Shane Claiborne: Mad Jesus Skilz (Applied Pacifism Isn't Passive)
I've been thinking a lot about the ethos of violence that is spreading like a disease through our world. I just read that TV violence is at a record high, with an average of 13 incidents of violence every hour. News headlines tell of the murders down in New Orleans. Homicides here in Philly and Camden have been happening almost every day. And of course there is Iraq.
I just told a group of graduate students I would like to see them do a study comparing the ethos of violence globally with the violence on the streets here in the U.S. Remember how the Columbine shooting happened on the same day that the Clinton-led U.S. bombed Kosovo most intensively? It's hard to imagine that these recent murders and school shootings are somehow separate from the current escalation of violence by our government. After all, we are wrestling against principalities and powers. These are not just lofty thoughts to ponder, but they are realities that sometimes hit pretty close to home. The only incidents of violence I have experienced in the last 10 years of living here in the inner city have been since the Iraq war. One of them was about a week ago. I am including a little account of it here, mostly because I am really proud of my friend Cassim and how he handled the situation. I think he has some things to teach those who continue to trust in the myth of redemptive violence.
Cassim and I were walking to the post office, a walk I take several times a week. It's on the "other side of the tracks" in a neighborhood called Port Richmond, where lots of folks say they want to move to get out of Kensington, where we live. In fact, most locals call Kensington "the Badlands." But I always warn folks to be careful with that, lest they think "nothing good can come out of Kensington." After all, that's exactly what folks said about Nazareth, Jesus' neighborhood. God seems to have a special knack for showing up in the Badlands. After all, there are really good kids here, like Cassim. Cassim is one of the gentle kids, one I hope to never see lose his innocence and trust, or his heart grow hard. He likes cooking with us, gardening, getting beat at Othello - even cleaning the house or doing homework. I've always thought it funny and out-of-character that he is in a boxing club run by some Christians around the corner from us. Christian boxing ... hmm.
Cassim is 11 and his mom doesn't let him out a lot, so you can imagine that when we got jumped I was caught a little off-guard. We were walking down the narrow side street, and some teenaged guys started following behind. You could just feel the mischief brewing, and it grew from two young men to four and then eight, until there was a little mob of sorts. They started calling out some names, throwing rocks and sticks, trying to stir up trouble.
It's always hard on the spot like that to know exactly what Jesus would do. I told Cassim, "Let's go say hi." He looked at me skeptically. We turned back and walked towards them (knowing full well that if we had run we may have made it to the post office). "Hey, I'm Shane. And this is my friend Cassim. We live around the corner," I said with my hand out. They weren't really sure what to do with that. A couple of them shook my hand and introduced themselves. Others snickered. One or two refused the handshake. We said, "Nice to meet you guys," and headed on our walk.
With the wind taken out of their sail a bit, they regrouped, and then continued to build momentum towards a violent brawl. They ran after us, throwing some rocks and bottles, and I noticed two of them now carried a couple of broomsticks from the trash. We picked up the pace a bit, and then I looked at Cassim and said, "No, don't run." We turned back, and before we knew it, one of them clocked Cassim on the side of the head with a stick. I said firmly, "Why would you do that? We haven't done anything to hurt you." They laughed. Then they started hitting me with the broomstick until it broke over my back. At this point I decided to bust out a can of holy anger. I looked them in the eyes and said as forcefully as I could, "You are created in the image of God ... every single one of you. And you were made for something better than this. Cassim and I are followers of Jesus and we do not fight, but we will love you no matter what you do to us." That wasn't exactly what they expected or hoped for. They looked at each other, startled a bit ... for the first time, they were completely quiet. And then they scurried off in every direction.
I'll never forget what Cassim said afterwords. "Shane, why am I taking boxing lessons?" We laughed at the irony of it, having just experienced a prime chance to implement his mad skilz. I asked Cassim frankly what he thought would have happened if he had chosen to fight. "It would have been ugly," he said. "They might have been bloody and we probably would have been real bloody." No one would have left any nicer, that was for sure.
