I recently got my hands on a copy of Shane Claiborne’s book, Irresistible Revolution. Shane is a Christ follower, originally from east Tennessee, living in the city of Philadelphia as a member of an intentional community called the Simple Way. Okay, that was a lot of information for one sentence.
You may now be asking what an intentional community is. From the Intentional Community wiki…
An “intentional community” is a group of people who have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values. The people may live together on a piece of rural land, in a suburban home, or in an urban neighborhood, and they may share a single residence or live in a cluster of dwellings.
Think Christians living as the early church once did – supporting each other in a common life. Taking on each others burdens, sharing in wealth as well as suffering. Everything belonging to all, etc.
Now, intentional communities do not always mean Christian intentional communities. There are many groups of people choosing to live this way. The Simple Way is one such Christian community in Philadelphia.
Shane Claiborne is a founding member of the Simple Way and has since written a few books on the topic of being a Christ follower and lover. Irresistible Revolution is the first one he wrote and the first I am reading.
It was a month or so ago that I was first introduced to these crazy new monasticsand their strange ways of pursuing a life lived for Christ. Their commitment to showing Christ’s love to the world and taking care of His creation and church are very attractive. I am drawn to their simple love for Jesus and the desire to share it. I’ve often told my husband in discussions of politics that my views of what our government should look like could never exist because the church does not and will not take the responsibilities it was given by Christ. (think widows, orphans, healthcare, homeless, etc.) Instead of trying to change laws, we should be trying to change hearts. So after all my hours of discussion of the utopian church (haha), here I come across people all over the world living in tiny communities putting the Bible and their beliefs into practice in the most real sense. By golly, it’s encouraging!
Here I am, stuck in middle class America with debt wondering what it is I can do to live out Christ’s love the way people do at the Simple Way. What would it look like in my city – my community, my neighborhood? What am I doing to be a real working member of Christ’s church?
These are the questions I’m pondering as I read Irresistible Revolution.
knittingprose
I loved that book! It was very challenging, and here 2 weeks after finishing it, and am still thinking on the things I read in it and Jesus for President. 🙂 I have been wondering what it would look like around me…its difficult in our neighborhood, as I rarely see any one outside! (I guess they are working a lot?)
Our neighborhood is kinda like that too, but then again, we aren’t really outside alot either. So… maybe I just need to make the effort?
I’m amazed at what God has led us to over the last several months. He’s clearly leading us, putting things and people in our path and this has been one stop along the way. We’re building a faith that can only lead to action and He very much is turning our world upside down.
With what He’s revealing, we just can’t sit back and do nothing. I hope you stick around for this discussion. I’d love to hear what you’re doing in your own neighborhood!