A Visit with "Shaner"

One of the things I love about Fresno is the many opportunities I get to experience justice-related activities. This past Thursday I went downtown with my Staff community to spend a night hearing from Shane Claiborne on the topic of, get this, "the New Monasticism."

Who is Shane Claiborne? Here's an excerpt from his bio:

Shane is a graduate of Eastern University with graduate work from Princeton Seminary. Shane is a founding partner of The Simple Way, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in Kensington, North Philadelphia. Shane has helped birth and connect many grassroots Christian communities throughout the country, as well as prophetically awaken many others to consider the Gospel as a way of life. Shane writes and travels extensively speaking about peacemaking, social justice, and Jesus, and is the author of the book The Irresistible Revolution. He was also featured on the front cover of Christianity Today: (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/009/16.38.html)

So I wasn't sure what to expect, but Shane really challenged my/our thinking. The processing time afterward at Denny's was priceless! But here's just one thing I've been chewing on since Thursday:

In Mark 10:29-30 Jesus says this: "And Jesus replied, "I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return, a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property--with persecutions. And in the world to come they will have eternal life."

At The Simple Way, they have a concept they call "mystical multiplication," a term they use to describe the seeming paradox that when you give the most up, you get the most (and more) back from Jesus. What a crazy thing! Honestly, it's like poker, only with a guarantee (albeit a guarantee that you have to choose to have faith in). In the life of a disciple, you have to go "all in" (repeatedly--on every hand!) in order to get the good stuff. Do I do that, or do I hold on to some in reserve? That's a troubling question.

So we'll call it "playing Jesus poker with your life." Thanks, Shane, for asking a great, if not disturbing, question. Here's a JPEG of Shane's new book (on order for me tomorrow!):