Shane Claiborne
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Shane Claiborne is one of the founding members of a New Monastic community called The Simple Way in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This organization was featured on the cover of Christianity Today. He is the author of The Irresistible Revolution - living as an ordinary radical (by Zondervan ISBN 0-310-26630-0) and Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals (by Zondervan ISBN 978-0-310-27842-9). Claiborne is also a prominent activist for the redistribution of resources to the poor and nonviolence.
A Graduate of Eastern University, where he studied sociology and youth ministry, Claiborne did his final academic work for Eastern University at Wheaton College (Illinois). While at Wheaton, Shane did an internship at Willow Creek Community Church. He has done some graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary, but took a leave of absence, and now is a part of The Alternative Seminary in Philadelphia.
Claiborne's outlook on ministry to the poor is often compared to Mother Teresa, whom he worked alongside with during a 10-week term in Calcutta. He spent 3 weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team (a project of Voices in the Wilderness and Christian Peacemaker Teams). He was witness to the military bombardment of Baghdad as well as the militarized areas between Baghdad and Amman. As a member of IPT, Claiborne took daily trips to sites where there had been bombings, visited hospitals and families, and attended worship services during the war. He also continues to serve as a board member for the nation-wide Christian Community Development Association which was founded by the authors and community developers, John Perkins and Wayne Gordon.
On Wednesday, June 20, 2007, a seven-alarm fire at the abandoned warehouse across the street destroyed The Simple Way Community Center where Claiborne lived. He lost all of his possessions in the fire. The Simple Way immediately set up funds to accept donations to help those who lost their homes in the fire.
Shane is featured in the documentary The Ordinary Radicals
[edit] Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals
In early 2008, Claiborne and Chris Haw, founding member of another New Monastic community called the Camden House in near by Camden, NJ, released the book Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals. The book is published by Zondervan and looks at the life of Jesus and attempts to "provoke the Christian political imagination."
[edit] External Links:
- The Simple Way
- Greenbelt.org.uk
- CCDA.org
- Video of Claiborne preaching at Fusion
- Another World is Possible Series
- Rob Moll, "The New Monasticism", Christianity Today.
- http://www.newmonasticism.org
- NPR Interview with Shane
- Audio of Claiborne Presenting at Trinity Western University
- Interview with Shane Claiborne (May 2007) on Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett
- Roundtable discussion with Shane Claiborne, Greg Boyd and Chuck Colson (April 2008) on Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett
- Wittenburg Door interview
- Potter Street Records
- Kensington Warehouse Fire Video
- Jesus For President book website
- PAPA Festival site
- The Ordinary Radicals documentary
