Ordinary radical preaches Jesus and justice
WINNIPEG, MB—How can Christians view their faith in a way that engages the world, addresses injustice and makes God's love manifest?
That's a question Shane Claiborne is interested in exploring when he speaks at Canadian Mennonite University next month. The activist and author will speak at the university's Peace-It-Together youth conference October 18-20.
Claiborne spoke to ChristianWeek by phone from his home at The Simple Way—a community he helped start in Philadelphia's Kensington neighbourhood. It focuses on loving God, loving its neighbours, living simply and making a difference in the area through a variety of different initiatives.
Claiborne points to a quotation from the Presbyterian writer and theologian Frederick Buechner: "The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."
"Over the last 10 years, I've seen that Jesus and justice have to go together, and that every one of us is invited to do something with our lives and our gifts that contribute to the redemptive work that God's doing in the world," says Claiborne, 38.
In 2006, Claiborne published his first book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. The book detailed Claiborne's various ministry experiences, including an internship at Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, Illinois; working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India; a trip with a Christian Peacemaker Team to Iraq in 2003; and living with The Simple Way.
When asked how his life and work have evolved since The Irresistible Revolution came out, Claiborne says that many of the themes and messages in the book are the same, but the exact manifestations of what they look like are somewhat different.
"Over the 15 years we've been here in Kensington, our work is always evolving," he says. "I always say that we choose the people, and the issues choose us."
One of the big things Claiborne and his neighbours are working on these days is the issue of gun violence. There are nearly 300 homicides in Philadelphia each year, and 10,000 homicides in the United States.
"We're doing a lot of work around gun violence, particularly holding vigils outside places where guns are sold to bring attention to the epidemic of gun violence."
Claiborne and his neighbours are also using the imagination and creativity he advocates for in The Irresistible Revolution. Inspired by the "beat your swords into plows … and study war no more" vision of the prophets Micah and Isaiah, earlier this year the community took two AK-47 assault rifles and welded them into rakes and plows. In September, two blacksmiths led a workshop to teach welding skills to people in the neighbourhood so that more weapons might be transformed into tools.
Claiborne encourages people to get involved in their communities in whatever way they can.
"I'm not interested in convincing people to become like [The Simple Way]," he says, "but to become themselves and see the contribution they can make."
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