Letters To A Young Evangelical (Art of Mentoring) [Hardcover]

Tony Campolo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Art of Mentoring | Publication Date: November 28, 2006

Named by Christianity Today as one of the twentyfive most influential preachers of the last fifty years, best-selling author Tony Campolo has spent decades calling on readers and audiences around the world to live their faith through committed activism. A tireless crusader for human rights and the eradication of world poverty, Campolo is a "Red Letter" Christian--he reminds us that when Jesus spoke, he spoke of social justice. But the Religious Right and social conservatives have hijacked His message in the name of Republican politics. They have corrupted the faith by ignoring the true message of Christ and focusing instead on narrow "wedge" issues to win political campaigns. In Letters to a Young Evangelical, Campolo calls on evangelicals of all ages to reject the false pieties of the Religious Right. With his trademark candor and wit, he offers sage advice to seekers who are trying to live their faith in a modern world that is politically polarized and predominantly secular. He is unafraid to touch on the hot-button topics that divide believers in America and around the world: abortion, gay rights, war, capital punishment, feminism, and the environment. An activist, a visionary, and a man of deep faith, Tony Campolo offers guidance not only for young evangelicals, but for seekers of all ages and faiths.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Campolo offers a strong enough addition to Basic's Letters to a Young... series that even older readers will learn a thing or two. In letters to two fictional young evangelicals, Campolo endeavors to challenge and encourage young Christians in much the same way Paul did in his epistles. In keeping with this Pauline theme, Campolo addresses his letters to Timothy, but, in keeping with his strong belief that women and men are equally fit for church leadership, also addresses them to Junia, a spiritual leader to whom Paul refers in the book of Romans. As Campolo covers such topics as the religious right, fundamentalism, dispensationalism, homosexuality, abortion and Christian-Muslim relations, he admirably steers clear of telling his readers what to think. Rather, he explains his position on the issue at hand, explains the positions of his detractors and leaves his readers to decide for themselves. Campolo calls himself a "Red Letter Christian," which signifies identification with neither the Right nor the Left, but with Jesus, whose words are rendered in red letters in many editions of the Bible. For Campolo, Red Letter Christianity is about following the radical teachings of Jesus, particularly identification with the poor, compassion for the suffering and the courage to stand against injustice. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

The Art of Mentoring series entry addressing Reformation-based Christians calls them not Protestant but Evangelical. Evangelicalism's enthusiastic worship and personal "witnessing" have spurred monumental demographic shifts to independent, nondenominational megachurches and Evangelical subsets of mainstream Protestant denominations. Baptist Campolo, white member of a lively African American congregation, thinks that this, and the Pentecostal explosion that fueled it, are, by and large, very good. As a political liberal, however, he warns against accepting such things as the rapture, rigid end-times theology, biblical literalism, intolerance of gays, and membership in the Republican Party as Evangelical sine qua nons. Further, he counsels tenderness and mercy rather than stridency in dealing with abortion. Christianity is not partisan, he says, and to escape partisan associations, Evangelical may have to yield to a term more indicative of following Christ; he suggests red-letter Christian, which refers to the practice in many editions of the Bible of printing Jesus' words in red. Consider yourself called by Christ, he concludes, to a life of loving and faithful sacrifice and fellowship. Salvific advice, indeed. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465008313
• ISBN-13: 978-0465008315
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,284,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tony Campolo (Ph.D., Temple University) is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in suburban Philadelphia, a media commentator on religious, social, and political matters, and the author of a dozen books, including Revolution and Renewal, Let me Tell You a Story, and 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to touch.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not an Evangelical? This book may be for you anyway...., January 11, 2007

By 

Pam Hesler (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters To A Young Evangelical (Art of Mentoring) (Hardcover)

I was drawn to order this book when I heard Campolo interviewed on NPR.
My own beliefs tend heavily toward the liberal side of the scale so I surprised how interested I was in what Campolo had to say during the interview. Clearly, what he was saying often was not what I expected to hear from an Evangelical. So I purchased the book to learn more about him and I recommend the book for others, like me, who aren't satisfied to just sit with their assumptions and are open to learning about the common ground we can share with folks whose beliefs we may not understand as well as we thought we did.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Campolo is right on!, October 25, 2007

By 

Brandon Rogers "nodnarb134" (Abilene, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters To A Young Evangelical (Art of Mentoring) (Hardcover)

I purchased this book after I heard Dr. Campolo speak at a local university. This is the most influential book I've read since graduate school. Campolo does a superb job of pointing out how the world views evangelicals and all the baggage that comes with the term. He proposes to the reader to replace the term evangelical with the term "red-letter Christian" as a way to help Christians define themselves instead of being at the mercy of the media and the general consensus of the public. Campolo tackles hot-button issues with much precision and thoughtfulness. He is truly a prophetic voice in our world today. I've given away several copies already!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be read by old Evangelicals too!, February 24, 2008

By 

K. Foisy "White Rabbit" (Branch, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters to a Young Evangelical (Art of Mentoring) (Hardcover)

Excellent book hitting on many important points of Evangelicalism that are both changing and staying the same. It's good for a young Evangelical to hear these thoughts from a older, established and respected, Evangelical so we know that what is natural for us to question and rethink are areas that truly do need to be rethought and not gross deviations from the Truth.