Shane Claiborne has had a fascinating life growing up in the Bible Belt, calling Mother Teresa on the phone and working with her in
Calcutta, getting arrested in Philadelphia’s Love Park for feeding the homeless and traveling to Iraq during the American bombing. He’s been described as an activist who uses “biographical stories to animate biblical truths, bringing that home and calling us all to join God’s revolution where we are.”
A Wilmington College favorite, Claiborne is returning to the campus as the featured presenter in the Office of Campus Ministry’s Quaker Lecture Series on Oct. 21, at 7 p.m., in the McCoy Room of Kelly Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist and best-selling author. The founder of The Simple Way in Philadelphia also heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Claiborne is a champion for Divine Grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now, Divine Grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.
Claiborne’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, Beating Guns, Executing Grace and his classic The Irresistible Revolution. His newest book, Rethinking Life, was released in early 2023. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
He has been featured in the films, Another World Is Possible and Ordinary Radicals, and he speaks nationally and internationally more than 100 times a year. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, TIME and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been interviewed on news media ranging from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke and Notre Dame.