The Narrow Path Ministries

Has anybody read this book by Shane Claiborne?

TK

i just finished reading this--

some of you radicals on here would really like this book. its a pretty quick read, but not for the faint of heart.

TK

TK,

Can you tell us a little more about the content?

Dave

hey dave- i posted the below in response to another person who brought up this book:

many evangelical christians are conservative (like me) and therefore, often by default, supportive (patriotic?) about military action. you know, the "my country right or wrong" mentality.

shane does a good job challenging these assumptions; he spent time in Iraq, and his position is that violence toward our enemies is never the answer. one quote i remember is that he was a talking to an iraqi christian woman (maybe a dr) whose neighborhood was being bombed by the US- she said "violence is only for those who have no imagination. Has america lost all of its imagination?" he admittedly struggles with these concepts, because he describes himself as "conservative" in most political respects. but his goal is to live out his life as he thinks jesus wants him to (what a novel concept). as a result, he does many things that would seem radical to many or most christians, when in actuality he is probably just living the normal christian life as contemplated in the NT.

the book is not all about his views on war, etc, it is more about how he and his community in Philadelphia have reached out to the poor, it talks about his visits to calcutta and the time spent with mother teresa and the lepers, etc. his challenge is essentially to get out of the pews and into the streets. and it's a pretty strong challenge.

TK

Got it.

Thanks TK.

he admittedly struggles with these concepts, because he describes himself as "conservative" in most political respects

I'm not yet done with the book, but I sure missed this one; he seems like a pretty solid political Liberal. I disagree with what he seems to espouse for the government and I disagree with his pacifism. I think he often confuses interpersonal relationships with a government's responsibility (hence his rejection of inescapably Biblical capital punishment).

I also don't have such a hatred for consumerism. Consumerism and the evil global economy have done more to raise the standard of living of the people he served in India in the last 15 years than anything else. It didn't help them Spiritually a bit, though. But from a governmental policy standpoint, I think it's a good thing for less people to live in poverty.

Despite these disagreements, I'd join in with him any day. I might not join him at catholic mass (I grew up catholic and am probably more anti-Roman catholic than most Christians), but I'd love to join him anywhere else - anti war rallies and all. His story sounds so exciting. I wasted my own youth, but I'm going to have my children read this book when they get close to leaving home - it's just the type of love for Christ and his kingdom I'd like to see them have.

To form "communities" where Christians assist one another in all things, trust God for every need, and spill their light over into the surrounding communities...