Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals

by Shane Claiborne, Chris Haw, Chico Fajardo-Heflin

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 2,567 ratings · 233 reviews

Jesus for President is a radical manifesto to awaken the Christian political imagination, reminding us that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in Jesus and the incarnation of the peculiar politic of the church as a people set apart from this world.

In what can be termed lyrical theology, Jesus for President poetically weaves together words and ima...more

Paperback, 398 pages

Published February 13th 2008 by Zondervan Publishing Company (first published January 1st 2008)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Favorite Christian Books

91st out of 768 books — 619 voters

The Kingdom of God Is Within You by Leo Tolstoy

Anarchy and Christianity by Jacques Ellul

Living on Hope While Living in Babylon by Tripp York

That Holy Anarchist by Mark Van Steenwyk

Christian Anarchism by Alexandre Christoyannopoulos

Best Christian anarchist books

11th out of 11 books — 5 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 03, 2008 Jimmy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion-and-theology

I loved this book. I hated this book. It is an easy read (linguistically, at least), but a hard read (conceptually). Conservative Christians everywhere need to read it, not because it's right but because we need to wrestle with the issues Claiborne & Haw raise through-out the book. Their ideas of reclaiming a "prophetic vision" and subversion of empire are discussions the church needs to be having ... right now!

There were many instances in which I disagreed with the book. I will mention thre...more

15 likes · like · see review

Jul 14, 2008 Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: professional

Shaped by the anabaptist peace tradition, Jesus for President casts a compelling vision of what Jesus' "revolutionary subordination" might mean for engaging our communities and nation today. Like The Irresistible Revolution (which this book compliments without repeating), Jesus for President describes the authors' dream for what ordinary Christians might become--radically committed to living like Jesus. Relying heavily on John Howard Yoder's pacifism and biblical scholarship, they suggest su...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 10, 2008 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm not quite done with this book and I'm rapidly trying to finish it b/c it was due at library on Thursday...but I can't return until I'm done! It's so good! I'm definitely buying this one to keep in my collection...there is a lot of wisdom here that I'll want to keep going back to years from now. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time...so many great ideas. And it's also one of the best looking books I've ever seen...every single page is a work of art! I recommend this book to eve...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Larry Eisner rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a challenging book! It's a simple read but a terrifying prospect to stop our inbred allegiances to nation and man made patriotism and instead follow the lamb and live sacrificially and with full intention and awareness instead of living with our comfort-blinders on. It's easy to go to a coffee shop and buy a fair trade coffee. It's easy to recycle. But it's difficult to say no to cheap labor built on the backs of slavery or forced labor. It's difficult to pledge allegiance to god and enemy-...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Eric Sundquist rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book is divided into four main sections. The first two sections are a justification of the last two. They show how their brand of orthopraxis is rooted in the Bible. For those interested in interesting ways to live the Christian life (which aren't so prevalent in today's culture) and aren't too interested in biblical study, then the last two sections would be sufficient.

The first section takes the reader through the history of Israel in the Old Testament. The point is stressed that God NEVER...more The book is divided into four main sections. The first two sections are a justification of the last two. They show how their brand of orthopraxis is rooted in the Bible. For those interested in interesting ways to live the Christian life (which aren't so prevalent in today's culture) and aren't too interested in biblical study, then the last two sections would be sufficient.

The first section takes the reader through the history of Israel in the Old Testament. The point is stressed that God NEVER wanted Israel to have a king, and he has never sanctioned any formal government. God would rather that his people just trust him to be their leader and not worry about governments so much.

The second section deals with Jesus' entrance into the world. Although he never had political power, he set up his own kingdom that rivals the Roman Empire and all other systems of political power. Many of the events in Jesus' career had symbolic significance to show that Jesus' kingdom was set against the world's kingdom (manifested in the Roman Empire and other hubs of political power that have arisen since).

The third section discusses what the early church was like before and after it became the state religion. Christianity became watered down and almost meaningless when it was condoned by the state, and people forgot that they pledge allegiance to God and not to the Empire; the Empire may pretend to serve God's purposes, but in actually it opposes them in almost every aspect. The parallel is stressed that this is the exact happenings in modern-day America. Christianity does not need patriotism.