I asked Cassim if he thought Jesus was happy with how we acted. He thought about it, and then nodded with a smile. I told him that, honestly, I wasn't sure exactly what Jesus would have done if he were in our place … but there are two things I know Jesus would not have done. He would not have fought. And he would not have run. I told him Jesus may have thought of something else, or he may have done something weird to throw them off, as he often seems to do – like drawing in the dirt with his finger (or writing on the road with sidewalk chalk, "you are better than this"), or maybe pulling a coin out of a fish's mouth (or pulling a piece of candy out of a pigeon's mouth). But I think Jesus was happy with how we acted, and that we were good representatives – good witnesses – of Christ to them. Cassim agreed, and then we prayed for them together. And finally, as he was leaving, Cassim reminded me that each of those boys has to go to bed thinking about what they did that day, and so did we.
I'm not sure about those other boys, but Cassim and I both slept well that night … and woke up a little sore but happy the next morning. Hopefully Cassim's mom will let him come out of the house.
Shane Claiborne is a Red Letter Christian, a Sojourners/Call to Renewal board member, author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, and a founding partner of The Simple Way Community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in Kensington, North Philadelphia. This story is one of many that will appear in Jesus For President, a book Shane and some friends are working on that will come out in the spring of 2008 with Zondervan.
I just told a group of graduate students I would like to see them do a study comparing the ethos of violence globally with the violence on the streets here in the U.S. Remember how the Columbine shooting happened on the same day that the Clinton-led U.S. bombed Kosovo most intensively? It's hard to imagine that these recent murders and school shootings are somehow separate from the current escalation of violence by our government. After all, we are wrestling against principalities and powers. These are not just lofty thoughts to ponder, but they are realities that sometimes hit pretty close to home. The only incidents of violence I have experienced in the last 10 years of living here in the inner city have been since the Iraq war. One of them was about a week ago. I am including a little account of it here, mostly because I am really proud of my friend Cassim and how he handled the situation. I think he has some things to teach those who continue to trust in the myth of redemptive violence.
Cassim and I were walking to the post office, a walk I take several times a week. It's on the "other side of the tracks" in a neighborhood called Port Richmond, where lots of folks say they want to move to get out of Kensington, where we live. In fact, most locals call Kensington "the Badlands." But I always warn folks to be careful with that, lest they think "nothing good can come out of Kensington." After all, that's exactly what folks said about Nazareth, Jesus' neighborhood. God seems to have a special knack for showing up in the Badlands. After all, there are really good kids here, like Cassim. Cassim is one of the gentle kids, one I hope to never see lose his innocence and trust, or his heart grow hard. He likes cooking with us, gardening, getting beat at Othello - even cleaning the house or doing homework. I've always thought it funny and out-of-character that he is in a boxing club run by some Christians around the corner from us. Christian boxing ... hmm.
Cassim is 11 and his mom doesn't let him out a lot, so you can imagine that when we got jumped I was caught a little off-guard. We were walking down the narrow side street, and some teenaged guys started following behind. You could just feel the mischief brewing, and it grew from two young men to four and then eight, until there was a little mob of sorts. They started calling out some names, throwing rocks and sticks, trying to stir up trouble.
It's always hard on the spot like that to know exactly what Jesus would do. I told Cassim, "Let's go say hi." He looked at me skeptically. We turned back and walked towards them (knowing full well that if we had run we may have made it to the post office). "Hey, I'm Shane. And this is my friend Cassim. We live around the corner," I said with my hand out. They weren't really sure what to do with that. A couple of them shook my hand and introduced themselves. Others snickered. One or two refused the handshake. We said, "Nice to meet you guys," and headed on our walk.
With the wind taken out of their sail a bit, they regrouped, and then continued to build momentum towards a violent brawl. They ran after us, throwing some rocks and bottles, and I noticed two of them now carried a couple of broomsticks from the trash. We picked up the pace a bit, and then I looked at Cassim and said, "No, don't run." We turned back, and before we knew it, one of them clocked Cassim on the side of the head with a stick. I said firmly, "Why would you do that? We haven't done anything to hurt you." They laughed. Then they started hitting me with the broomstick until it broke over my back. At this point I decided to bust out a can of holy anger. I looked them in the eyes and said as forcefully as I could, "You are created in the image of God ... every single one of you. And you were made for something better than this. Cassim and I are followers of Jesus and we do not fight, but we will love you no matter what you do to us." That wasn't exactly what they expected or hoped for. They looked at each other, startled a bit ... for the first time, they were completely quiet. And then they scurried off in every direction.
