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Business Stationary Mart - The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $8.07
Your Save: $ 6.92 ( 46% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Zondervan
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 277.3083092
EAN: 9780310266303
ISBN: 0310266300
Label: Zondervan
Manufacturer: Zondervan
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 368
Publication Date: 2006-02-01
Publisher: Zondervan
Studio: Zondervan
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Be ready for a revolution!
Comment: I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone that dosen't want to look at the world in a radical new way. If you think you are "Christian" read this and take a long hard look in the mirror..
It is a great read and very eye opening and thought provoking.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Comment: Great book, challenging and a great conversation sparker. Claiborne is not afraid to say what he thinks, and this doesn't sit well with some people, but it challenges them to grow and wrestle.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Life changing
Comment: The book certainly has its problems. For example, why is this humble, selfless man writing a story about himself? Nevertheless, the book opened my eyes to true, fundamental Christianity, that explains how God likely meant for us to live. He tells stories about the amazing things he and others have done to spread the word of God, and all of the stories made me want to be a better person. After so many years of being disappointed with "Christians" who felt themselves entitled to tell others they are going to Hell, etc. This book honestly, single-handedly, revived my faith in the Christian church.
I have read some of the 1-star reviews and would like to add more:
While Shane has chosen a life of humility and homelessness (like Jesus), I did not get the impression that he felt it a sin to live any other way. Instead, he reassures the notion that everyone has a different gift to offer the world. That is why there are physicians, teachers, engineers, etc. We just have to remember what that purpose is and try not to get too caught up in all the money we wish we had.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Critique from the Left
Comment: Unlike many of the people who are trashing this book because they are conservatives who are irate about or befuddled by Shane's left-leaning theology, my problems come from the left. In fact the conservative reviews have all been quite absurd; Shane does not despise the rich and can't mention enough times that he knows and works with wealthy people. They also seem to forget the stern rebukes Jesus sometimes had for those in his company, and that the one time he himself actually resorted to violence was to drive the money changers out of the temple (I always loved the history channel documentaries where they depict an angry Jesus flipping over tables). I guess if Shane and others like him get a little angry at modern day consumerism, they have a terrible role model to blame for that.
If Shane has contempt for anyone it is middle-class America, and I share that contempt. My main criticism is that while Shane clearly has an understanding that the problems of America and the global economy are systemic and structural, he a) does not offer anything a detailed account of his own perspective on these problems beyond the passing observation and b) seems to think that repeatedly invoking "love" is going to solve the problem.
To put it another way Shane and his comrades are Christian versions of the anarchists, at least in method - particularly a non-violent "propaganda of the deed" approach to social transformation. As the infamous Ward Churchill and others have convincingly argued, the supposed successes of non-violent civil disobedience are spurious at best, concurrent with violent movements that also forced governments to react. Does this mean the only solution is violence? Not necessarily. But the categorical exclusion of a whole range of tactics - non-violence - is a recipe for certain failure. Some believe that the ends do not justify the means. I say that if the appropriate means are neglected you may as well not have ends at all.
Of course Christ changed a great deal and established a new covenant with man, but I can't forget that the God of the old testament is a warrior. He sees evil and points his chosen people towards it with a sword.
Finally for the touchy conservatives who cry about the hurt feelings of wealthy Americans, allow me to quote the Book of Wisdom, chapter 6, verses 6-8:
"For the lowly may be pardoned out of mercy but the mighty shall be mightily put to the test. For the Lord of all shows no partiality, nor does he fear greatness, Because he himself made the great as well as the small, and he provides for all alike; but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends."
If God has different standards for the lowly and the mighty, so must we.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Incredibly convicting to any Christian
Comment: This book truly made an already bleeding heart yearn for true justice in this world, realizing that recognition is not enough. The real gospel is one of action and bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth, as Christ intended. Claiborne will rock your world, because this brother has a story to back it up!
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Editorial Reviews:
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Using unconventional examples from his own life, Shane Claiborne stirs up questions about the church and the world, and challenges readers to truly live out their Christian faith.
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