Monday, May 3, 2010

Community Quotes

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne is chalked full of quotes related to community and Christian living. Here is an assortment of particularly nice ones:

Saying, 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do.' is an action that is not based on logic; it is based on a love that does not make sense, a scandalous grace.

We are trying to raise up an army of lovers - a community of people who've fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them.

We must never fall in love with our vision or our five year plan. We must never fall in love with "the revolution" or "the movement"

The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community but the person who loves those around them will create community.

We will hurt no one. We will love evil doers, even if it costs us our lives. And then we will see evildoers become extremists for grace. This is the story of our faith.

Community can be built around a common self righteousness or around a common brokenness. Both are magnetic. Christianity can be built around isolating ourselves from evil doers and sinners, creating a community of religious piety and moral purity. Christianity can also be built around joining with the broken sinner and evil doers of our world, crying out to God, groaning for grace.

The ghettos may have their share of violence and crime, but the suburbs are the home of more subtle demonic forces - numbness, complacency, comfort - and it is these that can eat away at our souls.

Christians should be troublemakers, creators of uncertainty, agents of a dimension incompatible with society.