I'll never forget what Cassim said afterwords. "Shane, why am I taking boxing lessons?" We laughed at the irony of it, having just experienced a prime chance to implement his mad skilz. I asked Cassim frankly what he thought would have happened if he had chosen to fight. "It would have been ugly," he said. "They might have been bloody and we probably would have been real bloody." No one would have left any nicer, that was for sure.
I asked Cassim if he thought Jesus was happy with how we acted. He thought about it, and then nodded with a smile. I told him that, honestly, I wasn't sure exactly what Jesus would have done if he were in our place … but there are two things I know Jesus would not have done. He would not have fought. And he would not have run. I told him Jesus may have thought of something else, or he may have done something weird to throw them off, as he often seems to do – like drawing in the dirt with his finger (or writing on the road with sidewalk chalk, "you are better than this"), or maybe pulling a coin out of a fish's mouth (or pulling a piece of candy out of a pigeon's mouth). But I think Jesus was happy with how we acted, and that we were good representatives – good witnesses – of Christ to them. Cassim agreed, and then we prayed for them together. And finally, as he was leaving, Cassim reminded me that each of those boys has to go to bed thinking about what they did that day, and so did we.
I'm not sure about those other boys, but Cassim and I both slept well that night … and woke up a little sore but happy the next morning. Hopefully Cassim's mom will let him come out of the house.
I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems. But they asked, and rightly so, what about Vietnam? They asked if our own nation wasn't using massive doses of violence to solve its problems. Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.
- Martin Luther King Jr., in " A Time to Break the Silence," delivered April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church, New York City.
Shane Claiborne is a Red Letter Christian, a Sojourners/Call to Renewal board member, author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, and a founding partner of The Simple Way Community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in Kensington, North Philadelphia. This story is one of many that will appear in Jesus For President, a book Shane and some friends are working on that will come out in the spring of 2008 with Zondervan.
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Comments
Hey brotha - thanks for sharing this. I think that you're spot on about the connection between violence in the world at large and violence on the street. I think we forget that acting out in violence changes our character as well.>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 3:25 PM
I just told a group of graduate students I would like to see them do a study comparing the ethos of violence globally with the violence on the streets here in the U.S.
--No study needs to be done. The statistics are there. Violent crime declined during the heat of the Iraq war: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/17/crime.rate/index.html though it has experienced some increases in the past year: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800377.html. Still, the current violent crime rate is much lower now than it was during the 90's.
As for international comparisons, "the overall total crime rate of the US is similar to that of other highly developed countries." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_US
So, the data show no connection between war and crime.>
Posted by: jesse | January 23, 2007 4:27 PM
Thanks so much for sharing this adventure on your journey. I have recently returned from a CPT delegation to Palestine. One question some of asked ourselves is 'are we willing to die to walk with kids to school, or to help a farmer plow his fields'? That would mean putting yourself into danger and not fighting or running. That's what Jesus was willing to do.]]> 2007-01-23T16:58:41-05:00 Daniel daniel.crews@state.tn.us 170.142.3.177
Posted by: Kathy T | January 23, 2007 4:31 PM
Jesse - you've shown in the past that you have a discerning eye when it comes to stats. Are you really telling me that the aggregate numbers in this article tell us that the tendency toward violent crime is in decline especially when the article says that the causes are "aging population and harsher punishments such as mandatory sentences." I'm interested to know whether in proportion to the ageing population, is the crime rate up or down?
This is what worries me most -
"The FBI calculated 7,649 hate crimes -- cases in which offenders were motivated by bias. Of those cases, 53 percent of cases were based on race, 16 percent on religion, 15 percent on sexual orientation and 13 percent were based on ethnicity."
