New Book: Jesus for President

I’m pretty sure that the best gift in the world is gift cards to bookstores. I recently received a few of these and bought a variety of books. I bought Glittering Images, by Susan Howatch, Jesus the Jewish Theologian, by Brad Young, The Cross-Shattered Christ, by Stanley Hauerwas, and Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. I decided to read the latter text first. Joy and I are going to listen to Claiborne next Monday at Mars Hill. I thought it would be a good place to start. (I’m actually most excited about reading the book by Brad Young).

Let me start by saying that my first impression of Claiborne’s book is that it is a conglomeration of several theology books but with a lot more stories. It is very clear that Shane and Chris draw heavily from Yoder, Brueggeman, Hauerwas, Walter Wink, and a number of other authors who write substantially about God and Empire. It is also clear that he reads his Bible a lot more than I do.

This isn’t going to be a book review. I’m not in that mindset at the moment. Instead, I just want write about some of things that I thought about after reading this book. First, I like the language. Calling Moses an ‘orphaned refugee’ is a term I never thought of. Though, I’m not quite sure he was orphaned in the same way as a child from Uganda. Moses’ parents weren’t killed (enslaved yes, not killed). Or, the way the quotes are juxtaposed:

“Ever-faithful God, in death we are reminded of the precious birthrights of life and liberty you endowed in your American people. You have shown once again that these gifts must never be taken for granted….We seek your special blessing today for those who stand as sword and shield, protecting the many from the tyranny of the few.” – Donald Rumsfeld, Sept. 14, 2001

“We ourselves were well conversant with war, murder and everything evil, but all of us throughout the whole wide earth have traded in our weapons of war. We have exchanged our swords for plowshares, our spears for farm tools… now we cultivate the fear of God, justice, kindness, faith, and the expectation of the future given us through the crucified one.” - Justin (martyred in 165 AD).

Shane clearly reminds his readers that Jesus must be understood within his Jewish context, that Israel was not to be blessed more than others, but they were to be a blessing to the world. In fact, when Israel decided to be like others nations and begged for a King, God cried, “They have rejected me.” They were to be the ‘called out ones’, to embody God’s hope for the world.

Jesus then comes while the Jews are looking to be freed from the oppression of Rome. They want a liberator, one carrying a sword, for how else can one be freed from oppression than by violence? Except, their liberator, the one who strikes such fear in the king that he kills thousands of baby boys, starts preaching a peculiar message of loving your enemy and praying for those who persecute you. Then, when being arrested, not only does he not fight back, but he rebukes his disciple Peter for pulling out a sword, and answers Pilot, the governing official, that if he wanted to fight he could call on his disciples. BUT his Kingdom is not like the kingdoms of this world. His Kingdom is different. It is one where we say to those that hate and curse us, ‘you are our brothers.’

Shane is often times funny. In the last chapter and a half he uses our own American empirical context to the show the idolatry in our system. Through many stories, and quotes from our early church fathers and Christians throughout history, Claiborne analyzes the struggle of ‘serving two masters.’ He even writes, “If it appears as though we are encouraging folks to leave the military, that’s because we are.” I love it. He reminds us that while America, and all other nations, put their trust in the bomb as our security and strength, we are admonished by the prophets to not put our trust in military might but in God alone. Shame on the church for making the military out to be an honorable profession. War is never respectable. War feeds on our fear, but love casts out all fear.

I’m pretty sure that God has a better dream for the world than what America is doing in Iraq. Shane draws on many saints who have gone before us. This is what some have to say:

“During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade under the guise of patriotism.” - Howard Thurman

“I am a soldier of Christ and it is not permissible for me to fight.” - St. Martin of Tours

“On my knees I beg you to turn away from the paths of violence and to return to the ways of peace.” – Pope John Paul II

“Pray for them, and resist them.” – Fr. Daniel Berrigan