover."
- "The world will never be safe as long as millions live in poverty so the few can live as they wish."
- "Charity can be a dangerous insulator."
- "Violence is always rooted in a myopic sense of community, whether it be nationalism or gangs."
- "Perhaps the most dangerous place for a Christian to be is in safety and comfort."
- "The Gospel is good news for sick people and is disturbing for those who think they've got it all together."
- "We can overwhelm the darkness of this world by shining something brighter and more beautiful."
- "While most activists could use a good dose of gentleness, I think most believers could use a good dose of holy anger."
Who I'd recommend this book for: This book resonates particularly well with young people. That said, I wholeheartedly believe it's one every Christian should read. The Irresistible Revolution will affirm those actively doing social justice work and challenge those not yet doing so to follow Jesus into the margins of our societies and get to work.
