Bessenecker offers his readers a clear call to action and describes the kind of commitment it requires. And he even tells the rest of us what small steps we might take to move a little way toward simpler, more responsible living.
Ken Badley, Christian Week, March 15, 2007
"Scott Bessenecker has taken the risk (or fallen to the temptation!) of putting words to a stirring of the Spirit that is both fresh and ancient. His brilliant work is a celebration of the new things God is doing, while locating these movements humbly throughout church history, as the simple renewals that the Spirit seems to bring over and over on the margins of empires and markets that threaten to infect and colonize the Christian identity. But be careful neither to hail these ragamuffin disciples as celebrities or to dismiss them as saints. Rather, allow their lives to challenge us to rethink what it means to be Christian. After all, the very fact that they seem radical or odd may only be an indictment on the sort of Christianity we have become accustomed to."
Shane Claiborne, founding member of The Simple Way, and author of The Irresistible Revolution
"This book needs a warning label: Beware, dangerous to your health, your service, your life. No one who reads this book is left unscathed, untouched or unanswerable. Nothing is spared--the limit of one's perspective on poverty, the reality and pain of sin, and the wrestling with one's own lifestyle from a multicultural, historical and biblical framework. This book is an important read for all persons serious about mission and requires prayer, reflection and discussion."
Deborah Dortzbach, International HIV/AIDS Director, World Relief
"Warning, The New Friars will be hazardous to your suburbanite soup kitchen mentality! . . . This book gives a convincing call to become a part of this movement."
Marcus W. Dean, Houghton College, Houghton, New York, EMQ April 2007
"Scott Bessenecker captures the joyful energy of all these young adults who are setting aside comfort and privilege in favor of meaning and impact, and places their radical commitment to loving the poor in the context of the church's historic commitment to positively transforming the world. If you haven't yet encountered the new friars, don't miss this chance to visit the cutting edge of the kingdom of God."
Bart Campolo, founder and chaplain, Mission Year, and executive director, EAPE, Wannabe Good Neighbor, Walnut Hills
