''The Ordinary Radicals'' is a 2008

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed by Philadelphia filmmaker

Jamie Moffett Jamie Moffett is an American independent motion picture director, producer, and social activist. Personal background Moffett attended Eastern University. After graduation, Moffett co-founded The Simple Way, a non-profit organization focused on ...

Background

The film follows authors

Chris Haw Chris Haw (born 1981) is a Catholic theologian and professor in the United States. Biography Haw was baptized into the Catholic Church and attended Catholic churches as a child until his mother started attending Willow Creek Community Church, ...

and

Shane Claiborne Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is an American evangelical Christian and founder, an author and organizational leader. He is one of the founders of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cofounder of t ...

, co-founders of the Potter Street Community (formerly The Simple Way) of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on their '' Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals'' book tour. Claiborne and Haw began their 23 city, 11,000 mile journey in June 2008 on a refurbished school bus fueled by used

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

. Before starting the book tour the crew attended the P.A.P.A (People Against Poverty and Apathy) Festival in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, which is a gathering of Christian community oriented individuals who use a combination of music, workshops, and Bible studies to discuss issues concerning community, theology and peacemaking. The Festival is organized entirely by volunteers and is funded completely by donations. Next, the crew stopped at the

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It is a part of HarperCollins, Ha ...

headquarters followed by the first stop of the book tour at

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

Mars Hill Bible Church, where

Rob Bell Robert Holmes Bell Jr. (born August 23, 1970) is an American author, speaker, playwright, musician and former pastor. Bell founded Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, and pastored it until 2012. Under his leadership, Mars Hill ...

was the head pastor. The tour continued through the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, stopping at several other cities and churches.

Summary

The tour takes place during the 2008 U.S. presidential elections which becomes a topic of discussion for Claiborne and Haw while touring. After a speaking engagement in Pittsburgh Claiborne tells

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

during an interview in regards to the following of young evangels that the movement and tour has attracted:"This is not about going left or right, this is about going deeper and trying to understand together. Rather than endorse candidates, we ask them to endorse what is at the heart of Jesus and that is the poor or the peacemakers and when we see that then we'll get behind them". The documentary discusses

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

from the standpoint of social justice advocacy and outreach. Claiborne and Bell are considered to be part of the new

emerging church The emerging church, sometimes wrongly equated with the "emergent movement" or "emergent conversation", is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century. Emerging churches can be found around the globe, predominantly in North Ameri ...

movement. This movement which emphasizes following

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

through non-violence, love of enemy and caring for the poor is also known as

New Monasticism New Monasticism is a diverse movement, not limited to a specific religious denomination or church and including varying expressions of contemplative life. These include evangelical Christian communities such as " Simple Way Community" and Jonatha ...

. New Monasticism communities, where Claiborne himself is a member, can be identified by 12 "marks". Claiborne explains that:" The marks show the common threads that connect Christian communities that might otherwise be seen as scattered anomalies, rather than vibrant cells of a body". The tour expresses the beliefs of this movement and received acknowledgments from many respected individuals and scholars in the fields of

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

Christian left The Christian left, otherwise referred to as the religious left, is a range of Christian political and social movements that largely embrace social justice principles and uphold a social doctrine or social gospel based on their interpreta ...

thinking. Theologian and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

Ron Sider Ronald James Sider (September 17, 1939 – July 27, 2022) was a Canadian-born American theologian and social activist. He was the founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, an evangelical left think tank. Sider was a founding board member of t ...

stated:" The book and tour's decided mix of social justice and Christian outreach form a new wave for evangelicals in the U.S." Sider is the Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and

Public Policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a Group decision-making, decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to Problem solving, solve or address relevant and problematic social issues, guided by a conceptio ...

Palmer Theological Seminary Palmer Theological Seminary is a Baptist seminary in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. It was founded in 1925 as Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Its parent institution is Eastern University ...

in Wynnewood, Pa., and founder of Evangelicals for Social Action. As the film continues viewers are introduced to a variety of people advocating

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

. One of these individuals is Sister Margret Mckenna, who is the founder and director of New Jerusalem Now. This organization, located in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

, is a recovery option for addicts that offers community style living and treatment for their addictions. Mckenna credits the success of the program to the community environment individuals are given when choosing New Jerusalem, the community forces individuals to change their behavior —"and changing behavior is key to recovery. In these medical models of recovery, there's no community obligation, you're just a patient. The day they get out, they use. I've heard that I don't know how many times." Other featured interviews include

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, sociologist, and

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

Tony Campolo Anthony Campolo Jr. (February 25, 1935 – November 19, 2024) was an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo was an influential leader in the evangelical left. ...

and author

Becky Garrison Becky Garrison is an American author, journalist, religious satirist and storyteller. She is a 2013 recipient of a Knight Grant for Reporting on Religion and American Public Life. She was a senior contributing editor for The Wittenburg Door, fro ...

. Claiborne and Haw challenge tradition thinking about Christianity and in an excerpt from their book state: “This is not a set of political suggestions for the world; this is about invoking and embodying the alternative. All of this is an invitation to join a peculiar people- those with no king but God, who practice jubilee economics and make the world new. This is not the old-time religion of going to heaven; this is about bringing heaven to the world.”

Featuring

The film features and contains interviews with *

* Chris Haw *

Jim Wallis James E. Wallis Jr. (born June 4, 1948) is an American theologian, writer, teacher and political activist. He is best known as the founder and former editor of ''Sojourners'' magazine and as the founder of the Washington, D.C.–based Christi ...

Brian McLaren Brian D. McLaren (born 1956) is an American author, speaker, activist, public theologian and was a leading figure in the emerging church movement. McLaren is often associated with postmodern Christianity. Education and career Raised in Rockville ...

* John M Perkins * Brooke Sexton *

Rick Perlstein Rick Perlstein (born September 3, 1969) is an American historian, writer and journalist who has garnered recognition for his chronicles of the post-1960s American conservative movement. The author of five bestselling books, Perlstein received ...

* Sr.

Margaret McKenna Margaret McKenna is an American religious sister and anti-militarist activist. Raised in Hackensack, New Jersey, she earned her PhD in the origins and religious thought of Christianity from the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1970s, McKenna b ...

* Logan Laituri *

Zack Exley Zack Exley (born December 5, 1969) is an American political and technology consultant. Early life and education Exley was raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. He studied abroad at Shanxi Normal University before earning his B.A. in Social Tho ...

* Aaron Weiss *

* Lisa Sharon Harper * Leroy Barber

Festivals

''The Ordinary Radicals'' was screened in various

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

s including Pocono Mountain Film Festival], where it was nominated for best documentary in 2009, the Fallbrook Film Festival in

Bonsall, California Bonsall is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,546 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 3,982 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The Bonsall area was heavily affecte ...

, the Crossroads Film Festival in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

, the

Garden State Film Festival The Garden State Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Asbury Park and Cranford, New Jersey, Cranford, New Jersey, which debuts more than 200 independent films annually over four days each spring. ...

, the Ion Film Festival in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

, the Alcolade Film Awards, the Flickerings Film Show Case, the Hobokeben Film Festival, and the Okanagan Film Festival in

Kelowna, BC Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ', re ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ordinary Radicals, The 2008 films 2008 documentary films Films about evangelicalism Christian radicalism 2000s English-language films