Book Reviews
“Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed.” Francis Bacon (d. 1626)
Jesus for President
Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw, Zondervan, $17.
Reviewed by Ed Housewright, Dallas Morning News, Plano Bureau
Some Christian conservatives don`t like their presidential choices this year. They believe that neither Barack Obama nor John McCain adequately embraces their public policy views. The authors of Jesus for President might tell them, “Get over it!”
Mr. Claiborne and Mr. Haw pull no punches in arguing that Christians shouldn’t look to government to carry out God’s work. “We are seeing more and more that the church has fallen in love with the state and that this love affair is killing the church`s imagination,” the authors write.
They contend that Christian discipleship is “politically and socially engaged, but in a way that confounds and transcends [political] parties.”
Shane Claiborne is one of the founders of The Simple Way, an inner-city Christian community in Philadelphia that helps spawn other communities. Chris Haw is a member of a Christian community in Camden, N.J. Their views are well-stated and provocative, particularly in this election season. Some Christians may take offense at some of the statements.
For instance, the authors question whether America is, indeed, a Christian nation that God looks upon in a special way. Jesus for President challenges Christians to re-examine their patriotism in light of the Bible’s teaching. They book comprises more than two dozen essays, with titles such as “Power in Weakness,” “Set Apart for Something Better" and “A Security Plan That Will Never Win an Election.”
Note: This review appeared in the DMN, June 21, 2008, and is reprinted with permission.
