Christian author and activist Shane Claiborne to speak on 'living a countercultural faith,' March 18-20

Shane Claiborne: A prominent Christian author, activist and sought after speaker.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Shane Claiborne will bring his message about living a countercultural faith to Goshen March 18-20.

Claiborne will speak on the Goshen College campus at 10 a.m. on both Wednesday, March 18 and Friday, March 20 in the Church-Chapel. On Wednesday, he will share his personal story of faith and life and on Friday he will put forth his vision for the church and what this world needs of faithful followers of Jesus. In addition, Claiborne will be downtown at the Goshen Theater (Downtown 808) at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 for a public lecture that will include a conversation time with the audience. All events are free and open to the public.

Claiborne is a prominent Christian author, activist and sought after speaker. He is one of the founding members of The Simple Way, an intentional faith community in inner city Philadelphia that is part of the New Monasticism movement. Members of The Simple Way live out their radical faith in their community by feeding the hungry, doing collaborative art with children, running a community store, hanging out with neighbors and reclaiming trash-strewn lots by planting gardens.

Claiborne is the author of the books "The Irresistible Revolution" (Zondervan, 2006) and "Jesus for President" (Zondervan, 2008). A graduate of Eastern University, where he studied sociology and youth ministry, Claiborne did his final academic work for Eastern University at Wheaton College in Illinois. He has also done some graduate work at Princeton Theological Seminary and now is part of the Alternative Seminary in Philadelphia.

Claiborne's ministry experience is varied, from a 10-week stint working alongside Mother Teresa in Calcutta, to a year spent serving a wealthy mega-congregation at Willow Creek Community Church outside Chicago. He also spent three weeks in Baghdad with the Iraq Peace Team (a project of Voices in the Wilderness and Christian Peacemaker Teams). While in Iraq, Claiborne witnessed military bombardment in Baghdad and in the militarized areas between Baghdad and Amman, took daily trips to bombed sites and visited hospitals and families.

Claiborne serves on the board of directors for the Christian Community Development Association, one of the largest national associations of faith-based organizations whose pillars are "redistribution, relocation and reconciliation." He writes and travels extensively, speaking about peacemaking, social justice and Jesus.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S.News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.