Table of Contents

Contents Foreword by Jim Wallis 11 Introduction 17 Author’s Note 31 1. When Chris­tianity Was Still Safe 35 2. Resurrecting Church 53 3. In Search of a Chris­tian 69 4. When Comfort Becomes 91 Uncomfortable 5. Another Way of Doing Life 115 6. Economics of Rebirth 155 7. Pledging Allegiance 191 When Kingdoms Collide 8. Jesus Made Me Do It! 223 9. Jesus Is for Losers 243 10. Extremists for Love 267 11. Making Revolution Irresistible 289 12. Growing Smaller and Smaller . . . 315 Until We Take Over the World 13. Crazy but Not Alone 341 Appendix 1: Local Revolutions and Ordinary Radicals 359 Appendix 2: Marks of a New Monasticism 363 Appendix 3: To Iraq 365

Promotional Information

If there is such a thing as a disarming radical, 30-year-old Claiborne is it. A former Tennessee Methodist and born-again, high school prom king, Claiborne is now a founding member of one of a growing number of radical faith communities. His is called the Simple Way, located in a destitute neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is a house of young believers, some single, some married, who live among the poor and homeless. They call themselves 'ordinary radicals' because they attempt to live like Christ and the earliest converts to Christianity, ignoring social status and unencumbered by material comforts. Claiborne's chatty and compelling narrative is magnetic---his stories (from galvanizing a student movement that saved a group of homeless families from eviction to reaching Mother Teresa herself from a dorm phone at 2 a.m.) draw the reader in with humor and intimacy, only to turn the most common ways of practicing religion upside down. He somehow skewers the insulation of suburban living and the hypocrisy of wealthy churches without any self-righteous finger pointing. 'The world,' he says, 'cannot afford the American dream.' Claiborne's conviction, personal experience and description of others like him are a clarion call to rethink the meaning of church, conversion and Christianity; no reader will go away unshaken. (Feb.) -- Publisher's Weekly

About the Author

Shane Claiborne is a prominent activist and soughtafter speaker. He is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, a community in inner city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world. Shane serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and in his down-time is quite a dynamic circus performer.

Reviews

'Shane dares readers to evaluate their lives and reimagine a first-century posture to following Jesus in the 21st century....If you want a comfy Christian life, this book is not for you. But if you want to be challenged, uncomfortable, and even changed, it is a must read.'
*YouthWorker Journal*

'Editor's Pick!...Inspiring. Fascinating. Challenging. Convicting. Loving. These are just a few of the words that describe the extraordinary story of Claiborne's journey from middle-class Christianity in east Tennessee to radical incarnational faith among the poor in inner-city Philadelphia.'
*ePistle (Evangelicals for Social Action)*

'This is the book that will not let me go....this book has called me, and many others, to action, to a different kind of life....if you read it seriously, it may mess with your mind, heart and even your life.'
*Youthworker Journal*