Red Letter Christians

This time last week I had put up my tent and was getting ready to get stuck into the Greenbelt festival at Cheltenham racecourse.

One of the keynote speakers this year was Tony Campolo. He is a 78 year old Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and is as an associate pastor in the Baptist church. I’d heard the name, and had seen references to things he said in the Christian press over the years. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian and assumed, (wrongly as it turned out), that as an American evangelical he would be verging on the fundamentalist. (If you want to find out more about him go to www.tonycampolo.org.)

During his talk he referred to himself (and another Greenbelt speaker Shane Clairborne) as “Red Letter Christians”. This was not a phrase I’d come across before, but during the course of his talk, (and subsequently reading one of his books), I came to understand what it means.

Apparently the phrase was first used by a radio journalist interviewing another American theologian Jim Wallis. The interviewer was trying to pigeonhole Wallis as a certain type of Christian – Evangelical, Liberal, and Charismatic? Having failed to do so, the journalist said to Wallis “So you’re one of those Red Letter Christians – you know – the ones who are really into the verses of the Bible that are in red letters.” Wallis agreed he was. (Quote taken from “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” Tony Campolo)

In some versions of the Bible, the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red. So Red Letter Christians seek to follow the teachings of Jesus and are committed to living out the things that Jesus taught. Sounds good to me!

You’d think all Christians would be Red Letter Christians, but the reality is that many aren’t, particularly in America. Why? As Tony Campolo points out in his book “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” what differentiates Red Letter Christians from other Christians, is the commitment by Red Letter Christians to social justice. And sadly many Christians do not have the same commitment.

I think it is important though to make sure that social justice doesn't become the be all and end all. And Campolo tends to agree as he says in his book that Red Letter Christians:

1. Hold to the same theological convicitions that define Evangelicals by beliving in the doctrines set down in the Apostles Creed which are central to what the Church has held over the centuries.

2. RLCs have a very high regard for scripture. They emphasise the "red letetrs" becuase they believe that the Bible can only be understood from the persepctve of Christ Jesus.

3. RLCs believe that Jesus can be alive and present in everyone and that salvation depends on him alone.

In fact Campolo would argue that these three have to be present and then following the red letters is a response.

I am pleased to call myself a Red Letter Christian.

For more information see http://www.redletterchristians.org/