The tour features the members of the Ordinary Radicals, the name of a film that features Claiborne and friends, created and directed by Eastern University graduate Jamie Moffett (2000).  The film will be released in September 2008.  In addition to filmmaking, the Ordinary Radicals are traveling the country to promote Jesus as the next president of the United States. Their speeches encourage new credentials for a president, stating that voters should envision what the world could look like if it placed its faith in Jesus and followed through with his teachings, instead of the American political institution.

Their travel bus is painted with the words “Jesus for President” and the bus runs on 100% used vegetable oil.  You can occasionally find them camped out at restaurants along the road on their cross-country journey as they wait for more oil to fuel their bus.

"This whole project is about the political imagination of what it means to follow after Jesus," Claiborne said. His speeches emphasize Jesus’ work and the embodiment of his presence in today’s society.  According to Claiborne, caring for the poor, the sick, and the unfortunate should be at the forefront of all political agendas.  He is promoting Jesus for president—or if not Jesus himself, for the candidate who can fully support what is at the heart of Jesus- the poor and the peacemakers.

In addition to speeches and forums, the tour features storytelling, art, music and worship that ignites the political imagination. Each city will also include special guest musicians, speakers and performers.

The film The Ordinary Radicals is about a group of individuals who are traveling across the United States on a tour to talk about Jesus for President.  They use the Bible and other works of history to debate Jesus, his role, and the relationship that history has to today’s state of American politics.  Jesus for President and Claiborne’s speeches transcend questions of “Should I vote or not?” and “Which candidate?” by thinking creatively about the fundamental issues of faith, democracy and allegiance.

As Claiborne and Chris Haw wrote in the book, “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.”

In addition to his Jesus for President work, Claiborne is one of the founding members of a New Monastic community called The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He is also the author of The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical (Zondervan ISBN 0-310-26630-0) and Jesus for President: politics for ordinary radicals (co-authored with EU alum Chris Haw'03, released by Zondervan ISBN 978-0-310-27842-9).

For more information about the Ordinary Radicals visit http://www.theordinaryradicals.com.  For the full CNN story, visit: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/29/evangelical.campaign/index.html