Rethinking Life

A calm but passionate defense of human life at every stage. Shane Claiborne reminds us that to be pro-life means to be pro all lives, not just pro some lives, from the innocent unborn child in the womb to the guilty inmate languishing on death row. Every life is sacred. James Martin, SJ, author, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone At a time of deep divisions, when religious faith is too often reduced to a marker of political allegiance and lines are too quickly drawn between friend and foe, Shane Claiborne offers a voice of resistance. Drawing on biblical teaching and church history, Claiborne invites readers to grapple with difficult issues with honesty, compassion, and courage. Rethinking Life is not just a book for progressive Christians but is for all Christians who seek to discern how to live faithfully in troubled times. This challenging, clear-eyed, and hope-filled book is a gift to the American church. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author, New York Times bestseller Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Great truth is invariably simple, but not at all simplistic. It builds right on top of the very basics. Thus we have to forever relearn the basics--real well! Shane Claiborne does this almost naturally. Fr. Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque Here is a book that courageously and effectively tackles several difficult issues around the ethics of life for those who wish to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Whether it is abortion, capital punishment, eugenics, war, or the historic culpability of the church, Shane Claiborne avoids oversimplification in any direction by focusing on the human element, offering provocative questions for both individuals and small groups to chew on. Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; author, Love Is the Way and The Power of Love I resonate with this book in the marrow of my bones! In Rethinking Life, Shane Claiborne shows us what a genuine pro-life theology, ethic, and practice demands of us and looks like in practice. Authentic Christianity has always been robustly pro-life, but it must be more than a politicized slogan selectively and narrowly applied. In Rethinking Life, Claiborne's thinking is as keen as his heart is compassionate. And best of all, Jesus shines through on every page. Brian Zahnd, author, When Everything's on Fire In matters of life and death and of the heart of God, the stakes are too high to limit our conversation partners. Claiborne has given us a probing exploration of history, biblical themes, and personal experience that demands serious consideration for an expansive ethic of life. Walter Kim, president, National Association of Evangelicals My friend Shane has written another terrific book. He is once again insightful and clever and has filled these pages with predictably kind and sometimes hard words. Shane is a voice I trust. I deeply value his insights, and I know you will as well. Bob Goff, New York Times bestselling author, Love Does, Everybody Always, and Dream Big Perhaps Shane Claiborne's most theologically significant work, Rethinking Life offers a profound articulation of a consistent pro-life Christian ethic, richly informed by Shane's on-the-ground experiences in activism and witness. Highly recommend! David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University; Chair in Christian Social Ethics, Vrije Universteit Amsterdam; senior research fellow, International Baptist Theological Study Centre; president emeritus, American Academy of Religion, Society of Christian Ethics Rethinking Life is an intervention. In a moment when the politics of life is leading to death, master storyteller and public theologian Shane Claiborne leads followers of Jesus on a brave pilgrimage through the meaning, ethics, and politics of life--and death--and love. This is one of those books you will cherish and quote for the rest of your life. Lisa Sharon Harper, president and founder, FreedomRoad.us; author, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All Shane Claiborne has once again offered the world a book that reorients our spiritual worldview toward compassion, justice, and humility. Rethinking Life dares the reader to embrace a sacred spiritual framework for life beyond hollow political talking points and shallow religious doctrine; we are called to witness the sacred in other people, cultures, traditions, faiths, classes, and racial classifications. This book pushes believers to fully live a Christ-centered life and challenges the nonbeliever to construct a moral philosophy rooted in compassion. Otis Moss III, author, Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times Shane Claiborne is a force of gospel power. In this book he mobilizes his energy, wisdom, honesty, compassion, and practicality into a manifesto for transformation. As a truth teller, he does not flinch from the indices of our skewed public life, marked as they are by anti-neighborly violence. In the midst of this truth telling, however, Claiborne attests to the buoyancy of a gospel faith that can be acted out in any circumstance of our distorted life together. If readers follow his testimony, they will surely be led to life in a 'contrast culture' that traffics in God's love and restorative justice, which are sure to create zones of well-being. This is a book that is wise in its expose and fervent in its hope giving. What matters is to read attentively and then to act accordingly. Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary Shane's latest offering to the church, Rethinking Life, provides a useful juxtaposition of personal encounters and sacred text to guide us toward shaping a theologically sound Christian ethic informed by our lived experiences. While we may not arrive at the same conclusion in every circumstance, Rethinking Life sets a bountiful table of ideas and tools useful in reasoning together, when collective reasoning seems rare. I am certain I will return to this book often in the days and years to come. Rev. Traci D. Blackmon, associate general minister, Justice and Local Church Ministries, United Church of Christ What does love require of us? That is a question Christ followers need to be asking at every crossroads (and with every breath), and everyone else would benefit from asking it as well. This question and a variety of biblically rooted and profound answers are at the core of Rethinking Life. Shane Claiborne has a unique and powerful voice as he comments on the call of the church at this historic moment; he makes camp in the no-man's-land between the two sides of the cultural wars, exuding the winsome fragrance of Christ. You don't have to agree with all of his answers (not even his wife does, as Shane admits in the book), but there is no doubt that his questions matter, and his responses are provocative in all the best ways. Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra, academic dean, Centro Latino; associate professor of mission and global transformation, Fuller Theological Seminary When I am dismayed by how little Christians are turning to Jesus these days, along comes my dear younger brother in Christ, Shane Claiborne, with a new word or call, and now a new book! My students at Georgetown are deeply hungry for the 'rethinking of life,' and Shane is one of the best authors I know to help them do that. Despite their skepticism of religion, the young people I talk with every day are still deeply attracted to Jesus, and Shane offers them a real introduction to the one who most guides us to rethink everything. Jim Wallis, inaugural chair and founding director, Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University With theological savvy, historical insight, and uncommon wisdom, Shane Claiborne reminds us of the subversive power of telling the truth, being unafraid to follow wherever it leads. In summoning the followers of Jesus to become 'midwives of a better world,' Claiborne's prophetic voice has never been clearer--or more timely. Randall Balmer, author, Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right