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Speaking My Mind : The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face

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Tony Campolo has been speaking his mind for so long and with such candor that a good many evangelicals have questioned his continued identification with their camp. After all, his "liberal" opinions on provocative issues like the Islamic faith, social justice, gays and lesbians, female clergy, and even salvation don't exactly square with contemporary evangelical thought. Or do they?

Campolo describes himself as "someone who works hard at trying to ferret out the truth about what God is doing in the church and in the world, and the part we have in that work...I have not finished thinking about the topics addressed in this book. I expect to wrestle with some of them as long as I live and am able to think." Frankly, I think many evangelicals today could describe themselves in a similar way, but they lack the courage to admit that their thinking on these issues has led them to the same path Campolo is on. They fear losing peer respect or ministry support, and so they quietly allow the Tony Campolos to take the heat for the opinions of a silent evangelical minority.

To try to distill Campolo's views on the highly charged matters he writes about would do him an injustice, because throughout the book we glimpse a mind at work rather than a mind made up. He examines each issue as if it was an immensely intriguing object he is seeing for the first time, turning it this way and that, analyzing it from above and below, regarding it from inside and out. And yet it's clear that he has spent years, if not a lifetime, considering many of the issues that threaten to split the evangelical camp in two.

One thing about Campolo, though, is that he's careful not to write, or speak his mind, from a dogmatic perspective. Rather than maintaining that his is the final word on a matter, you get the impression that he sees himself as a pilgrim on a journey he has taken so many times before that he believes it's his responsibility to assist fellow pilgrims who are still struggling to find their way. There's no pontificating here, none of the self-assured arrogance frequently found among fundamentalists --- a group Campolo believes has commandeered evangelicalism and created an atmosphere of anxiety that keeps some Christians from speaking their own minds.

"What I have to say," he writes, "should not be taken as some kind of summa theologica, but rather as a challenge to my sisters and brothers to be willing, for the sake of eternal truth, to endure the heat that will come from those in our evangelical community who think the most important thing in life is to play it safe." Ultimately, that's what sets Campolo apart --- his willingness to take risks by thinking outside the evangelical box and having the guts to express those thoughts publicly.

SPEAKING MY MIND offers a challenge to progressive evangelicals who recognize the need to be pliable and teachable, to maintain an open mind, and to allow God to be as big as God is. That challenge is to thoroughly analyze each controversial and divisive issue with a sense of wonder at the grace of a loving and forgiving God who cannot be owned or claimed or appropriated by any one group --- including evangelicals.

Finally, with Tony Campolo we find a voice for Christians who do not feel comfortable with the way many evangelicals have blindly aligned themselves with the political right promoting war, militarism, materialism, patriotism and other "values," which are contrary to Christ's message. Campolo calls for repentence, revival and renewal in the evangelical Christian community. This book provides hope for those Christians who feel outcast in their churches because they rely on the words of Jesus to guide them rather than a political party! An answer to prayer!

If you are a Christian who struggles with some of the stances that are taken by the Christian Right, if you squirm a little bit when you hear people say that God is on America's side or when you see people holding signs that say, "God Hates Fags," then you'll probably appreciate this book a lot.

The book is a little uneven in terms of depth, which I would say probably reflects the areas in which Campolo has come to more or less firm positions in his own thinking. The strongest positions are put forth in the chapters on sexism, homosexuality, helping the poor, and militarism. Some of the other chapters, particularly on science and religion and whether there is a second chance for those who die without Christ, seem to just ramble on a bit without really saying much that seems particularly new.

Overall, though, a book that is very much worth reading, even if parts of it make you uncomfortable. I mean, parts of the Bible make you uncomfortable, and you still read that, right?

I'm a Roman Catholic by birth and practice. I guess you could say I had a "born again" experience over 20 years ago. My Christian faith moved from that passive cultural anchor, it had always been, to a real belief in the truth that was Jesus Christ. Dr. Tony Campolo through his writings, talks, and former radio show, has been along with me on my "walk." I am always grateful for Dr. Campolo's civility. When reading or listening to him I always feel as if I am being asked, "Can we talk?"

And Speaking My Mind : The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face by Tony Campolo continues that tradition for me. In plain language Dr. Campolo lays out the issues and tells the reader what he believes and where he stands. He covers the past, present, and future of the Evangelical camp of Christianity. While at times disappointed, he is none the less optimistic. He also tackles the burning moral and political issues of our day. He gives his views on sexism, homosexual rights, abortion, and America's place in this world. He most passionate when it comes to our obligation as Christians to help the poor.

