What does it mean to be pro-life? Drawing from the words of Jesus, the Apostles, and the early church, Shane Claiborne says most American Christians have gotten it wrong. His new book, “Rethinking Life: Embracing the Sacredness of Every Person,” argues for the value of the unborn, but also for combating poverty, racism, and other dehumanizing evils. He talks with Skye about how the early church’s consistent ethic of life changed once it gained political power. It’s one thing for a tiny church on the margins of society to apply the teachings of Jesus, but how do we apply his words when Christians have control of governments and armies? Skye is joined after the interview by Christian Taylor and Phil Vischer to debrief Claiborne’s challenging ideas.
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0:46- Intro
3:16 - Shane Claiborne
Tyre Nichols and policing
13:55 Rethinking Life
28:24 Ethics and power
33:49 Abortion
48:30 Phil, Skye, Christian debrief
1:07:03 End Credits
Other resources:
Rethinking Life: Embracing the Sacredness of Every Person by Shane Claiborne - https://amzn.to/40EvZZZ
The Irresistible Revolution, Updated and Expanded: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne - https://amzn.to/3x3SDxt
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I REALLY appreciate hearing the hosts debrief the interviews lately. I'm also so thankful to be hearing such thoughtful conversations even when you don't agree with everything the guest says. Bravo!
Listening to the dialog between Skye, Phil, and Kaitlin following the interview made me remember a Netflix series from Denmark that we watched a few years ago. "Ride Upon the Storm" wrestles with many of the ethical issues of the church today from abortion to war to suicide to caring from the poor and immigration and a lot more. It would be an excellent viewing recommendation for church groups wanting to have these hard conversations beyond Claiborne's "Rethinking Life" - being consistently pro-life - and about the church's failing to address these issues. Here's a great overview from The Guardian on the series: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/mar/14/booze-bishops-and-breakdowns-the-biblical-brilliance-of-ride-upon-the-storm
Skye, great interview once again. I still wonder why you don't embrace Christian Pacifism. Every time I hear you talk, you sound like a pacifist. I think you should just claim it as an ideal worth holding. While it is certainly true that there are complications in holding it, it is no more complicated than the only other viably Christian position (at least as it is related to war)--Just War Theory. As Nigel Biggar admits in his interview with John Dickson, both of these positions require those who hold them to ultimately be willing to lose--that is, die and possibly allow others to die--rather than engage in a certain level of violence. It would be great to get John Dickson…
Interesting interview with Shane. Reminds me of days of Tom Sine and Sojourners in Seattle. Ok, I'm dating myself. My comment has to do with the first part of your interview about police officers. I happen to have a daughter in that profession. 2 thoughts: Get out of how policing is done in Kentucky:). Meaning, one or even several related incidents does not mean that is how policing is taking place all over. My daughter is in a major metro area million plus, they have several psych officers, on every shift in every station across the entire city to do intervention if needed or call upon. They have the lowest officer involve shootings in the country for a maj…
I always enjoy hearing conversations with Shane Claiborne, but there's a point he misses every single time. The death penalty is something the state does to a person. Abortion is something the state allows a person to do.
I completely respect the pro-life position that Christians are not allowed to be soldiers, police officers, brothel workers, or to have abortions. But I don’t believe that Christians should tell all the citizens of the U.S. that they are not allowed to be soldiers, police officers, brothel workers, or to have abortions. Christians should follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for themselves, and not try to exert power over their fellow citizens to compel them to do likewise.
In a republic…