Shane Claiborne

2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award Finalists -Religion Evangelicalism in America has cracked, split on the shoals of the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath, leaving many wondering if they want to be in or out of the evangelical tribe. The contentiousness brought to the fore surrounds what it means to affirm and demonstrate evangelical Christian faith amidst the messy and polarized realities gripping our country and world. Who or what is defining the evangelical social and political vision? Is it the gospel or is it culture? For a movement that has been about the primacy of Christian faith, this is a crisis. This collection of essays was gathered by Mark Labberton, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, who provides an introduction to the volume. What follows is a diverse and provocative set of perspectives and reflections from evangelical insiders who wrestle with their responses to the question of what it means to be evangelical in light of their convictions. Contributors include: Shane Claiborne, Red Letter ChristiansJim Daly, Focus on the FamilyMark Galli, Christianity TodayLisa Sharon Harper, FreedomRoad.usTom Lin, InterVarsity Christian FellowshipKaren Swallow Prior, Liberty UniversitySoong-Chan Rah, North Park UniversityRobert Chao Romero, UCLASandra Maria Van Opstal, Grace and Peace CommunityAllen Yeh, Biola UniversityMark Young, Denver Seminary Referring to oneself as evangelical cannot be merely a congratulatory self-description. It must instead be a commitment and aspiration guided by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. What now are Christ's followers called to do in response to this identity crisis?

Tom Sine helps you to think critically and creatively about the world--the one that has been inherited and the one being crafted now. The New Conspirators offers encouraging signs that God's people can flourish in and minister to the changing and challenging world around them by living out their faith in small and great ways.

In this reasoned exploration of justice, retribution, and redemption, the champion of the new monastic movement, popular speaker, and author of the bestselling The Irresistible Revolution offers a powerful and persuasive appeal for the abolition of the death penalty.The Bible says an eye for an eye. But is the state's taking of a life true--or even practical--punishment for convicted prisoners? In this thought-provoking work, Shane Claiborne explores the issue of the death penalty and the contrast between punitive justice and restorative justice, questioning our notions of fairness, revenge, and absolution.Using an historical lens to frame his argument, Claiborne draws on testimonials and examples from Scripture to show how the death penalty is not the ideal of justice that many believe. Not only is a life lost, so too, is the possibility of mercy and grace. In Executing Grace, he reminds us of the divine power of forgiveness, and evokes the fundamental truth of the Gospel--that no one, even a criminal, is beyond redemption.

Drawing on Scripture, church history, and his own story, Shane Claiborne explores how a passion for social justice issues surrounding life and death--such as war, gun ownership, the death penalty, racial injustice, abortion, poverty, and the environment--intersects with our faith as we advocate for life in its totality.Many of us wonder how to think about and act on issues of life and death beyond abortion and the death penalty--yet the heated debates in our churches and the confusion of our own hearts sometimes feel overwhelming. What does a balanced, Christian view of what it means to be "pro-life" really look like?Combining stories, theological reflection, and a little wit with a Southern accent, activist Shane Claiborne explores the battle between life and death that goes back to the Garden of Eden. Shane draws on his childhood growing up in the Bible Belt, his own change of perspective on how to advocate for life, and his years of working on behalf of all people to help us:Learn from the Bible and the early church about valuing lifeDeepen our understanding of what a pro-life stance can look likeDiscover ways to discuss topics that are dividing our culture and churchesFind encouragement when we feel politically homelessRenew our hope that there is a good way forward, even in difficult times We need a new movement that stands up for life--without exceptions. This moving and incredibly timely book creates a larger framework for thinking about God's love and our faith as we embrace a consistent ethic that values human life from womb to tomb.

Many of us think of activism as signing petitions, attending rallies or marches, or engaging in political agendas. But what does it look like to be moved by the things that moved God's heart in the day-to-day? How can we live in such a way that we are always, out of habit, contributing to a more just society?In this inspiring and accessible book, pastor J.W. Buck shows you how to engage in 7 practices to be a faithful activist in the world today, including choosing· thoughtful resistance over thoughtless compliance· loving your neighbor over fearing your differences· seeking forgiveness over revenge· resting over endless working· practicing nonviolence over violence· and moreIf you've wanted to get involved in justice work but aren't sure where to start, this practical and visually engaging book will show you how you can develop everyday habits drawn from the life of Jesus that make the world a better place.