While I agree with much of what he says in Speaking My Mind : The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face. I think he is at times naive and somewhat skewed in his view of things. He is correct to criticize how "Fundamentalists" use text proofing to continue policies of hate towards homosexuals. On the other hand, in my opinion, Dr. Campolo exegetes passages of scripture to fit his argument. So, in the end he is essentially guilty of the same thing. I think he is much too forgiving of the UN, especially its corruption, which he never mentions, and the UN's bureaucratic inability to act quickly in human tragedies like Rwanda. Finally, he is correct in being critical of Christians who associate their faith with the Republican party. But, at times this book reads like Democratic Party talking points.

All this being said, I like Tony Campolo and I consider him a brother in Christ. I may not always agree with him, but I respect him for laying it all out on the table. I highly recommend this book if you have read criticism of Tony Campolo and want to hear his side of the story. And, buy this book if you want an interesting read on the state of American Christianity today. Finally Dr. Campolo if you are reading this, boy do I miss your radio show.

I appreciate the reader above who said this book represents a mind at work, not a mind made up. It's quite obvious here that Campolo writes with that mindset. We shouldn't read Tony's work with the intention of dividing up what we agree and disagree with. We should read it more casually, keeping in mind that his opinions are based upon seeing and experiencing things most of us don't get the opportunity to. He's been around many of the world's cultures, met with foreign leaders, and has been arrested for protest. The guy is not a run of the mill, feel good evangelical. If that's what you're looking for, then look elsewhere.

What saddens me is how people try and filter voices like Tony's through their own agenda. They criticize him for being heretical, when all he desires to do is share what's on his mind. Let us not tar and feather him if his views don't all fit within our cultural understanding of scripture. I will not agree with everything he says, but I will at least attempt to appreciate a man who is tired of the stagnancy that is endangering the growth and relevance of the church.

This is a good book. Not great. I've enjoyed getting to peer into this man's mind a little, but don't expect to have your faith revolutionized. If nothing else, it stands as a small window into several of the issues in evangelicalism that deserve our attention.

Essentially, this book boils down to this: the further off in the weeds we get, the less likely we are to have a monopoly on the truth. Tony's assertion of evangelicalism boils down to the Apostle's Creed and the authority of scripture. We're in C.S. Lewis-land at this point. The fights begin once we start getting into how those essential beliefs (the 'mere' in 'Mere Christianity') inform our action: our social and political world views.

Tony gives us a glimpse into the formations of many of his world view lenses. It's a fascinating process - one that many of his self-righteous critics have probably never bothered with. Why, when some bumper sticker at the Christian Gift Center will tell you all you need to know? Tony knows enough to know that he doesn't know it all, and I'm thankful for that. Plus, he's not waiting until he's got it all figured out to make a difference: shaking things up and getting us out of navel-gazing ways.

Preach it, Tony. This seeker is glad for your voice.

I have only read the chapter on Islam because that was all I had time to read as I briefly viewed the book. The chapter was extremely disturbing in its inaccuracies and in the transparently obscurantist & apologetic approach Campolo took to the issue. If the other themes in the book were handled with a similar level of academic rigour the book should be considered among the least helpful volumes on contemporary issues and should be treated with great scepticism.

Below is an email I sent to Dr Campolo after reading the chapter:~

"Dear Dr. Campolo,

Having been a fan of yours, having gone out of my way in the past to ... hear you talk and having recommended you to my friends I find your comments on Islam in the above mentioned book extremely troubling.

I am completing an MTh on the subject of dialogue between Evangelical Christianity and Islam and regret to say that your chapter on Islam was extremely unprofessional, I must even go so far as to say it was unethical and outright damaging as regards establishing an informed relationship to Islam.

... Your research seems to have been of the most superficial kind and your readiness to dispense with the very basics of Islam which are widely accepted by Muslims themselves had me, frankly, attributing some ulterior motive to your effort.

To touch on just one point of your departure from the common orthodox Islamic understanding: your statement that the idea that Muhammad married Aisha at the age of 6 found its genesis in a couple of disgruntled ex-Muslims who recently wrote some kind of Islamophobic book is nothing short of asinine. The Bukhari Hadith - one of the two most trusted accounts of the traditions surrounding the life of the Prophet of Islam - states plainly that "The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with Aisha while she was six years old and consumated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. until his death)." Sahih Bukhari Vol. 7, book 62, Hadith 88.

[...]

Sir you have done neither the cause of Christ nor inter-faith relations justice by propagating such falsehoods.

I attach my 13,000 word study on dialogue for your perusal and invite further correspondence."

UPDATE

Reply has been received and is pasted below with my response below that again.