The last section deals with several small pieces of what Christianity can look like today when our first allegiance is to God over nation. It covers whether Christians need to/should vote, should serve in the military, pay taxes, buy things, forgive, be subversive to the government, participate in the economy, and other practical matters. When it comes down to it, the issues the Church involves itself with are very political, but it needs to show creativity to find workable solutions instead of getting the government involved.

I find it hard to disagree with many points in the book. The case from the Bible is quite solid, and the system as a whole holds water. The part I have trouble with is actually converting my life to be submissive in all these ways. It is hard to make choices that make you less comfortable.(less)

like · see review

Sep 12, 2010 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: faith-and-spirituality, borrowed, law-policy-and-justice, living-a-joyful-life

Radical? Yes. Unsettling? Oh yes. But given the subject matter, surprisingly winsome and persuasive.

Claiborne advocates for a political conception of the Christian faith that calls for, on the one hand, abstinence from involvement with the state (especially the military) and consumerism and, on the other, for nonviolent resistance to oppression and exploitation by public and private agents. He obviously has his work cut out for him: the (white) evangelical church in the United States of the past...more Radical? Yes. Unsettling? Oh yes. But given the subject matter, surprisingly winsome and persuasive.

Claiborne advocates for a political conception of the Christian faith that calls for, on the one hand, abstinence from involvement with the state (especially the military) and consumerism and, on the other, for nonviolent resistance to oppression and exploitation by public and private agents. He obviously has his work cut out for him: the (white) evangelical church in the United States of the past decade is/was so entangled with both the government/military and the market that you can scarcely imagine greater allegiance to either. But he and his co-author are, to me, so effective in presenting their vision for two reasons. First, the lengthy exposition provides the necessary Scriptural-historical basis for their message. One can easily make the glib declaration that Jesus was anti-war or anti-establishment, but they provide so many examples and so much context that their thesis, radical as it is, is totally plausible. Second, these guys walk the walk. They have done relief/reconciliation work in Iraq and in the inner cities of Camden and Philadelphia. They make their own clothes. They've been arrested for protesting at weapons manufacturing facilities and for sleeping alongside homeless people in parks. And too many other outrageous and creative and whimsical things to list. The stories not only prove their sincerity but also the feasibility of putting their beliefs into practice.

I do think that some of the content left for the last chunk of the last chapter was so important that it could have used more space earlier in the book. They actually do present a good answer to "What about World War II?" -- which, for me, was the question that was hanging for about a hundred pages and was making me feel pretty exasperated with them until they confronted it head on. (In particular, I would have held off altogether with "Why shouldn't we have assassinated Hitler?" -- whose answer I did not find particularly satisfying and that appeared to address the whole issue of the Holocaust and to do so badly -- which came much earlier in the book.) Likewise for "Well, how should we vote, then?" and to a lesser degree their analysis of Romans 13, which is relegated to an appendix.

A number of Christian writers have tried the same scrapbook style of visual presentation as is found here. At times I found it distracting and mildly gimmicky or contrived, but in general I thought it was much more effective than it has been in other books I've read (I'm thinking of Rob Bell's books and of "Jesus Loves You" by the XXXchurch guys).

In short, though it's not perfect, I thought this book was as awesome as it was because it was so ambitious and achieved its goals so well -- it probably has changed, and will change, many people's lives. (less)

like · see review

Jul 08, 2009 Mac rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-thought-and-commentary

This book is completely radical. I hate to be so cliche as to say it not only impacted my life more than any other book I've ever read, but that it had a major role in completely changing my life. It's true.

Jesus for President is challenging. It presents some very hard-edged ideas that will challenge you and REALLY get you thinking about life, about what you think or feel is important, about what you're really hoping for in the end and how you're going about getting there.

Because of this book, I...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 23, 2011 Kurt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Visually, this book is amazing. Pages are printed in different colors and with different textures, so it feels like a scrapbook. There are photographs, line drawings, and captions all over, and many of the otherwise ordinary written passages have editing marks all over them. Reading this book is an unusual and inviting experience.

As for the content, though... The book shines with the personal stories at the end, with concrete examples of what it looks like to radically live out the love that the...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 09, 2011 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

Creatively and beautifully written and illustrated, this book calls you to redefine your idea of Jesus and his message, showing just how politically charged, and radical, it really is. This book, while written in a very enjoyable and easy to read way, challenges the reader to reconsider everything they’ve ever thought about Jesus and what it means to follow in his example in being set apart from the empires and establishments that perpetuate anything less than what the kingdom of God stands for....more Creatively and beautifully written and illustrated, this book calls you to redefine your idea of Jesus and his message, showing just how politically charged, and radical, it really is. This book, while written in a very enjoyable and easy to read way, challenges the reader to reconsider everything they’ve ever thought about Jesus and what it means to follow in his example in being set apart from the empires and establishments that perpetuate anything less than what the kingdom of God stands for.

