Chapter 4 of Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution. Man... this book is so convicting. So good. Again I feel odd even sharing bits and pieces, because it just doesn't do it justice. It's like cheating or something. But... here are some highlights.
The chapter is basically about Shane's internship at Willowcreek Community Church, and attending Wheaton College - immediately following his time in Calcutta, India. I have personal stories about both places, so it was especially interesting to me. Quite the extreme for Shane, and I would think most people wouldn't have survived it, especially with such grace.
On the first page he quotes Mother Teresa: "...it is among the wealthy that we can find the most terrible poverty of all - loneliness." Yep. I agree.
On p. 96 is a quote I have used before: "...when Jesus said, 'Love your enemies,' he meant not to kill them." This came from 'just-war' debates.
Some good stuff about Rich Mullins.
And a quote from Tony Campolo (one of his teachers at Eastern): "Jesus never says to the poor, 'Come find the church,' but he says to those of us in the church, 'Go into the world and find the poor, hungry, homeless, imprisoned,' Jesus in his disguises."
Shane says on 108: "And folks were asking me what I was going to do when I graduated from college. People always want to define you by what you do. I started by saying, 'I'm not too concerned with what I am going to do. I am more interested in who I am becoming. I want to be a lover of God and people.'" And... "The question is not whether you will be a doctor or a lawyer but what kind of doctor or lawyer you will be." And... Mother Teresa said, "Do not worry about your career. Concern yourself with your vocation, and that is to be lovers of Jesus." So he filled out all his graduation forms, "vocational lover." :) (This is all good advice for my own kids) :)
Perhaps the most powerful idea for me in this chapter is on p.112. His senior thesis was on "The American Jesus" and he says, "I knew what Cornell West meant when he said, 'We've taken the blood at the foot of the cross and turned it into Kool-Aid' and marketed it all over the world." Wow! Yeah. I'm a bit speechless. Convicted. Wow. Think 'Pop Christianity' and 'Seeker-sensitivity.' Not that we shouldn't be sensitive, but... Wow.
There was more here, but maybe that's enough for one days my little kiddies. I am worn out and my mind is ablaze. I am uncomfortable.
Peace. Revolution. Those words go together even better today.
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