Shane Claiborne Quote

A friend and I prepared a video clip once for a worship service. Our goal was to capture people’s responses to the word Christian, so we took a video camera and hit the streets, from the trendy arts district to the suburbs. We asked people to say the first word that came to mind in response to each word we said: snow, eagles (it’s Philly), teenagers, and finally Christian. When people heard the word Christian, they stopped in their tracks. I will never forget their responses: fake, hypocrites, church, boring. One guy even said, used-to-be-one (sort of one word). I will also never forget what they didn’t say. Not one of the people we asked that day said love. No one said grace. No one said community.

Shane Claiborne

A friend and I prepared a video clip once for a worship service. Our goal was to capture people’s responses to the word Christian, so we took a video camera and hit the streets, from the trendy arts district to the suburbs. We asked people to say the first word that came to mind in response to each word we said: snow, eagles (it’s Philly), teenagers, and finally Christian. When people heard the word Christian, they stopped in their tracks. I will never forget their responses: fake, hypocrites, church, boring. One guy even said, used-to-be-one (sort of one word). I will also never forget what they didn’t say. Not one of the people we asked that day said love. No one said grace. No one said community.

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About Shane Claiborne

Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is an American evangelical Christian and founder, an author and organizational leader. He is one of the founders of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cofounder of the Red-Letter Christians, and has been described as a founder, as well, of the New Monastic movement. Moreover, Claiborne is referred to in the press as an activist, given his advocacy for nonviolence and service to the poor. Among other writings, he is the author of the book, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (2006).