Focusing on how Jesus’ message and example is something we’re supposed to be following and emulating in a way that is meaningful and relevant to this life, as opposed as a way to merely ensure us a seat in some hereafter (a concept I’m already familiar with, through authors like Brian McLaren, a concept I love and agree with, one that I find so much more meaningful than the idea of using Jesus as a mere ticket to some sort of exclusive VIP after-party), the authors show us just what that looks like, through numerous examples and explanations. They give insight into the mentality of Jesus and the Jews, as well as of the Romans, of his time, showing us just how dynamic and radical the actions, expressions, and phrases we’ve heard attributed to him our whole lives really are. The Jesus they reveal, the one with the political message and the call to the potential to live a better, more meaningful, life here and now is the Jesus I’ve always preferred and believed over every other version I’ve encountered, yet something in the way they present him resonated with me in such a way that made it almost seem like I was encountering the idea for the first time, like I was seeing it with new eyes…
I personally loved how they inserted quotes that complimented points they were making, as well as quotes from those who reflect another side of “Christianity”, or even the “empire”, ones that were so opposite of the points of the authors that it made those points that much more poignant.

I would recommend this to everyone – Christian and non-Christian, it doesn’t matter. This is a Jesus I think the world should see, and this is a book I think everyone should read – and make sure you take the time to read the appendixes online as well! All of it definitely makes you rethink things.

This isn’t just a book, it’s a manifesto. …(less)

like · see review

May 21, 2009 Fox rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Brett

Recommended to Fox by: Library

Shelves: non-fiction, religion, history, 2009, politics

A genuinely cool book.

I found Jesus for President under the New Non-Fiction section of the library and couldn't help but check it out when I read the title. I didn't know what to expect from the book (there's no summary on the back) and decided immediately that that was part of the overall allure it presented. What I got was not exactly what I expected, but instead was something more fascinating.

Firstly, I have to praise the formatting of the book. The pictures and somewhat interactive footnote...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2011 James (JD) Dittes added it

Listening to this book, it struck me: conservative Christians tend to believe in the God of the Old Testament and look for confirmation in passages from the New Testament; while liberal Christians tend to believe in the God/Christ of the NT and look for confirmation in the OT.

Claiborne and Haw definitely fit into the latter camp, and their radical application of the teachings of Jesus, Paul and James will certainly step on the toes of believers of all stripes. They take the reader out of culture...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2010 Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jesus for President is a fascinating, disturbing, and inspirational book. It was written and published in a self-consciously bohemian style, in an effort to appeal to young people and those tired of books with boring white pages and black text. The potential readership is both those who love the American brand of Christianity, as well as those that despise it.

The first half of the book reinterprets Christian history and scripture, largely inspired by liberation theology. It simply blows up the n...more Jesus for President is a fascinating, disturbing, and inspirational book. It was written and published in a self-consciously bohemian style, in an effort to appeal to young people and those tired of books with boring white pages and black text. The potential readership is both those who love the American brand of Christianity, as well as those that despise it.

The first half of the book reinterprets Christian history and scripture, largely inspired by liberation theology. It simply blows up the notion that being a good Christian means being a good American. Loyalty to the American flag is incompatible to loyalty to the Cross. A man cannot serve two masters when their demands are so strikingly different.

The second half of the book demonstrates how deeply flawed our American cultural and political system is, and to those who value peace, egalitarianism, and social justice (values that Jesus himself promoted), it is discouraging how little they matter to our system. The author draws striking parallels between the American Empire and the Roman Empire, demonstrating that our society, rather than being a Christian nation, is actually more similar to the Romans who persecuted the early Christian community.

