Red Letter Revolution
Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo
What if Jesus really meant what He said? Red Letter Revolution tackles this question in easy-to-read conversations between Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo.
I have followed Shane Claiborne since at least 2007 — about the time Obama announced his candidacy for President. I can’t remember what put Shane on my radar, but I had recently finished reading God’s Politics by Jim Wallis, which made me do some “deep dives” into Sojourners, where Shane was frequently featured. These voices — Jim Wallis’s and Shane Claiborne’s — resonated with me on so many issues at that time. Their voices and wisdom helped ground me in the teachings of Jesus, as His teachings relate to life, politics, and theology. Their voices still point me to Him!
The book’s dedication reads: “To all of us, young and old, who want a Christianity that looks like Jesus again” and completely sets the stage for the collaboration between Claiborne and Campolo in the pages that follow. In each and every chapter and on every page, they describe and define what it means to live as if Jesus’s words — often printed in red letters in the Bible — are true and that His example is meant to be lived.
The introduction states that the goal of Red Letter Christians is to embody the teachings of Jesus —
Whenever the word evangelical is used these days, a stereotype comes to mind. Whether or not that image is justified can be debated, but there is little argument that the word evangelical conjures up an image of Christians who are anti-gay, anti-feminist, anti-environmentalist, pro-war, pro-capital punishment, and conservative Republican.
…We adopted the name Red Letter Christians not only to differentiate ourselves from the social values generally associated with evangelicals but also to emphasize that we are Christians who take the radical teachings of Jesus seriously and who are committed to living them out in our everyday lives.
I can’t even begin to summarize the insights contained in Red Letter Revolution. Not only do Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo have a knowledge of the Bible, theology, and the history of the Church, but they also each have a deep, abiding friendship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
The words in this book have convicted me, convinced me, and challenged me. In their conversations, both Tony and Shane are humble, they complement one other as they actively pursue critique and growth, and they clearly both want to learn from one another and from others. They discuss many relevant and sometimes messy issues. But they do so in a way that invites the reader in instead of shutting the reader out.
Red Letter Revolution is a resource I will come back to again and again. Shane and Tony discuss the subjects listed below in a way that is free and honest — telling stories, providing stats, and giving insight after insight. And while the subjects covered are related, every chapter serves as primer on that subject. As such, the book is an easy tool to refer back to — for continued growth and to reap the wisdom of Jesus —
Part I: Red Letter Theology
On History
On Community
On the Church
On Liturgy
On Saints
On Hell
On Islam
On Economics
Part II: Red Letter Living
On Family
On Being Pro-Life
On Environmentalism
On Women
On Racism
On Homosexuality
On Immigration
On Civil Disobedience
On Giving
Part III: Red Letter World
On Empire
On Politics
On War and Violence
On National Debts
On the Middle East
On the Global Church
On Reconciliation
On Missions
On Resurrection
Red Letter Revolution ends the book with the following statement —
We may not think that this Red Letter Christian movement will ever become a dominant form of religious life; however, we are convinced that in one form or another it will continue to be a positive irritant to a church that has the tendency to become complacently conformed to cultural values (emphasis mine).
I highly recommend this book!