They don't have the stats from the previosu year but based on my own experience (as a visible miniroty) I wouldn't be surprised if they had gone up post-9/11 and have remained higher than usual becaus eo fthe war in Iraq. I have a friend who is Shi'ite and wears a hijab who has been constantly harrassed by neighbours and strangers - something that didn't happen before 9/11.
Also to quote the wikipedia article:
"the homicide and violent crime rates of the United States were much higher than those of Canada... "
Yes crime rates might be similar to other developing countries, but violent crime clearly isn't.>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 5:12 PM
I find it interesting that there are so few comments about this article (compared to the many that usually erupt). Can it be that when faced will true peaceful strength (as Jesus modeled it) we cannot refute the effectiveness or argue against it? What a beautiful example of courage and modeling of what living that kind of life might actually bring about! Of course, these acts of love will not always have the same kinds of results, but that doesn't mean they are not powerfully effective! Thanks for sharing it with us!>
Posted by: genie | January 23, 2007 5:45 PM
Splinterlog,
I think Jesse's point was not the the Iraq war is abating violence, but rather that it has no discernible affect.
Daniel,
I agree completely.>
Posted by: kevin s. | January 23, 2007 5:45 PM
Shane,
It is awesome to see people who are committed to living in unservered areas by truly serving their communities. Keep on keepin it real!
Steve Kempster>
Posted by: Steve K | January 23, 2007 6:39 PM
it has no discernible affect
And I think that, at best, this conclusion is not justified ont he basis of the article and even more so on the basis of experience.>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 6:48 PM
On the basis of this article, the war in Iraq is causing street violence?>
Posted by: kevin s. | January 23, 2007 6:52 PM
No the article says that the general rate of violence is going down due to a number of reasons - some demographic and others legal. It doesn't say that the war has had no discernable effect on violence - but it doesn't say that it has either.
On the basis of my own experience, violence due to xenophibia is on the rise.>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 6:55 PM
It's hard to imagine that these recent murders and school shootings are somehow separate from the current escalation of violence by our government.
Well, it may seem hard to imagine, but try. Jesus never said life would be easy.
The only incidents of violence I have experienced in the last 10 years of living here in the inner city have been since the Iraq war.
Duh! What about other people on the planet? I have heard that some of them experienced violence before the Iraq War.
Shane myay be real kewl and all that, but he needs to learn up on some history.
His experience with violence was also subsequent to(like, after) the harmonic convergence of 02-28-03 when the Druid Network was established in the UK and Phish played the Nassau Collisem. Which led to the development of American Idol.
I blame the rise in violence on pagans, Phish, and Simon.
Peace out.>
Posted by: R. Weinhagen | January 23, 2007 8:52 PM
Which led to the development of American Idol
Hey I don't know about you, but AI gets me mighty aggravated! You might be on to something there...>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 9:34 PM
Of course, the flip side to this is what how the war has affected security on the streets in Iraq - I think we can all see that it has had an incredibly deleterious effect.
Shane - from what you saw while you were there, did you notice how people, especially children, were being affected by the violence around them? Did you see much attention paid to people dealing with this at a psychological level, or do you worry that what is going on now is sowing the seeds of violence in a future generation?>
Posted by: splinterlog | January 23, 2007 9:44 PM
Thanks for this article Shane.It's good to hear that you don't just talk the talk but you walk the walk also.
I hope I can be that strong in a similar situation.
The MLKJ quote is apt; he also walked the walk.
The civil rights movemont always inspires me; this also was born in the Church.
Blessings upon you.
Mike fox, Liverpool U.K>
Posted by: mike Fox | January 23, 2007 10:15 PM
Thanks for the reminder; other examples of selfless loving confrontation come to mind. It doesn't take a single war to extend such hate; a dark part of US culture. It is also extending across the world; Australia and Indonesia are seeing similar evil things on the rise.
This is a brave, but scary, means to overcome this kind of hate. Hate cannot be conquered by hate; somehow, committing to active and passionate love is the only answer. Could that be both the inspiring but offensive message we have to speak and live? The offence caused by the cross...
God be with us all - we need Him.