The book does not end with hopelessness, but suggests radical, bold, creative ways to love our neighbors, both domestically and internationally. But it may cost us our jobs, our popularity, our comforts, and in some cases, even our lives. Living out the message of Jesus is dangerous and risky. Lip service to God is much easier than commitment. Authentic practice of Christianity will always be restricted to the margins, transforming lives and relationships in subtle ways outside the attention of media and government. When it does become visible, it is usually vigorously opposed and/or attacked. Only as part of a strong, vibrant, loving community can we hope to carry out the seemingly impossible task of bringing peace to a world that seems bent on exploitation and destruction for the sake of wealth, power, and comfort. Without the help of God himself, the vision and message of Jesus is hopelessly futile.(less)

like · see review

Mar 07, 2008 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Calley & Leah & my husband

This was phenomenal. There is this whole other radical way to think about everything. This book had very little to do w/ presidential races or voting . . . and lots to do w/ everyday races & politics. Lots to say about how we are voting every single day. I will write more about this book later, but suffice it to say, I loved the book & admire the authors very much. If I wanted to pick some heroes, these guys would be it.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 15, 2012 Tim Beck rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

this was a poignant read - especially during this years political madness. there were so many things that i appreciated about this book - #1 being Clairborne & Haw's plea for the evangelical church to reclaim it's calling of following Jesus first, country second. i've felt for a long time that American Christianity had been hijacked - Jesus For President offers a new way, with insights of an alternative way of living and being Jesus to the world.

Jesus for President tackles tough issues such...more

like · see review

May 17, 2012 Clif Hostetler rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: religion

The title of this book is an attention getting update of terms such as "King Jesus" and "Jesus is Lord." It’s an ironic title because the authors admit that the American “powers and principalities” would remove him quickly if Jesus were somehow made President of the United States. Why? Because the first thing he would do is disarm the military and put them to work aiding the poor.

This book's position is that the ethics of Jesus apply to life here and now; not to some personal spiritual relations...more The title of this book is an attention getting update of terms such as "King Jesus" and "Jesus is Lord." It’s an ironic title because the authors admit that the American “powers and principalities” would remove him quickly if Jesus were somehow made President of the United States. Why? Because the first thing he would do is disarm the military and put them to work aiding the poor.

This book's position is that the ethics of Jesus apply to life here and now; not to some personal spiritual relationship that provides a ticket to a heavenly afterlife. Readers who believe Jesus is an American and a member of their favorite political party will be shocked to find that the authors of this book are at a completely different place. In other words, after taking the Hebrew and Christian scriptures more seriously than those identified by the mainstream media as "evangelical conservatives," this book has arrived at a political positions that are polar opposites those pious folks.

My summary of the book’s position is this--actions matter, share your money, and avoid possessing power. Doing this will lead you to live simply, aid the poor and oppose the military. If that sounds radical, this book agrees. Jesus was radical in his time, and the writers of this book want to follow his example and be radical in our time.

I am generally sympathetic with their political positions, and I tend to be amused at how their study of the Bible leads them to political positions opposed to the “holier that thou” evangelical conservatives. But I can’t be too smug about it because the authors of this book would not approved of my own life style. They don’t offer much of a middle position short of dumpster diving, living off the grid and giving my money away.

The book is divided into four main sections. The first two sections are focused on showing that the book's positions are rooted in the Bible. The first section does a quick overview of the scriptures used by Jesus, the Hebrew scriptures. The second section deals with Jesus' relationship with religious and political leaders in his time. The third section describes what the early church was like before and after it became the state religion. The fourth and last section discusses what Christianity can look like today when allegiance is to God over national patriotism. It goes on to deal with nitty-gritty questions such as serving in the military, paying taxes, and consumerism.

I couldn't help but notice that the book references John Howard Yoder several times. I have recently read his book, Politics of Jesus which I found to be a challenging academic style of writing. The book "Jesus for President" in contrast is quite easy to read and is probably written at a junior high level. I also noticed that the book sites the Amish as a positive example of how Christians should live.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2011 Meadow rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book totally blew my mind! First of all, it was a really unique style - kind of pictorial narrative discourse, or something :) (In other words, it had lots of pictures and stories and historical information.) The more I read the more I worried I got, because it was clearly the kind of book you can't read without changing to become more radical!