Do the church and politics ever go together? Jesus for President is a radical manifesto--more urgent today than ever--to awaken the Christian political imagination, reminding us that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in Jesus and the incarnation of the peculiar politic of the church as a people "set apart" from this world.This collaboration between Shane Claiborne's writing and stories, Chris Haw's reflections and research, and Chico Fajardo-Heflin's 4-color art and design creates lyrical theology that poetically weaves together words and images to sing (rather than dictate) its message.This one-of-a-kind book includes:Messages drawn from biblical theologiansLessons from church historyExamples from modern-day saints and ordinary radicalsA poetic and illustrative perspective of faith This book is perfect for those who seek to follow Jesus, rediscover the spirit of the early church, and represent the kingdom of God.Jesus for President stirs the imagination of what the church could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus instead of Caesar. A fresh look at Christianity and empire, Jesus for President transcends questions of "Should I vote or not?" and "Which candidate?" by thinking creatively about the fundamental issues of faith and allegiance.

A bishop and gun safety activist offers a way forward from opposing viewpoints.Instead of dismissing those whose views and experiences are different from our own, the author argues that we must look directly at them and see the goodness that is inherent in all things. From the language we use to the imperative to understand and include, we have a duty to work through opposition and build community. Bishop Beckwith describes it this way: "We are trained to think, yet the cultural emphasis on thinking has not be applied to our ability to see . . . We are not as well trained in seeing the world’s fullness—pain and joy, compassion and cruelty. We regularly receive glimpses of pain and joy, but they are often presented in such a way as to reinforce our thinking."

According to Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, faithful action is always inspired and sustained by common convictions—the basic truths that have sustained God’s people throughout every generation.The Awakening of Hope re-presents Christian faith by beginning with stories of faithful witness and asking, Why? Why do Christians eat together? Why do we fast? Why would we rather die than kill? These are the questions that help us see why creation and the fall, covenant and community, ethics and evangelism matter.This book and its accompanying DVD (sold separately) is a contemporary catechism, celebrating lives and stories that wouldn’t make sense if the gospel were not true. And then going one step further, this project shares the good news of Jesus and the way of life that he makes possible.

The gospel teaches that every human is sacred. Refugee children and Islamist terrorists. Police officers and young African Americans. Unborn babies, always, and also abortionists. Orange-haired casino owners, former First Ladies, progressive hipsters, prosperity-gospel televangelists, members of Congress, Confederate-flag-waving white nationalists? Sacred. This absurd claim is at the heart of the gospel. Each person is created in the image and likeness of God. Each is someone for whom Jesus died. And if this is true, we have much work to do. The writers in this issue may not agree on the best ways and means, but each challenges us to consider the implications of this gospel of life that makes no exceptions. Also in this issue: -- A former asylum seeker returns to Iraq to stand with Christians on the run from ISIS. -- Shane Claiborne tells us why abolishing the death penalty is the church’s business. -- Joel Salatin, America’s most famous farmer, reveals what pigs can teach us about the glory of God. -- John Dear reports on the Vatican’s historic turn toward nonviolence. -- Erna Albertz tells Richard Dawkins how her sister with Down syndrome can help him. -- Gun owners respond to gun violence with a fresh take on “swords into plowshares.” -- Ron Sider looks at the consistently pro-life witness of the early church. -- A hospice nurse reflects on euthanasia and the value of being a burden. -- Jason Landsel asks what made MohammadMuhammad Ali great. Then there’s new poetry, book reviews, a children’s story, insights from Pope Francis and George MacDonald, and art by Pawel Kuczynski, Xenia Hausner, William H. Johnson, Käthe Kollwitz, and Deidre Scherer. Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to put their faith into action. Each issue brings you in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art to help you put Jesus’ message into practice and find common cause with others.

Join Shane Claiborne as he invites you to rediscover the biblical practice of loving your neighbor, using unconventional examples from his own life to stir up questions about the church and the world while challenging you to truly live out your faith.In this updated and expanded edition of The Irresistible Revolution, bestselling author and activist Shane Claiborne challenges us to remember that the Great Commission sends us into the world not just to make believers but to form disciples who know how to love the way God calls us to.In The Irresistible Revolution, Shane describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. He asks and answers key questions like:How can I sustain my faith and combat burnout?Should Christians be involved in politics?How does God want me to spend my life?With new material throughout the book, Shane adds new stories, shares what his community looks like now, and brings you fresh inspiration to live out this message in practical ways. Come join the revolution.Praise for The Irresistible Revolution:"Shane Claiborne is a living experiment--evangelical zeal mixed with grassroots activism; passion for Jesus mixed with prison time for feeding the poor. This is a rant for love, aimed at cowards seeking courage."--Aiden Enns, publisher, Geez Magazine"Written with endearing humor and astonishing courage, The Irresistible Revolution describes a young man's embrace of uncompromising commitment to Jesus' teachings."--Kathy Kelly, author; cofounder of Voices in the Wilderness

We all long for freedom from anxiety, worry, and fear. We long to be free from sin and free to love others completely as God loves us. And yet we are shackled by insecurity, prone to selfishness, and wary of letting down our guard. That's not the life God designed for his followers. When his enslaved people cry out to him for freedom, he hears--and responds.Now pastor Rick McKinley shows how the true freedom we all long for--the freedom we see as God delivers his people in the Scriptures--is always in the form of relationship with God rather than our popular notion of complete independence. He calls readers to look to the Father, Son, and Spirit for the model of perfect, self-giving freedom, and shows how that kind of freedom can transform us into people who live fully, love boldly, and fear nothing.

