Welcome to \books for ordinary radicals\, a blog for people who want to explore the way of love, the way of peace, the way of nonviolent social action, the way of Jesus.
The Intro: Some of us who are more ordinary than radical are beginning to see with new eyes, hear with new ears, and live with new purposes. This blog is intended to be a place where we can learn together, grow together, change our attitudes and perspectives and hearts together, and get motivated and trained together to make the world a better place.
The Plan: We will read and discuss books for ordinary radicals, a term I first encountered in Shane Claiborne’s, The Irresistible Revolution. Each week, I will post a review of the pages under consideration. I may also include key quotes and/or discussion questions.
Then it’s up to you to speak your mind and take the discussion wherever it needs to go. What stories from your life compare or contrast with the reading? What did you get from it? What questions did it raise for you? What actions do you need to take?
You can comment on the blog posts or scroll down on comment on other people's comments.
My hope is that we'll hear and respect different perspectives. Jesus didn't surround himself with people just like him. He was comfortable with a mixed-bag of folks from all walks of life, and mysteriously, the motley bunch learned to walk together and share life. God give us unity in diversity.
The Guidelines: In our conversations let’s be respectful. We will have differences of opinion. That is healthy. However, badgering, belittling and bad-mouthing are not. I used to be part of a study group that embraced the following ten guidelines that I think are applicable to this blog as well:
- We strive to be real. (Luke 12:1)
- We are quick to listen. (James 1:19)
- We respect the privacy of others. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)
- We value diversity in people and ideas. (Revelation 7:9; Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12; Ephesians 4:11-13; John 10:16)
- We ask questions to seek truth and to better understand each other’s ideas. (Luke 10:26; Mark 9:33; Luke 2:46; Acts 8:30)
- We each contribute our voice to the community of faith. (Ephesians 4:15; Psalm 19:14; Proverbs 15:23, 25:11)
- We study God’s word diligently. (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:11)
- We seek to know, trust and love God. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, 22:16, 24:7; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 22:36-40; 1 John 4:7-8, 5:3)
- We are learning to love our neighbors more fully. (1 John 4:11, 19-21; Matthew 22:39; John 13:34-35; Luke 10:25-37)
- We ask the Holy Spirit to change us from the inside out, to write God’s law on our hearts. (Hebrews 8:10; Romans 8:2, 15:16; James 1:25; 2:8; John 16:13; Titus 3:5)
My activist friends call me conservative, and my religious friends call me liberal. What I often get branded is "radical." I've never really minded that, for as my urban-farming friends remind me, the word radical itself means "root." It's from the Latin word radix, which, just like a rad-ish, has to do with getting to the root of things. But radical is not something reserved for saints and martyrs, which is why I like to complement it with ordinary. Ordinary does not mean normal, and I lament the dreadful seduction which has resulted in Christians becoming so normal. Thankfully, there is a movement of ordinary radicals sweeping the land, and ordinary people are choosing to live in radical new ways.
The Disclaimer: This blog is inspired by, but not in any way affiliated with, The Simple Way or related communities, individuals, media or websites.
Finally, here are two quotes that are meaningful to me:
"The great Christian revolutions come not by the discovery of something that was not known before. They happen when somebody takes radically something that was always there." --H. Richard Niebuhr
"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried." -- G.K. Chesterton
Peace,
Jeff
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