But I kept reading, because becoming more radical for the cause of Jesus is worth it. In the end, I have to say, this book was life-changing. I don't...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Matt Knight rated it 1 of 5 stars

I would not recommend this book to anyone. It is poorly written and extremely one-sided. The authors pull Bible verses and other quotes out of context and twist them to fit with their agenda. Half the time, they don't even cite their sources so for all anyone knows they could be making most of their information up on the spot. I am actually very surprised that Zondervan published this book. A lot of the authors' ideals are misguided if you take the time to see what the Bible actually has to say...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars

this book was excellent. It works to forget the political mindset that we have become used to and targets the political message of Jesus Christ. The point of this book is to reawaken the Christian mind to see past the politics so widely accepted in Christian culture today. What this book is saying is that Jesus message was one that did not in any way "make sense" by the standards of the world. It illustrates the fact that Jesus came to create a new peculiar and set apart people. People will say...more

like · see review

Jun 21, 2012 Jessica Heck rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was actually more like four mini-books all in one binding. They were far too dense to be considered chapters. The first "book" is about empires in the Old Testament.The second is about NT empires. The third is about the major events in history where the church and the empire of its days collided or merged (Constantine, the Holocaust, etc.). The fourth is about what we, as Christians, are supposed to do to express our disapproval of militaristic governments, policies that put greed ove...more

like · see review

Nov 29, 2008 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Matt by: Greaterworks

Really, I wanted to give it 4 1/2, but the thing won't let me. While there are a few points where (much to my own suprise...believe me) I found my self saying things like, "Wow Claiborne, you are way TOO radical!", this book instantly won my heart through its intelligent way of grappling with the tough issues that are plaguing Christianity today. I also have to respect the hard nosed living initiatives it seems to progress.

One point of contention i had that you may notice when you read it as wel...more

like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Christopher M. rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ok, where do I start? It's not that these guys can't speak some truth or don't make some valid observations and solutions regarding the blind following and condoning of the establishment. 2 problems. 1) This isn't the gospel. Never once is sin portrayed as something personal that we can't take care of ourselves. Righteousness is not only something exemplified by Christ, but something that can come from ONLY Christ. 2) The opinions are expressed with such a breathtaking immaturity, I had to force...more

1 like · like · see review

May 16, 2009 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow - what an interesting book! And to start with, I'm referring to just the printing and formatting. It reminds me of a graphic novel genre - various typefaces, pages looking like blotter paper, notepad, etc. Even the bibliography is shown as three pages of books stacked on a bookshelf so you can read the titles and authors. The authors are Christians who live in intentional communities in Philadelphia, PA and and Camden, NJ. They wrote this in 2007-08, as the US election process wore on. They...more Wow - what an interesting book! And to start with, I'm referring to just the printing and formatting. It reminds me of a graphic novel genre - various typefaces, pages looking like blotter paper, notepad, etc. Even the bibliography is shown as three pages of books stacked on a bookshelf so you can read the titles and authors. The authors are Christians who live in intentional communities in Philadelphia, PA and and Camden, NJ. They wrote this in 2007-08, as the US election process wore on. They discipline themselves to avoid pointing the finger (too much) at a certain president, thus making a much broader point of discussing America, Christianity, Rome in its empire day, and the Christian church so that all can read without defensiveness (or equal defensiveness, both parties, all parties, church leadership, radicals, and the great middle class of believers).

Their introduction states provocatively, "We in the church are schizophrenic: we want to be good Christians, but deep down we trust that only the power of the state and its militaries and its markets can really make a difference in the world. And so we're hardly able to distinguish between what's American and what's Christian."

The book takes off, looking at what Jesus might act like if President (hint - we might not like it). Well that's not quite true. The authors simply want to broaden the definition of political, "an exploration of the Bible's political imagination." There are fascinating discussions of the Gospel of America, "empire," is there such a thing as a Christian nation or should there be, didn't God caution about Israel even wanting their first King?

Probably one of the more illuminating discussions comes at the end of the book delving into Romans 13, where Paul writes, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except which God has established." They ask, what would this text mean to a German Christian living under Hitler's rule, or an Iraqi christian living under Saddam Hussein's rule? It explores the difficulties of living out a renunciation of violence even when it seems like it could help - such as Bonhoeffer's role in trying to assassinate Hitler. The "just war" tradition with its seeds are in this passage and thus discussed. They don't shrink from the dilemma, should we leave the "dirty work" to the state so we can have clean hands?

The narrative then asks, us, Americans, "What then should we have done in World War II?" Their answer is with a question, "who is we?" Rather than answering from a state foreign policy, for believers the question is what should we as Christians do? What do we do in a situation where there are more Palestinian Christians than in Israel?