Para todos los cristianos que se hallan en conflicto entre las palabras de Jesús y la realidad de sus propias vidas, y para todos los no cristianos que sienten que muy ocasionalmente se ven los mandamientos de Jesús reflejados en las elecciones que hacen sus seguidores, La revolución de las letras rojas constituirá una guía para un nuevo tipo de cristiandad, conscientemente centrado en las palabras de Jesús que aparecen en las «letras rojas» de la Biblia. Estructurado como un diálogo cautivante entre Shane Caiborne (un evangélico joven y progresista) y Tony Campolo (pastor experimentado y profesor de sociología), La revolución de las letras rojas constituye un manifiesto que cambiará la vida tanto de los escépticos como de los cristianos. Es un llamado a un estilo de vida que tiene en cuenta antes que nada, y por encima de todo, el mensaje explícito y liberador de Jesús referido como el amor sacrificial. Shane y Tony con total franqueza relacionan las palabras de Jesús con cuestiones contemporáneas como la violencia, la comunidad, el islam, el infierno, la sexualidad, la desobediencia civil y otros veinte tópicos más que resultan cruciales para las personas de fe que tienen conciencia hoy. Los diálogos resultantes revelan una sorprendente verdad: que los cristianos que se dejan guiar de manera inequívoca por las palabras de Jesús, con frecuencia llegan a conclusiones completamente opuestas a las de aquellos que forman la corriente principal del cristianismo evangélico. Si el Jesús que te habla a través de los evangelios no concuerda con la cultura cristiana que conoces, si alguna vez has deseado ponerte de pie y decir: «Te amo, Jesús, pero yo no soy así»,La revolución de las letras rojas te mostrará que no estás solo, y que puedes ser un cristiano de las «letras rojas» todo el tiempo. «Este libro, escrito por un cristiano de edad madura y otro joven, nos ayudará a definir la manera en que los cristianos podríamos cambiar el mundo si tomáramos literalmente y con seriedad las palabras de Jesús “escritas en rojo”». —Presidente Jimmy Carter «En La revolución de las letras rojas, a la verdad sin concesiones de las enseñanzas de Jesús le aportan su voz dos líderes cristianos de los tiempos modernos, que van más allá de predicar esas buenas nuevas. Ellos viven lo que predican y abren camino». —Arzobispo Desmond Tutu «Comencé a leer este libro y no pude parar... Gracias, Tony y Shane. Gracias por este libro. Que este movimiento se extienda por todo el mundo». —Albuna Elias Chacour, Obispo de la Iglesia Católica Melquita de Galilea «La revolución de las letras rojas es un coloquio con un sabor profético que hace que se eleve la adrenalina». —Eugene H. Peterson, autor de la Biblia The Message «No puedo enfatizar por demás ni exagerar en cuanto a la riqueza de este libro». —Phyllis Tickle, autora deEmergence Christianity «En este libro, valiente y bien escrito, tenemos un retorno al mensaje central del evangelio por parte de dos cristianos que primero intentaron vivirlo ellos mismos, y recién entonces hablaron». —Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Centro para la Acción y Contemplación «Shane Claiborne y Tony Campolo son dos de las voces proféticas más significativas del mundo cristiano».—Rabino Michael Lerner, editor de la revista Tikkun Magazine(tikkun.org) «Si alguna vez has anhelado escuchar a hurtadillas una conversación entre dos de los cristianos más interesantes e inspiradores del mundo, solo tienes que ir a la página uno». —Brian C. Mclaren, autor y orador (brianmclaren.net)

In RED LETTER CHRISTIANITY Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo explore what it means to take seriously the words of Jesus. Both authors are known for their commitment to the lifestyle requisites of the Gospels, and their belief that real Christianity must inform the way we live... every day of our lives. RED LETTER CHRISTIANITY deals with the crucial questions facing followers of Jesus today, including global poverty and injustice, the growth of the church, issues of sexuality, the environment... and many more. Readers are invited to sit around the table with Shane and Tony as they discuss these issues together.

