Continuing to put my thoughts down about this book, a book which has only begun to make its impact upon Generations X and Y -- (see the first parts below):
In Chapter 2, Shane Claiborne relates the story of St. Edward's cathedral in North Philadelphia. What happens here becomes the seminal moment for him, and apparently for other students at Eastern. The chapter is called "Resurrecting Church", and it may be more appropriate to say that it's about how the church became relevant... for him. I dont' say that disrespectfully, but rather acknowledging that there's a certain subjectivity to our relationship with God that is essentially related to what it is God is calling us to do (our vocation). Until we find that, we are restless, by design.
Here's what happens: homeless families (largely moms and children) have taken refuge in St. Edward's, an abandoned Catholic cathedral in North Philly. The archdiocese wants to evict the families. Claiborne and the rest of the student friends go to St. Ed's to see what they can do. Here's how he describes what happens next:
"Then they invited us in. And we would never be the same again... They poured out their hearts to us, their struggles and their dreams. They reminded us that we all need each other and assured us that if we all shared with one another, there would be enough for everyone." (page 57)
That last sentence essentially becomes The Message Claiborne has for us and for the world. To be fair, he understands that message to be subordinate to the lordship of Jesus Christ - that Jesus really is Lord, and that God reconciles people to Himself through Christ. But what comes next? What is the end result? Dependence on God and interdependence with one another. Indeed, this is the essence of Christian community. But were the homeless at St. Ed's first reconciled to God in Christ? We can perhaps assume so in that they have communion, hold services, identify as such... but assuming is dangerous. We must first be forgiven, and the Gospel is first and foremost one of "repentance and forgiveness of sins" (see the Great Commission as Luke, who focuses on Jesus' ministry to the poor, has it in Luke 24:46,47).
I agree that as Christians, we MUST identify with the poor, whether we have limited resources or not. How that happens will be different from Christian to Christian, and we'll talk about this later. But first we must be committed to making sure that all are reconciled to God through Christ. Then, yes, Christian action - building God's community - must come next.
What is the principle hallmark of that community? Love. Love for God and love for people. We cannot neglect either. "Love for God" starts with believing on His name, receiving Jesus (John 1:12) and worshipping Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
Love for others must also happen, and let there be no doubt, LOVE is a verb. Put it into action! Intentions are useless; love in action counts (see 1 John 4). Sharing resources is one crucial aspect; is it pre-eminent though? That is perhaps the question of the book.
Claiborne and the other students then pool resources to share with the homeless families. Other resources come their way, even from the Mafia! Claiborne is disappointed that the mafia out-gives one wealthy congregation.
This is not the focus of this chapter, though, although it is important. The aspect of "love in action" that is the centerpiece of this chapter is the students' standing with the homeless in defying the archdiocese' eviction. This is civil disobedience in the name of social justice, in the name of Christ. Claiborne is honest in expressing some uncertainty, but ultimately is convinced that this is God's will:
"It felt like nothing could stop us, as if God really was on our side. I wasn't really sure how God felt about taking sides in difficult situations like this, but we had a real sense that even if we were being pursued by every department in the city, somehow the sea would split open and swallow them up (in the most loving way) in order to protect the families." (pages 61-62)
I'm inclined to agree, but we must always weigh our motives when we balance Acts 4 (our pattern for civil disobedience; Peter saying 'we must obey God rather than men') and Romans 13 (Paul: 'Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established'). What is going on? Where is God directing? Again, the New Testament gives broad principles but God's glory must be paramount.
Finally, Claiborne entitles this chapter "Resurrecting Church". Claiborne, upset that more Christians did not assist with the St. Edward's situation, and says:
"I think I've lost hope in the church," I confessed, brokenhearted, to a friend. I will never forget her response. "No, you haven't lost hope in the church. You may have lost hope in Christianity or Christendom or all the institutions, but you have not lost hope in the church. This {italics here} is the church." At that moment, we decided to stop complaining about the church we saw, and we set our hearts on becoming the church we dreamed of.
"We dreamed ancient visions of a church like the one in Acts, in which 'there were no needy persons among them' because everyone shared their possessions, not claiming anything as their own but 'sharing everything they had.' We knew we could end poverty. The early church did, and the homeless families were doing it. We thirsted for the kingdom of God, and we knew that it would come 'on earth as it is in heaven,' as Jesus said. We were not interested in a Christianity that offered these families only mansions and streets of gold in heaven when all they wanted was a bed for their kids now. And many Christians had an extra one."
That's rather unfair. It's true that the evangelical church has been unbalanced away from social action ever since the "social gospel"/fundamentalist controversies of 100 years ago. We are at the beginning of a move back toward balance. But it is very safe to say that the church has been at the forefront of social action and compassion ministries for a long time now. What this lament really reveals is Claiborne's lack of exposure (up to the St. Ed's situation) to Christian ministries of all stripe sacrificing for - AND living among -"the least of these". They are out there, there are many, and most are quiet. Granted, he will mention some of these later in the book.
One more thing: Acts is not about ending poverty. Disciples do form communities, and when those communities are Spirit-led, brothers and sisters share with each other. But their unity comes from a common purpose, and that purpose is to bring as many people into a relationship with Christ, experiencing His forgiveness, healing, and wonder-working power for living, and into a relationship with His community. Well, this is rough... but I'm feeling pressure to end this note. Needless to say, we'll revisit this in later chapters. Shane, I'm with you, I appreciate your love for the Lord and for people, and I continue to be reassured and challenged by your words. But the whole picture of what Christ's community is to be in the world, what it is to be about, may be a point of small but important differences between us. Matthew 5:14-16 IS true, amen.
