Letter To Shane Claiborne

On February 22, Shane Claiborne came to speak at Drew.  He is the author of The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President.  He is also the founder of a movement called The Simple Way.  They are a group that lives and work with poverty in innercity Philadelphia.  He preaches a message of giving up wealth and signs of "kingdom" in order to authentically follow Christ's call.  A lot of what he says is good... in theory.  He actually hasn't organized enough to affect systematic change in any meaningful ways within his community.  Many people right in the area of his movement have never heard of the work he is doing.   I had my concerns that his books were the only real result of his work. BUT!  I was interested to hear what he had to say.

I was disappointed.  I think, despite my reservations, I wanted him to prove me wrong.  But first, his talks stuck very much to his books, so none of the stories or messages were new.  He also seemed to dodge questions.  I'm not sure if he was just unwilling to engage, or uncomfortable in the environment, or both.  He also tends to speak in absolutes.  Saying things like "guns are never necessary" and then  telling funny anecdotes about being grateful for armed guards in Iraq.  It's a minor quibble, except it's something that troubled me throughout his books.  He seemed almost self-righteous in some parts of his first book about the decisions he'd made to give up all material wealth.  However, he never discusses the challenges, nor does he really dig into how different it is for someone with a safety net of family, education, health, and wealthy church community than it is for those who are forced into poverty. I think we need to have those discussion, acknowledge that there is tension between idealism and reality.  That doesn't mean we can give up on idealism, it just means we have to constantly be honest about the struggle. For one of my classes, we had to write a letter to one of the speakers that came to our campus, so I thought I'd post my letter to him here.  I am very encouraged by the work that he does, I want to be clear about that.  I just think that other Christian leaders who herald him as the hope for Christianity and the founder of a sweeping new movement might be a little hasty.

Dear Mr. Claiborne,

            Thank you so much for taking the time to come speak to the students of Drew University.  An important part of our theological education is to constantly live in the knowledge that our classes should always relate back to the work of ministry in the real world.  Your talks, both to classes and the community at large, provided us with a look into a “real world” outreach program.

            I also wanted to thank you for the ministry that you are doing.  I have been involved with hunger ministry in the Oregon/Idaho Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.  It is through my work there that I realized how complicated the issues of hunger and poverty truly are.  Solving these issues requires more than just church food pantries, as important as those are.  The best way to really learn about the needs of a community is to live in it, to truly learn the sources of the need.  I believe that we have become fundamentally disconnected from the people we are called to serve.  As you said in your article Downward Mobility in an Upscale World, “the great tragedy of the church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor, but that they do not know the poor. “  You offer a radical model for how to authentically live in community with those we hope to help.  I appreciate your vision and your commitment to sharing that vision.

            The call to prophetic leadership is not easy.  It means constantly, and uncomfortably, examining not only the communities shortcomings, but your own.  I have worked in communities of high poverty, but fully admit I am to unwilling to give up the comforts of “kingdom.”  Your books and your talks here constantly remind me of just how much I buy into our materialist culture, and the devastating impact that can have.  I am constantly working to trust God’s call and live more authentically.  I wish you had shared more of your struggle with this.  I feel that, especially in your books, you make fairly strident claims about the simple way that Christian communities would ideally adopt. However, the iPhone that you proudly pulled out tells a different story.  It would have been helpful for those of us who struggle with the trappings of wealth to hear you talk about the compromises you have to make in order to further your ministry.  Because, if you are being honest, I think you would have to admit that the iPhone is an incredible symbol of wealth and kingdom.  It means being able to afford the phone, the monthly phone and data plans, and that you are only able to communicate with those who have access to technology.  You write about protesting sweatshops, but our students from Africa could tell you the lives damaged for the technology inside that little phone.  I don’t begrudge you the need to stay connected, but I lament the lost opportunity to discuss the tension that we all have to live with.  I was concerned that I saw this lack of openness come out in other places, too. While I understand not wanting to open your life choices up for scrutiny, I think that prophetic leaders are most effective when they speak with brutal honesty that is aimed at themselves first.  It would be an opportunity to be in community not just with the poor, but also with those who struggle with their reliance on symbols of prosperity.

            In your book Becoming the Answer to our Prayer, you wrote "if God's kingdom looks radical, it's only an indictment on the sort of Christianity we have settled for."   These words have served as a constant nudge for me when I feel that the risk of speaking up is too great.  These words remind me just how clear Christ’s call to a new kingdom was, and firm Christ was in his insistence that all of his followers would work to create that kingdom.  Your work represents the promise that our generation will take up that call in new and powerful ways.  I thank you for your courage in living into, and teaching about, God’s promise.  I will continue to pray for you and those you serve, that you will continue to transform their lives through the love of God that you reflect.  May your work continue to be challenging and continue to be blessed.

In Christ’s love,

Janessa Chastain