Shane Claiborne

"God is not saying to the poor, to the suffering children, 'come find the church.' But He is saying to the church, 'go into the world and find Me where I'm suffering, find Me where I'm thirsty, find Me where I'm hungry, find Me where I'm in prison, find Me where I'm homeless and take Me in.'"
-Shane Claiborne

_________________
Making Crooked Paths Straight...

- Adam

oh man!!! i love shane claiborne!!

such a good heart. I love that quote and i love that book.....

that book is truly a life changer!

~J

What book is it?

Hey Brother,

The book is called "Irresistable Revolution", it really has touched and changed alot of peoples hearts on what it means to really Follow Christ.

_________________
Making Crooked Paths Straight...

- Adam

Adam & Everyone,

This is a litany that Shane Claiborne gave at the Catalyst Conference this past year in Atlanta. I saw that you posted about him, and I wanted you to be able to see it, but I also wanted to wait a little while until our Master's Commission had become more familiar with the Post-Modern Movement.

After he got done there was an awkward silence followed by a strange mixture of cheering and booing. It was definitely a controversial message. I don't think that it was a welcomed one.

I've thought a ton about some of the things that he mentions in his speech...

War...

Nationalism...

Democracy...

Wealth...

Blackened Earth...

Community Breakdown...

Consumerism...

And More...

I think there is a lot of painful truth to what he said. What do you think? It makes me sad to think that we cannot bear to hear mention that what we do, what we support, what we teach, may be evil and corrupt. I fear that those who loved what he had to say continued as they lived before this speech, and that those who hated it did the same.

Here's the actual speech:

ONE: Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world
ALL: Have mercy on us
ONE: Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world
ALL: Free us from bondage to sin and death
ONE: Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world
ALL: Hear our prayers prince of peace
ONE: For the victims of war
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: Women, men, and children
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The maimed and the crippled
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The abandoned and the homeless
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The imprisoned and the tortured
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The widowed and the orphaned
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The bleeding and the dying
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The weary and the desperate
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: The lost and the forsaken
ALL: Have mercy
ONE: Oh God have mercy on us sinners
ALL: Forgive us for we know not we do
ONE: For our scorched and blackened earth
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: For the scandal of billions wasted in war
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: For our arms makers and our arms dealers
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: For our Caesars and our Herods
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: For the violence that is rooted in our own hearts
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: For the times that we turn others into enemies
ALL: Forgive us
ONE: Deliver us oh God
ALL: Turn our feet to the way of peace
ONE and ALL: Hear our prayer, grant us peace
ONE: From the arrogance of power
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the myth of redemptive violence
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the tyranny of greed
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the ugliness of racism
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the cancer of hatred
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the seduction of wealth
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the addiction of control
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the idolatry of nationalism
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the paralysis of cynicism
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the violence of apathy
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the ghettos of poverty
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the ghettos of wealth
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: From the lack of imagination
ALL: Deliver us
ONE: Deliver us oh God
ALL: Turn our feet to the way of peace
ONE: We will not conform to the patterns of this world
ALL: Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds
ONE: With the help of God's grace
ALL: Let us resist evil wherever we find it
ONE: With the waging of war
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the legalization of murder
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the slaughter of innocents
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With laws that betray human life
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the destruction of community
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the pointing finger and malicious talk
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the idea that happiness must be purchased
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the ravaging of the earth
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With principalities and powers that oppress
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the destructions of peoples
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the raping of women
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With governments that kill
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the theology of empire
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the business of militarism
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the hording of riches
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: With the dissemination of fear
ALL: We will not comply
ONE: But today we pledge our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the peace that is not like Rome's
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the gospel of enemy love
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the kingdom of the poor and the broken
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the King who loves His enemies so much he died for them
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the least of these with whom Christ dwells
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the transnational church that transcends artificial borders of nations
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the refugee of Nazareth
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the cross rather than the sword
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the banner of love above any flag
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the one who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the one who rides a donkey rather than a war horse
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the way that leads to life
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: To the slaughtered lamb
ALL: We pledge allegiance
ONE: And we together proclaim His praises from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power:
ONE and ALL: Long live the Slaughtered Lamb

I would really like to have a conversation about this speech. We can talk about part of it, all of it, one line, one theme, whatever. I hope that everyone who reads this post at least takes the time to really listen to it. It challenged many of my beliefs, and even ended up changing a few.

_________________
Humbly and Respectfully... Just_a_Voice

Anthony, Brother..

What to really say to something this amazingly gentle, yet controversial...sounds alot like someone who we both know who asked all of us here to "Follow..." not to long ago eh? Man..where to really begin...it is amazing man..the whole thing..please give me some time to think about what he said and I will get back to you on this brother...talk about intense..man..

I am trying to figure out what to say to continue this conversation man..but I am at loss for some words man..I will get back to you soon on it. I just really really like it..

"To the one who rides a donkey, rather than a war-horse."

" To the Revolution that sets both oppressors and oppressed FREE..."

" To the WAY that leads to life..."

...To the banner of Love, rather than a flag..

it all is good and amazing..it might be changing my heart on some things..

_________________
Making Crooked Paths Straight...

- Adam

"..with the waging of War."

..Tony, this reminds me alot of what you posted to me earler on in the month of March I THINK. That THOSE WHO FOLLOW HIM WILL LIVE TO SEE A DAY WHEN THERE IS NO MORE WAR..

..just thinking about that..no more war..and no more hatred to cause it. No more greed or lust to start the struggle for power. Humanity as a whole will be content with what He has and will not lust nor desire for more..we (Those who follow Him to the end of our lives...more specifically, those who endure to the End and have the Kingdom in their hearts and lives as He did, I guess) But Humanity will be of a completely New Nature..amazing.

We NEED GRACE AND MERCY..everyday He gives it to us so freely and self-lessly..it is too much to ask for..amazing..so there are just some of my thoughts..G-D help us find your peace everyday of our lives...

_________________
Making Crooked Paths Straight...

- Adam