Fergus
Newcastle, Australia>
Posted by: Feargal | January 23, 2007 10:36 PM
Thanks for that refreshing story. Tell Cassim that I appreciate his Christlikeness.>
Posted by: Jake | January 23, 2007 11:14 PM
Here are some more interesting international comparisons: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1786945,00.html
and here: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/cfi/cfi115.html
These data show that the UK, Canada, and Australia all have higher rates of violent crime than the US.
So, it appears that both proposals made by the author--that the Iraq war led to more violence and the US has higher violent crime rates because of its war-making habits--are false when considered in light of these data and the data I mentioned above which show violent crimes declining in the US.>
Posted by: jesse | January 23, 2007 11:55 PM
These data show that the UK, Canada, and Australia all have higher rates of violent crime than the US.
So, it appears that both proposals made by the author--that the Iraq war led to more violence and the US has higher violent crime rates because of its war-making habits--are false when considered in light of these data and the data.
Data? What does data have to do with imagination?
Remember how the Columbine shooting happened on the same day that the Clinton-led U.S. bombed Kosovo most intensively? It's hard to imagine that these recent murders and school shootings are somehow separate from the current escalation of violence by our government.
Violence is bad = Opposing violence is good.
Government is violent = Government is bad.
--------------------
Opposing government is good.
It's hard to imagine how data can overcome willful ignorance.>
Posted by: R. Weinhagen | January 24, 2007 4:07 AM
Shane,
Though it is commendable how you handled the thugs . . ., it was a risk you didn't have to take.
You sat at keyboard and gazed at everything except the real reasons for VIOLENCE. Godless secularism-fueled hedonism here in the US, and the religion of Islam worldwide (of course Iraq).
Wake up.
Jesus told His disciples to get some swords as He sent them through rough neighborhoods.
It is interesting the Readers Digest style of Bible you Progressives read.
Get some good sleep.>
Posted by: Donny | January 24, 2007 6:52 AM
Shane -- Thanks for embodying a vision of God's shalom and how it can bring a reduction to the chaos. I can only imagine the bloody mess and escalation of violence if the sword were an option for the followers of Jesus. Yes his followers carry a sword, but it's called the "sword of the Spirit" (Eph.6:17).>
Posted by: Larry | January 24, 2007 4:03 PM
[Though it is commendable how you handled the thugs . . ., it was a risk you didn't have to take.]
Donny,
Jesus took a risk he didn't have to take. Out of love, he gave his life; taking the chance that you and I might possibly be changed. Without garantee, he sought to redeem rather than destroy us. (John 3:16&17)
'Redemptive violence' is a false myth!>
Posted by: Deryll | January 24, 2007 5:21 PM
Jesus took a risk he didn't have to take.
Well, of course. But I don't recall him bringing along an 11 year old child.
Speaking about Jesus, violence and false myths-
Contrary to a popular belief:
Nowhere in the OT or NT, nowhere in the Psalms, the Law,the Gospels, or the NT writers...
Nowhere in our scripture is there any categorical rejection of the use of force by those tasked with earthly justice.
George Bush is the President of the United States and Commander in Chief of its armedforces-- not the pastor of a church or president of a missionary society.
Jesus was not an anarchist.>
Posted by: R. Weinhagen | January 24, 2007 7:03 PM
[Nowhere in our scripture is there any categorical rejection of the use of force by those tasked with earthly justice.
George Bush is the President of the United States and Commander in Chief of its armedforces-- not the pastor of a church or president of a missionary society.
Jesus was not an anarchist.]
R.W.
Jesus categorically commanded his followers to 'not retaliate at all', 'love your enemies', 'go a second mile'... Jesus could then be interpreted as telling us (who claim to be Christ followers) not to be part of this earth's justice system. He, in fact, said that his Kingdom was not this earth's (this world's) kind of kingdom. Jesus told the twelve, over and over, as leaders, they were not to be like this world's leaders. Jesus, and Peter, and Paul were giving instructions to the people of the Kingdom of Heaven. We need decide to which kingdom we claim loyalty. Neither Jesus, nor Peter, nor Paul advocated the overthrow of earthly kingdoms; yet all three were executed by the earthly kingdom, they barely spoke directly to.>
Posted by: Deryll | January 24, 2007 8:29 PM
Jesus categorically commanded his followers to 'not retaliate at all', 'love your enemies', 'go a second mile'... Jesus could then be interpreted as telling us (who claim to be Christ followers) not to be part of this earth's justice system.
