Presbyterian Outlook: Red Letter Christians
Red Letter Christians are the new Evangelicals.
After spending most of his years leading and shaping the Evangelical movement, Tony Campolo has thrown in the towel. He has dumped the label Evangelical. He has not changed his theological convictions. He just thinks that the public use of that label has degenerated beyond any realistic hope of rehabilitation in the foreseeable future.
As a movement, the Evangelical label once stood for both conservative theological convictions and progressive social engagement, for evangelizing the lost and healing the sick. Accordingly, Campolo has been broadcasting the saving power of Christ, while simultaneously promoting ministries of justice, peace, and compassion, i.e., the ethical teachings of Jesus.
But, as he said at the Presbyterian Head-of-Staff Pastors’ Conference this past February, the movement has been overtaken by voices on the extreme political right, and has been co-opted by a single political party.
He has given up; he no longer calls himself an Evangelical. After extended conversations with other so-called progressive Evangelicals like Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, Joel Hunter, and Shane Claiborne, he has called for the launch of a whole new movement: the Red Letter Christians.
He wrote the book: Red Letter Christians: a Citizens Guide to Faith & Politics (Regal, 2008).
In the book’s foreword, Jim Wallis introduces the basic idea. “We affirm the authority of the whole Bible, not just the explicit sayings of Jesus, often found highlighted in red. … But we believe that the ‘red letters’ of Jesus need to be focused on again. We feel a calling together in this historical moment to bring back the distinctive message of Jesus for our time, for our world, and for the critical issues we face today” (pp. 10, 11). ...
After spending most of his years leading and shaping the Evangelical movement, Tony Campolo has thrown in the towel. He has dumped the label Evangelical. He has not changed his theological convictions. He just thinks that the public use of that label has degenerated beyond any realistic hope of rehabilitation in the foreseeable future.
As a movement, the Evangelical label once stood for both conservative theological convictions and progressive social engagement, for evangelizing the lost and healing the sick. Accordingly, Campolo has been broadcasting the saving power of Christ, while simultaneously promoting ministries of justice, peace, and compassion, i.e., the ethical teachings of Jesus.
But, as he said at the Presbyterian Head-of-Staff Pastors’ Conference this past February, the movement has been overtaken by voices on the extreme political right, and has been co-opted by a single political party.
He has given up; he no longer calls himself an Evangelical. After extended conversations with other so-called progressive Evangelicals like Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, Joel Hunter, and Shane Claiborne, he has called for the launch of a whole new movement: the Red Letter Christians.
He wrote the book: Red Letter Christians: a Citizens Guide to Faith & Politics (Regal, 2008).
In the book’s foreword, Jim Wallis introduces the basic idea. “We affirm the authority of the whole Bible, not just the explicit sayings of Jesus, often found highlighted in red. … But we believe that the ‘red letters’ of Jesus need to be focused on again. We feel a calling together in this historical moment to bring back the distinctive message of Jesus for our time, for our world, and for the critical issues we face today” (pp. 10, 11). ...
Related: See my post from last year Why I’m not a Red Letter Christian
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