by Shane Claiborne

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review by Craig Morton

How does Merriam-Webster define ordinary? Ordinary is “common, of the common order, of no special quality or interest; routine, usual, of a kind to be expected in the normal order of events.” Shane Claiborne raises the bar by asserting that “ordinary does not mean normal, and I lament the dreadful seduction which has resulted in Christians becoming so normal” (p. 20). An ordinary radical appears to be an extraordinary thing. At least worthy of nearly 400 pages, filled with stories of extraordinary places and people. From the publisher's blurbs inside the cover, and from the foreword by Jim Wallis, readers will discover that Claiborne's quest is to be something far from the ordinary—a radical follower of Jesus. Claiborne's conversion to an “ordinary” but rooted (i.e., radical) Christian life is deeply connected with his faith community—Simple Way in Kensington, a very rough neighborhood in inner-city Philadelphia.

Claiborne organizes his work by creating a memoir that reflects his quest to follow Jesus. From his evangelical conversion in his teen years to further conversion experiences in Philadelphia and Eastern University (in Philly's suburbs), Claiborne presents his life as something unfolding. From one life experience to another, Claiborne is transformed from a contemporary “evangelical” toward a more radical, more deeply rooted follower of Jesus. With clarity The Irresistible Revolution marks off the transformations that occur from a homeless camp in an abandoned inner-city Philly cathedral to a stint of service with Mother Teresa, from reflections on life in the neighborhood to a firsthand view of the effects of the war in Iraq. These experiences launch Claiborne into understanding the Christian life as a lifestyle rather than intellectual assent.

Strengths of Claiborne's book include his serious but casual writing style. At times he becomes a bit too casual, as if he's working too hard to be relaxed. And while meandering, the book reveals in its literary style something of pilgrimage. Tangents, circuitous loops, and parenthetical remarks as presented give a realistic and excitedly conversational tone to the book.

There is a sequence of events, although circuitous, that move Claiborne from an American style of mainstream Christianity to radical lifestyle. He served with Mother Teresa for a period of time, learned to know and care for Philadelphia's homeless, formed an urban monastery, contemplated economics of justice, and was powerfully transformed by witnessing devastation in ravaged Iraq. This is a lot for any person to absorb, but Claiborne absorbs it, and now shares it.

With clarity Claiborne is able to articulate a political but nonpartisan stance. Chapter 7, “Pledging Allegiance when Kingdoms Collide,” is a fine manifesto for the church to “pull out of Babylon.” This is Claiborne's greatest gift to readers—a glimpse into his transformation, which contrasts with the prevailing empire of consumption, militarism, and apathy.

Claiborne presents nothing ordinary at all as he shares the process of his challenging pilgrimage. Rather, he presents an extraordinary manifesto of finding life in the reign of God; this is where Claiborne's writing has its most power. As a guide for others to participate in the same transformation, however, it is weak and should not be read with the intent of replication. Though one might struggle with the continual self-referencing in this book and lack of corroborating case studies or stories of others living similar “ordinary” Christian lives, it becomes clear that Claiborne is writing a personal memoir. As such it cannot be taken seriously as a critique or admonition to the church.

Because of his exclusively personal viewpoint there are serious weaknesses in The Irresistible Revolution. There are lapses into sentiment which curtail real change. For instance, in speaking for the poor and the need for justice to lift up the most despised in society, Claiborne looks at economics as if God is making us work in a zero-sum game and the only way to emancipate the poor is to redistribute existing resources. Rather than focusing on a redistribution of wealth, justice should focus on giving equal access to opportunities to forge a meaningful living. Throughout the two-thirds world, more dynamic social justice transformation is taking place through micro-lending and cottage industries empowering people to create wealth. To actually expand and create, rather than redistribute a limited and fixed amount, would radically transform the two-thirds world and inner-city America.

Another area in which Claiborne delivers less than I would have wished is in his reflections on his trip to Iraq. As one committed to Christian nonviolence, I am grateful that Claiborne has joined the camp of Christian pacifists. However, he does not challenge the prevailing attitudes regarding warfare among American Christians, especially among evangelicals. The just war theory continues to encourage faithful people to make allowances supporting warfare. While the just war theories can be simple or elaborate, they need to be challenged. Claiborne seems to expect that his sentimental reflections might be enough to undo our warring madness. If sentiment alone was enough, war would have been extinct eons ago.

The lived faith of the people at Simple Way community is wonderful. Claiborne's description of their interaction with neighbors in one of the most difficult parts of Philadelphia is inspiring, and I wished there was more describing how the new monasticism is being lived out in Kensington than the appendix provided.

Writers like Diana Butler Bass (Practicing Congregations, Alban) have articulated a way of congregational life that practices transformation and a focused Christian commitment, but a person reading Claiborne might assume there are few if any gifts denominational Christianity and local traditional congregations bring to society. Claiborne's unexpressed ecclesiology makes his understanding of “ordinary” dangerous. Inadvertently he has discounted the faith practice of a majority of the churches in North America.

While the stories reveal a probing and curious soul who is seeking to find points of contact in orthodox and historic Christian faith, Claiborne's memoir may seem off-putting. From his abuse of the concept of ordinary Christians, Claiborne asserts a model of Christian life that leaves those of us not living in places like inner-city Philadelphia wondering if there is a way to impact suburbia. Would Claiborne assume we are all going to move to places like Kensington to find authentic Christian life? Inadvertently, Claiborne teeters on the edge of a narrow Platonism. Plato wrote about the real and perfect and true ideals. Everything else in experience was a shadow, or a poor copy of the real ideal. Claiborne similarly creates an ideal Christianity in which the ideals of community, missional incarnation, and mercy more closely resemble the experiences which have shaped him, as if his experiences are to have the power of a prototype for authentic faith, while the rest of us slog away in the shadows.

By actually redefining normality, Claiborne does a disservice to his greater argument. Instead of creating a vision of normative Christianity available to all, he takes his limited and personal transformation as a template for others. For us “abnormal” Christians who happen to live in the suburbs, have middle-income jobs, have kids in Little League and college, and who find Christian community in denominational churches, there seems to be little space to imagine and envision the missio dei.

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