Already with decades of experience speaking prophetically into the charged racial climate of the American south, John Perkins began to see a need for organized thinking and collaborative imagination about how the church engages urban ministry. And so the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) was born, with Wayne Gordon an immediate and enthusiastic participant. Nearly thirty years later CCDA?s eight key components of community development still set the bar for how churches, parachurches and nonprofits engage cities with the whole gospel. RelocationReconciliationRedistributionLeadership DevelopmentListening to the CommunityChurch-Based DevelopmentA Wholistic Approach to MinistryEmpowerment In Making Neighborhoods Whole Perkins and Gordon revisit these eight commitments and how they've played out in real communities, even as they scan the horizon of urban ministry to set a new tone. With profiles of longstanding and emerging community development ministries, they guide a new conversation and empower disciples of Jesus to seek the welfare of their cities to the glory of God.

For all the Christians facing conflict between Jesus’ words and their own lives, for all the non-Christians who feel they rarely see Jesus’ commands reflected in the choices of his followers, Red Letter Revolution is a blueprint for a new kind of Christianity, one consciously centered on the words of Jesus, the Bible’s “red letters.”Framed as a captivating dialogue between Shane Claiborne, a progressive young evangelical, and Tony Campolo, a seasoned pastor and professor of sociology, Red Letter Revolution is a life-altering manifesto for skeptics and Christians alike. It is a call to a lifestyle that considers first and foremost Jesus’ explicit, liberating message of sacrificial love.Shane and Tony candidly bring the words of Jesus to bear on contemporary issues of violence, community, Islam, hell, sexuality, civil disobedience, and twenty other critical topics for people of faith and conscience today. The resulting conversations reveal the striking truth that Christians guided unequivocally by the words of Jesus will frequently reach conclusions utterly contrary to those of mainstream evangelical Christianity.If the Jesus who speaks to you through the Gospels is at odds with the Christian culture you know, if you have ever wanted to stand up and say, “I love Jesus, but that’s not me,” Red Letter Revolution will prove that you are not alone—you may have been a Red Letter Christian all along.Endorsements:“This book, by a young and an elderly Christian, will help you decide how we Christians could change the world if we took the ‘red letter’ words of Jesus literally and seriously.” —President Jimmy Carter“In Red Letter Revolution the uncompromised truth of Jesus' teachings are given voice by two modern-day Christian leaders who do more than preach this Good News. They walk the talk and lead the way.” —Archbishop Desmond Tutu“I started reading this book and couldn't stop. . . . Thank you, Tony and Shane. Thank you for this book. May the movement spread around the world.” —Abuna Elias Chacour,?Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Galilee“Red Letter Revolution is an adrenaline-producing conversation with prophetic bite.” —Eugene H. Peterson, author of The Message Bible“I cannot over-emphasize or exaggerate the richness of this book.” —Phyllis Tickle, author of Emergence Christianity“In this courageous and well crafted book, we have a return to the core message of the Gospel from two Christians who first tried to live it themselves—and only then spoke." —Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation“Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo are two of the most significant prophetic voices in the Christian world.” —Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine (tikkun.org)“This is a must-read book for anyone who is seeking to take Jesus’ call on their lives seriously.” —Jim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners magazine“If you ever wished you could eavesdrop on a conversation with two of the world's most interesting and inspiring Christians, just turn to page one.” —Brian D. McLaren, author/speaker (brianmclaren.net)

Best-selling authors Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo talk candidly about the life and teaching of Jesus and the wisdom he offers our fractured world.For all the Christians facing conflict between Jesus' words and their own lives; for all the non-Christians who feel they rarely see Jesus' commands reflected in the choices of his followers; Red Letter Revolution is a blueprint for a new kind of Christianity, one consciously centered on the words of Jesus, the Bible's "red letters."Framed as a captivating dialogue between Shane Claiborne, a progressive young evangelical, and Tony Campolo, a seasoned pastor and professor of sociology, Red Letter Revolution is a life-altering manifesto for any Christian. It is a call to a lifestyle that considers first and foremost Jesus' explicit, liberating message of sacrificial love.Shane and Tony candidly bring the words of Jesus to bear directly on contemporary issues of liturgy, community, Islam, hell, homosexuality, civil disobedience, and twenty other critical topics for modern believers. The resulting conversations reveal the striking truth that Christians guided unequivocally by the words of Jesus will frequently reach conclusions utterly contrary to those of mainstream evangelical Christianity.If the Jesus who speaks to you through the gospels is at odds with the Christian culture you know, if you have ever wanted to stand up and say "I love Jesus, but that's not me," Red Letter Revolution will prove that you are not alone--you may have been a Red Letter Christian all along.