World Changer

And we've reached the end of my commentary on Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution. Shane is actually coming to school next week and I'm pumped. This book has changed my thinking patterns and has challenged me so much. If a book can do that, how much more can a living breathing human being? However, I'm not going to lie, in certain ways this book has really messed with my head as well. As my friend Jon put it, "That book will mess with your head." With that I leave you with my concluding thoughts.


“We are not a neo-denomination because we are not trying to spread a doctrine or theology. We are not even trying to spread a model of community. We are just trying to discover a new (ancient) kind of Christianity.”
I'm a religion major. I live and breathe theology. This study definitely has it's place; sometimes in the midst of the church you discover a theology that helps realign you back to what you believe. But more often then not, theology leads to steering people away from the church, and that is not what God intended it for. There is a danger in nixing doctrines and theology and many people are not centered enough in their faith with Christ to take this journey. It is not for the light hearted or the weak in faith. It involves you having the faith of a mustard seed IN CHRIST. This is the Christianity of love and reaching out to the world around us and believing that we can actually change it. It is the Christianity of the Bible, lovers of God and his love letter to his people. Are you ready for that kind of Christianity? Because the world is crying out for it again.

“We must neither get used to the darkness of human suffering of fall asleep in the comfort of the light."

God has not created us to be apathetic towards human suffering. In fact I think he grieves over our complete lack of concern for our fellow man. We are so caught up in the supposed blessing of comfort that we ignore those around us or even more appalling, blame them for not being comfortable like us. The funny thing is, God is the author of history and he has handed it to us in the Bible. If we look back to the OT God never let his people get so caught up in their comfort that they fall away from him or destroy one another. At the point where their focus diverged from loving God and loving one another the blessings had to go. Is our time coming? Will this generation wake up to the suffering cries of our brothers and sisters around the world? Next door? Or will we just flip the TV channel when we become too disturbed by what we see?

“If you have the gift of frustration and the deep sense that the world is a mess, thank God for that; not everyone has the gift of vision. It also means that you have a responsibility to lead us in new ways. Recognizing that something is wrong is the first step towards changing the world”

I am frustrated. I am searching for an answer. And I've never seen that as a blessing before reading this book, but it is. I am to call people out of their comfort zones and make them stand face to face with the world that God has created. Call them to look into the eyes of the children of God and laugh with them, weep with them, smile with them. Call us to step into the world and change it with the vision of God's love and grace. Are you ready to join me? The task will not be easy. I'm not even sure what it looks like. But I'm willing to take the first steps towards reclaiming this world with the love of God and discovering the rest along the way. The road will be hard and we are going to be living under the title of "Dangerous Christians". We will be the active hands and feet of Jesus again without concern for ourselves. We will forgive and love and show grace until it breaks our hearts of stone and then do it again. Are you ready tor join us? Are you ready for us?