The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 13 (p 341-358)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 13 (p 341-358)
Crazy But Not Alone

(a) "In a world of smart bombs and military intelligence, we need more fools, holy fools who insist that the folly of the cross is wiser than any human power" (p 343).

That reminds me of Michael Card's old song, "God's Own Fool" (watch the simple revolutionary who goes before us + bonus).

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind.
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind.
For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon's to blame.
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane.

God, keep us a little crazy. Don't let us settle back into the normal that you are delivering us from.

(b) Community of Communities (p 348): www.communityofcommunities.us. Even if you're not in an intentional community housing situation, what is your community like? What kind of support group of fools have you put together?

(c) "Because it is small like the old mustard seed, it is possible to miss the little revolution spreading across our land, cross-pollinated by an ongoing web of relationships and a common vision--of alternatives to existing worldly structures, of bartering economies, of money collectives for emergencies (instead of insurance), of prophetic interruptions to war and theft, of sustainable urban gardening and eco-energy alternatives, of using trash and wreckage of the consumptive world to create things that bring life and beauty" (p 348-349).

That is one long and beautiful sentence. For those who want to pursue this in other venues, check these out: Papa Festival, A Sustainable Faith, School(s) for Conversion, CCDA Institute, Word and World, Geez Magazine, Sojourners, SC Faith in Action and Fight with Tools.

(d) "So to the young 'uns: we have to remind ourselves to stay anchored in the church, for we need roots and wisdom" (p 353).

Charissa reminds me of St. Augustine's quote from time to time: "The church is a whore, but she's my mother" (p 354). I found that quote again today in an article by Tony Campolo--Why the Church is Important (Christianity Today, 1 May '07). It's a good article to go along with this chapter.

Why is the church (i.e., the body of Christ, the community of disciples) still important to you, even if you have a bent away from institutional religion?

(e) "We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumors of war. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here" (p 355).

Increase our faith! (Luke 17:5)

: : :

Thanks for sharing the adventure of processing this book together.

Grace and Peace,
Jeff

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11b (p 305-314)

The Irresistible Revolution, Ch. 11b (p 305-314)
Making Revolution Irresistible

(a) "The transformation begins with the people--with ordinary radicals, courageous mothers and grandmothers like Rizpah.... Nations will not lead us to peace; it is people who will lead the nations to peace as they begin to humanize the nations" (p 307).

If peace and justice are to begin with me (my intentions, attitudes and actions), what's my mustard seed?

(b) "Protesters are everywhere, but I think the world is desperately in need of prophets, those little voices that can point us toward another future" (p 309).

What is a prophet? The esteemed wikipedia explains that in Judaism a prophet is someone God chooses to speak for Him for the purpose of bringing social change, a spokesperson with the goal of transforming society into God's highest ideal. And what did the prophets speak?

Isaiah: "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17

Jeremiah: "'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16

Ezekiel: "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49

Amos: "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies." "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" Amos 5:21,24

Micah: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

Solomon?: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." Proverbs 31:8

Here are God's spokesmen declaring in no vague terms His priorities. Are they my priorities? As I raise my "little voice," am I singing in harmony with the prophetic voices of the past? What picture of the future does my song paint?

Last week a Christian leader explained to me that military spending is not a waste of money because we are able to sell the weaponry to other countries for a profit. How/why have we veered so far from the voice of the prophets (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3)?

(c) The story on page 310 of the Camdenhouse crew wading into the demonstrations wearing clothes with the fruits of the Spirit is so great. What a brilliant example of using imagination. We do in fact need more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Which of these do I need to pray most passionately for today? What will it look like lived out in my relationships today?

(d) "I take great courage from the fact that many of us are taking steps toward a gentler revolution. We need more prophets who laugh and dance" (p 313).

How do you react to this? Are you a laughing prophet? Do you know a dancing one? Am I a speaker of only gloom and doom, or is there a positive twist of love, joy and peace with some laughter and dance thrown in?

The Irresistible Revolution (p 11-34)

For our first week of discussion, we're going to focus on the three intro sections. I can't comment on all of the parts I underlined in my book, so I'll pick a few of my favorites.

Speak your voice by (a) responding to my questions here or the general questions, (b) adding your own questions, (c) offering your thoughts and stories related to the reading, or (d) doing whatever creative thing you need to do. Let's roll...

FORWARD (Jim Wallis)

(1) "...experimenting with the gospel..." (p 11). I like this idea--experimenting. There are all kinds of ways to live and share the good news of peace and reconciliation and of a God who still cares. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). In what ways are you and your community experimenting with the gospel?

"The monologue of the religious right is finally over, and a fresh dialogue has begun; it's a conversation about how to apply faith to social justice, and it is springing up across the land" (p 14). Thanks for being part of this growing conversation.

INTRODUCTION (Shane Claiborne)

(2) "But most Christian artists and preachers have remained strangely distant from human suffering..." (p 17). Include me in that. Most of my awareness of pain in the world comes from books and documentaries. Only in the past couple of years have I had to really face pain and disappointment (physically and emotionally) in my own life. These experiences are starting to open my eyes and ears to the needs around me. For example, I didn't really care about the health insurance issue in the U.S. until my wife and I were either sick or laid off. Homelessness starting meaning something completely different when we had to turn to friends and family to have a place to stay.

I recently watched Jared Diamond's the three-part documentary, Guns, Germs and Steel. He spent the whole time talking academically about these powerful forces that have shaped human history. He could talk abstractly about brutal wars and devastating illnesses, but when he actually saw the kids with malaria, he just broke down. What was your most recent contact with human suffering?

(3) "But rarely do we see that the sickness of the world has infected each of us..." The world's apathy isn't as big of a problem as my apathy. Ending the world's greed isn't as crucial as ending mine by moving from accumulation to generosity. This reminds me of G. K. Chesterton's response to the question, "What is wrong with the world today." He said simply, "I am."

(4) "...the giant triplets of evil: racism, militarism, and materialism" (p 26). Now that's an axis of evil. Which of these are you most passionate about ending? Any stories?

AUTHOR'S NOTE

(5) "We are all bound up in the filthy system, and if you find yourself particularly bound, take courage, you will then have more grace as you liberate others" (p 31-32). How are we bound up in it? I just deleted a list of ways; it felt burdensome. If you feel like you're not bound up in it, then either you have some great sustainable living ideas that you need to share in the comments section, or you don't yet realize the ramifications of the previously mentioned evil triumvirate. Let's keep talking.

And let's keep showing grace. There are few things more annoying than self-righteous environmentalists, religionists and social activists. May grace be in our conversations with each other here and with those we encounter daily as we "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). May we even find grace for the proud and annoying (cause it just might be me).

What say you?