Red Letter Christians, by Tony Campolo

This post reflects only my views, not those of the library or of Mr. Campolo

When I was growing up, my family was active in the Catholic Church. Post-Vatican II, we had the whole liberal nine yards – folksinging Masses, youth groups, mission programs, political and civil rights activism. My family was made up of Christians who practiced Catholicism; my theological understanding was based on a vision of Matthew 25:40 (‘whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me’). At some point during my teens, though, the term ‘Christian’ seemed to mutate into a different vision articulated by pasty-faced white Southern men who demonized everyone who wasn’t a pasty-faced white Southern men – or who didn’t give money to their churches and vote Republican. The idea that the faithful would be snatched up and everyone else left to fight in the ruins seemed to become the dominant theology of public life and policy. Mainstream churches seemed to back away from their social justice ministries and present inarticulate speakers to apologize for their work (Keep in mind I was in my teens, and tended to see everything as black and white). Put the word ‘evangelical’ in front of anything, and I immediately distrusted it.

Fast forward too many years. I turn on The Colbert Report, and there’s a guy presenting himself as an ‘evangelical’ plumping his book. I felt sorry for the guy, having seen Colbert subtly eviscerate many self-important hypocrites. Imagine my surprise when the guy, whose name is Tony Campolo, responded eloquently and simply to Colbert’s sallies, turning every assumption about evangelical Christians on its head. ‘Don’t hate the gays, because God loves them. Remember that to be pro-life you also have to support the living – even those that are supposed to be your enemies. The physical world around you matters to God.’ I wrote down the title of his book and ordered it as soon as possible.

In a series of thoughtful essays, Campolo lays out what it means to be a Red Letter Christian – one who looks first to the teachings of Jesus for guidance in living a meaningful spiritual life. Then he removes the electoral considerations, saying emphatically that God does not belong to any political party or support one side or the other on any issue. Sections on global, social, economic, and government dig into the complex issues that face us as Americans, as Christians, and as humans. Over and over, Campolo calls for equal treatment – for the poor, for the despised, for the ignored. He provides only one simple solution, calling on people to get past their selfishness and identity politics and put their spirituality into practice. Turns out that’s not so simple.

Although the individual sections are short, this is not a fast read. Campolo sums up difficult issues by highlighting the discrepancy between what the Bible tells us is good and what the world tells us is good. I don’t agree with every premise Campolo accepts, or believe every source he cites. What brings me up short as a reader is the need to contemplate how cynicism, high expectations, and low effort shortchange this country and faith of all kinds. Then I have to figure out what to do – or not do – with those thoughts.

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