The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

This is part memoir, part manifesto. Claiborne is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, a ministry that operates out of a destitute neighborhood in Philadelphia. Members of The Simple Way are committed to achieving Christ’s likeness by adopting a lifestyle similar to that of the early church as it is described in the book of Acts. (Essentially, this means little or no material possessions and a commitment to advocate for the poor politically, socially, and spiritually.) Claiborne also describes his experiences working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta, and his “tour” as a war protestor in Iraq. This book challenged me to think in new ways about my faith, the church, and the relationship between faith and politics. It’s the new, radical kind of thinking that so many of us need when our relationship with God seems stagnant. I highly recommend it. Favorite Quotes:

“It wasn’t that Jesus healed a leper but that he touched a leper, because no one touched lepers. And the incredible thing about that love is that it now lives inside of us.”

“When people begin moving beyond charity and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble. Once we are actually friends with folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity . . . People do not get crucified for charity. People are crucified for living out a love that disrupts the social order, that calls forth a new world.”