The biggest problem with Claiborne's philosophy is that he has not based it on the reality of the Scriptures, but rather on vain deceits.
For example, on page 302 he declares, "I do not think we are naturally able to hurt each other." This may seem nice, but it falls flat in comparison to the weight of scriptures: "There is none righteous, no not one." (Romans 3:10) "Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts." (Psalm 28:3)
We are inherently wicked, and there is nothing good within us. We are sons of perdition, dead in our transgressions and sins. But thanks be to the Lord, who frees us from this death, Who brings us from death into life.
Also, Claiborne does not distinguish between believer and unbeliever in his teachings. He quotes Jesus saying, "Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me," but he omits the phrase "my bretheren." Not all are called Jesus' bretheren, but only those who are given the right to be called the Sons of God. The sinner is not the brother of the saint, for death cannot be equally yoked with life. Our call is to protect our bretheren, our families in Christ.
Claiborne never once speaks of working to save souls; in fact, he degrades such teachings. It was Claiborne who said, "We were not interested in a Christianity that offered these families only mansions and streets of gold inheaven when all they wanted was a bed for their kids now." He believes that Jesus is inherent in the poor, and that the rich are inherently unChristian, by virtue of their riches, a view expressed multiple times throughout the text.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Foreword
The foreword to this book was written by Jim Wallis, a man in whom I will never trust.
After a twisting of the adage "Be careful what you wish for" (to my knowledge, "wish" is not usually replaced by "pray", even in Christian circles, because we tend to believe that the Lord is good), we get some good glimpses into Wallis's character.
First, we have an attack on the "middle-class believers" and the "conservatives on the religious right", two forces that historically stand in the way of Globalism and Communism. Since founding Sojourners, Wallis has advocated for exactly these two forces, only to have his plans rejected by what Nixon once called the "Silent Majority".
Next, we find that Wallis associates Claiborne's "disaffection from America's cultural and patriotic Christianity" with his delving into "the Way". This is an interesting point. The initial settlers of the early colonies were Puritans, Christians whose religious and political views made them targets in their home country. The government of this nation was founded by Christians (Jefferson and Franklin cannot be called "deist", and both agreed that the Bible is the foundation for our liberty). We are one nation under God. Even the Supreme Court in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States announced that "We are a Christian nation". Does this mean that our republican, capitalist system is fundamentally un-Christian?
Page 14 plainly spells out the intent of Wallis and Claiborne: "apply faith to social justice". For those of you who don't know, "Social Justice" is the process by which the wealthy are robbed of their possessions to give to the poor. This is known as "redistribution", and is one of the fundamental tenets of Marxism: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Social Justice always results in a permanent underclass, who feel entitled to other people's property, and a general decline in prosperity.
Finally, Wallis praises the "emerging Christianity", a topic thoroughly discussed at crossroad.to, one of my preferred references.
In summary, Wallis has tipped his hand, revealing that what is being sold as a Christian Renewal is actually another call to that One World governance over which the Beast will reign.
After a twisting of the adage "Be careful what you wish for" (to my knowledge, "wish" is not usually replaced by "pray", even in Christian circles, because we tend to believe that the Lord is good), we get some good glimpses into Wallis's character.
First, we have an attack on the "middle-class believers" and the "conservatives on the religious right", two forces that historically stand in the way of Globalism and Communism. Since founding Sojourners, Wallis has advocated for exactly these two forces, only to have his plans rejected by what Nixon once called the "Silent Majority".
Next, we find that Wallis associates Claiborne's "disaffection from America's cultural and patriotic Christianity" with his delving into "the Way". This is an interesting point. The initial settlers of the early colonies were Puritans, Christians whose religious and political views made them targets in their home country. The government of this nation was founded by Christians (Jefferson and Franklin cannot be called "deist", and both agreed that the Bible is the foundation for our liberty). We are one nation under God. Even the Supreme Court in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States announced that "We are a Christian nation". Does this mean that our republican, capitalist system is fundamentally un-Christian?
Page 14 plainly spells out the intent of Wallis and Claiborne: "apply faith to social justice". For those of you who don't know, "Social Justice" is the process by which the wealthy are robbed of their possessions to give to the poor. This is known as "redistribution", and is one of the fundamental tenets of Marxism: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." Social Justice always results in a permanent underclass, who feel entitled to other people's property, and a general decline in prosperity.
Finally, Wallis praises the "emerging Christianity", a topic thoroughly discussed at crossroad.to, one of my preferred references.
In summary, Wallis has tipped his hand, revealing that what is being sold as a Christian Renewal is actually another call to that One World governance over which the Beast will reign.
Shane Claiborne and Jim Wallis
Well, without further ado, let's dive on into this.
Shane Claiborne is the founder of a New Monastic community called the Potter Street Community (formerly The Simple Way). He is often compared to Mother Theresa in his outlook on poverty and war. Blah, blah, blah.
As we will soon see, Claiborne is a self-proclaimed postmodernist and a radical who hearkens back to "ancient ways", "ancient whispers reminding us that another world is possible." He is an Emergent, which is to say that he rejects the clear and apparent meaning of the Scriptures in favor of a more "universal", more "tolerant" message.
Jim Wallis is a famous socialist leader, and a chief of the liberal christian sect. He too might be called Emergent, in that he exchanges the truth of Jesus' Kingdom in Heaven ("My kingdom is not of this world" - John 18:36) for an earthly, communist kingdom. He is also one of Obama's spiritual advisors (shocker).
This is an incomplete article on the authors of this book, based on some preliminary research. I hope to one day revisit this topic, but for the moment let's press on.
Shane Claiborne is the founder of a New Monastic community called the Potter Street Community (formerly The Simple Way). He is often compared to Mother Theresa in his outlook on poverty and war. Blah, blah, blah.
As we will soon see, Claiborne is a self-proclaimed postmodernist and a radical who hearkens back to "ancient ways", "ancient whispers reminding us that another world is possible." He is an Emergent, which is to say that he rejects the clear and apparent meaning of the Scriptures in favor of a more "universal", more "tolerant" message.
Jim Wallis is a famous socialist leader, and a chief of the liberal christian sect. He too might be called Emergent, in that he exchanges the truth of Jesus' Kingdom in Heaven ("My kingdom is not of this world" - John 18:36) for an earthly, communist kingdom. He is also one of Obama's spiritual advisors (shocker).
This is an incomplete article on the authors of this book, based on some preliminary research. I hope to one day revisit this topic, but for the moment let's press on.
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