Then I suggest his followers do just that and stop worrying about George Bush.:
Don't retaliate,love your enemies... and don't be part of this earths justice system or be like the world's leaders.
Stop thinking that criticizing the President for not doing what he isn't tasked to do makes up for the Church's failure to do what we are called to do.
What prevents the Church from carrying out it's charge? Surely not the powers of this world?>
Posted by: R. Weinhagen | January 24, 2007 8:56 PM
George W. Bush claims to be a Christian and yet he starts a war and now wants to escalate it. He always acts out of a spirit of violence and retaliation. His behavior is the complete opposite of the ethical vision advocated by Jesus. It just boggles the mind how many counterfeit Christians there are out there!>
Posted by: Bob Ellis | January 25, 2007 3:02 PM
I sent a BIG THANK YOU to Sojourners before I found this. I do a 3-day "Alternatives to Violence Program" workshop at two prisons every month. I was so tearfully grateful to find the story of you, Shane, and Cassim. I had tried to reach someone at Sojourners' that could help me answer to someone in my internet prayer group who strongly believes in "just war" and has tried to back it up with scripture. I can't wait to send him your story, and I will also send it to all the participants in the last workshop! Thank you, Shane...
Thank You, God....
Jeanette Slaw
jslaw@ptd.net>
Posted by: Jeanette Slaw | January 25, 2007 3:54 PM
Really enjoyed your story and testimony. I live outside Philadelphia and hear every day about the violence in the city; and the frustration faced by people who are trying to do something to overcome it.
A thouhgt for your forthcoming book: Billy Brag has a great song titled "Jesus for President." Really speaks to the issues we face today.>
Posted by: Richard | January 25, 2007 7:07 PM
What if they had only attacked Cassim? Would that have changed Shane's WWJD response? Nice article.>
Posted by: Coleen | January 25, 2007 8:26 PM
Hi Neighbor,
I was scanning my Sojo email and this post caught me eye because I related to the feeling that violence in my community is escalating along with violence int he world. Then, I realized as I read on that we are neighbors. I live in Port Richmond and I am geeting ready to buy a house in Kensington. It is nice to know that I will have brothers and sisters in 'hood. While I am an avid peace activist, I also beleive that we can make our own little haven of peace each day. I'm sure I've seen you on the EL and it is comforting to know that you are out there.
Thanks for standing up.
Levana>
Posted by: Levana | January 25, 2007 9:12 PM
I read your piece with interest. The father of my 4 children, now deceased, grew up in Port Richmond in the 1960's and spent alot of his time in Fishtown. He spoke of going to school every day with a lead pipe hidden in his sleeve, protection against the many gangs he would meet on his way to North Catholic high school; ironically, many of the youth he fought were Catholic. It is inspiring to hear your story. I will share this with some of the young people I work with in rural West Virginia, who are convinced that violence is the only way to show power, stand up for yourself and resolve conflict. Non-violence is a path of strength and hope for all of us. Peace, megs>
Posted by: megan | January 26, 2007 4:10 AM
Bless you, Shane, and thank you. You have demonstrated Jesus' principle of the Third Way. The more I study this principle (which Walter Wink applied most specifically to violence) the more I believe that it applies to almost everything Jesus did.>
Posted by: Julie | January 27, 2007 12:22 AM
Shane this is heaps encouraging!
Like you it sounds, I spend my time share the gospel with kids (and secular activists) in ways that empower them to respond to violence in transformative ways. If you're interested there are links here about the Quaker Peace Award I've just received for this work:
http://gatheringinlight.com/2006/12/13/jarrod-mckenna-and-the-peace-tree-receive-quaker-peace-award/
http://wecan.be/beencouraged/123/
If you're interested in linking up with some Australian sistas and brothas who are walking a similar path drop us Peace Tree crew a line, you've got a place to stay with us (most people do :) )
Grace and peace,
jarrod mcKenna>
Posted by: jarrod mcKenna | January 27, 2007 3:52 AM
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