There's more, and there is a lot of thinking involved. Its not a fast book to read, but it could be a great book for a small group study.(less)

like · see review

Dec 04, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, spiritual

Another challenging book from Shane Claiborne, with Chris Haw. This is the book I would have written if I had been more ambitious. It is divided into four sections. The first section looks at the role Israel was to play in God's plan for the earth. How they were set aside as a peculiar people whose purpose was to demonstrate God's love and provision in the earth. The second section is devoted to a study of Jesus and his challenge to the Roman empire that ruled the earth. Jesus came to show the w...more

like · see review

Nov 16, 2010 Chris Bloom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-and-reviewed

Claiborne makes some very good points here, and is speaking a message that the American Church -- particularly my own evangelical branch -- desperately needs to hear. At the same time, he tends to play a little fast and loose with Scripture, and can go off on some odd tangents. Combined with the too-cool-for-school graphic design, which ranges from genius to really annoying (often in a single page), and the youth of the author and of his intended audience becomes obvious.

There is definitely more...more

like · see review

Aug 14, 2012 Jeff Elliott rated it 2 of 5 stars

How shall I describe this book? To be fair I would say "thought-provoking". Early on I agreed whole-heartedly but then as he continued I felt his conclusions seemed forced by trying to be revolutionary, counter-cultural, anti-materialistic, environmentalist, anti-consumer, etc;... In the end it became like a lot of other hippie books. While I appreciate Claiborne's sincerity and effort, I pretty much got what I expected from the middle to the end. I found his thoughts on many issues to be confus...more

like · see review

Aug 22, 2008 Evan added it

Great read for the election year, and beyond. Written by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw, it balances Biblical study with the past and current ideas of government, ultimately illuminating the Kingdom we should be serving as followers of Christ.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 16, 2009 Kenneth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Want to jump start your Christian imagination?

Jesus for President provides a mess load of power packed ideas on how Christians should interact with the world surrounding them. The authors break down the political standpoints of the Old and New Testaments, examine the early Christians interactions with an Empire whose global impact was only outmatched by its military industrial complex (wait a minute...) and then gives a litany of practical examples for followers of The Way to live out their Bapt...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who REALLY want to be like Jesus. People who ask themselves what it likes to be like Jesus.

Recommended to Sarah by: life

Shelves: books-to-buy, glad-to-know-you

OH Shane and Chris...

I like this book and I hated this book. I agreed with most everything in it. I was challenged. I felt convicted-- but I don't WANNA give up my comfort! How does God call me to live? It's a hard question. Some times it seems too simplistic-- well we did it this way. You can too. I am not so sure. I can't just live on rags-- my career won't allow that, and I think my career is important. But, I can live simply.

It reminds me of Mother Theresa saying that we should live simply...more

like · see review

Feb 26, 2008 RF added it

Shelves: social-justice-and-politics

I like Shane's books... I don't necessarily agree with everything he writes, but his books challenge me to ask hard questions.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Connie Chuang rated it 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book during my Shane Claiborne is my hero faze, after widely promoting his first book to all my college friends in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Greek IV and even the huge conservative Asian American fellowship group on campus. This was another great book, very colorful and creative, which illustrated how to live out a radical faith with Jesus as leader. I learned how political the Christian faith should be, that Christians should be caring for the poor and most vulnerable...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (8)

More editions...

Genres

Christian

40 users

Religion

37 users

Religion > Theology

36 users

Non Fiction

31 users

Politics

30 users

Religion > Christianity

24 users

Religion > Faith

18 users

Spirituality

16 users

Social Movements > Social Justice

9 users

Social Issues > Poverty

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Shane Claiborne

My love of God and my love of the arts seem to have begun simultaneously. I can not remember which awed me first. By age eight I was both an avid collector of crucifix pendants and a writer of poems. Thankfully those first poems are lost somewhere on the African continent.

Fast forward years later through stints in English boarding school, pew-warming in Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyter...more

More about Shane Claiborne...

Books by Shane Claiborne

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers: Prayer for Ordinary Radicals

Red Letter Revolution: What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said?

Common Prayer Pocket Edition: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Jesus for Preside...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Jesus for President: P...

“Christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering, and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful.” — 33 people liked it

“One thing that's clear in the Scriptures is that the nations do not lead people to peace; rather, people lead the nations to peace.” — 27 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
avg rating	preview: Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals Goodreads rating: 4.02 (2567 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1109255.Jesus_for_President?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348840695l/1109255.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1109255.Jesus_for_President?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne[/url]

Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website