Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne

I've been meaning for a while now to blog about this book. After taking a class in Political Science and one in Church History this past semester, I actually came at this book with an informed perspective.
Although many of the arguments in this book were rather controversial and the book touched on many issues which the church often avoids. The whole book focuses on the political scene during Jesus' day and what these concepts could look like today.
The first section goes through the Old Testament and explains in understandable language the political culture of the time. There were many times while reading the book that I thought, this interpretation seems so simple, so why did I never think of that before? Whether I completely agree with the interpretations or not, the book certainly caused me to think these things over and think about what it does mean to take the perspective of Christ in a world where people will do anything for money and where wars are raging around the world.
My favorite section of the book, however, was the final one entitled "A Peculiar Party". This section goes beyond pointng out the shortcomings of the church, and all the ways that the world has strayed from the path God intended for it. It talks about the practical ways to apply the "politics" of Jesus in the world: "The idea that the church is to be the body of Christ is not just to something to read about in theology books and leave for the scholars...we are literally to be the body of Jesus in the world. Christians are to be little Christs in the world...You are the only Jesus some people will ever see" (page 228).
The best part of this chapter is a story he shares about a bishop whose church was being robbed, and the robber demanded the "treasures of the church". So what did the bishop do? He went into the church and gathered all the poor staying there and he said to the robbers "These are the treasures of the church". I don't think I will ever forget this story.
The great part about this book is the "postmodern" way its set up, each page is scattered with doodles or quotes.
Overall, this book really made me look at the world in a different way than ever before and challenged what I've always thought. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to be the body of Christ, but I encourage you to come open-minded and be ready to say "Amen!" to some things, while maybe questioning others, but you will undoubtedly be challenged!