Dr. Campolo:~

"Dear Mr. Howarth,

I do not claim to be an authority on the subject of Islam. However, the
information that was set forth in my book, Speaking My Mind, was largely
gleaned from conversations with Karen Armstrong of Oxford University, who is
considered one of the foremost authorities on the subject. Granted that I
was using a secondary source, but I believe her to be a very trustworthy
source. I may be wrong in what I wrote, but I did want you to know the
source of my information.

Thank you for your thoughtful letter. When time permits, I will look
further into this whole matter.

Sincerely,
Tony Campolo"

My response:~

"Dear Dr. Campolo,

Thank you for your reply. Your uncritical reliance on Karen Armstrong
explains everything about the content of the chapter in question. As I
expect this to be our last communication on the matter, I will be brief.

This is very disappointing. Suppose you, as a lecturer, set an assignment
and a student submitted their paper having in their bibliography one single
author. And that the person's work referred to was of the most ahistorical
& jaundiced nature. What mark would you give that assignment?

As an Evangelical there are several stellar Islamicists you could have
chosen to rely on, my fellow Anglicans Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali and Canon
Patrick Sookhdeo to mention only two. The fact that you chose to ignore such
people and focus on perhaps the most prejudiced apologist for Islam we
currently have should be a cause of intense embarassment for an Evangelical
academic. The fact that many thousands of Bible believing Christians will
read your chapter on Islam trusting you give an accurate picture upon which
they can base their relationship both to Islam and to Muslims should have
engendered in you an acute desire to transmit the very best information
available. Apparently it did not.

You said in the book that if Muhammad had in fact married a six-year old
that he would be a paedophile and naturally we should condemn him. I don't
quite agree with that harsh analysis, however, now that you have found this
to be the reality will you now come out and publically state this?

I encourage you to read the works of the authors mentioned above and others
I refer to in my assignment. This is too urgent a matter to remain
uninformed about. There is absolutely no reason why Christians should stop
loving and working for justice for Muslims simply because they have a
realistic idea of the more unpalatable realities of their religion. In fact to continue to
blunder on in the dark will only lead to greater sufferring.

In Christ,
Graeme Howarth"

Sociologists and popular evangelical speaker, Tony Campolo once again produces an interesting read. Sometimes he is very insightful and sometimes he is extremely naive, but his eagerness to try and challenge Christian Americans to a more thoughtful is worth a read, even in the instances where he misses the mark.

Tony opens the book by seeking to understand why mainline Christians are fleeing mainline denominations for evangelical churches. His analyses is often on target, but his approach is more sociological than theological (conversion vs socialization, p. 7). He then asses the growth of evangelical denominations in light of mainline decline. There is much here that Tony is right on here, but it is a little to simplistic. What is nice is that Tony is fair minded and does not write as if he has an ax to grind.

Tony addresses some of the major contemporary issues of the day such as homosexuality, sexism, science, the poor, Islam and war. The strength in these sections is his chapter on homosexuality. Tony approaches this topic with a genuine heart for homosexuals to enter the Christian faith and he often takes the extreme Christian right to task for making a pariah out of the homosexual. His chapter on Islam is overly naive and simplistic and it appeared he cherry picks history to put a more favorable light on Islam. I think his heart is in the right place and since there are so many books that cherry pick the evidence the other way, I didn't really mind.

His chapter on sexism, however, is just plane misguided. While I agree with him in a Protestant context that methodology of not allowing women to be pastors may be wrong, he confuses roles and equality and his quick jab at the Catholic Church demonstrates his ignorance of the Catholic position (the Protestant methodology cannot fit the Catholic or Orthodox notions). After all, the second most important person in the religion is Mary. Men and women just have different ministries and roles.

All in all, this is a good book that will make some mad and some happy, but most people should read this in a manner to examine themselves. It is not a difficult read, yet for a popular type published book, it yields some spiritually searching moments.

I appreciate Tony's voice as brave and needed now more than ever. I appreciate the worship that this book is, worship of Christ not of country, politics, church or any other idol. I believe that honesty is more important than dogmatism and that anything that conquers the fear of not conforming will bring life to the church.

Thank you Tony. Great book.

Campolo is known for his in-your-face, stir-up-evangelicals approach to writing and teaching. So, if you find yourself in the evangelical camp...take a breath. I, as an "evangelical," think that Campolo raises a few concerns here that would be healthy for the evangelical community to consider. I don't agree with everything he says - but for some reason, in the Church we are quick to throw out the baby with the bath water.

I find his approach to issues that are set out in the book as genuine, and heart felt. Some of his other literature and messages have a little more of an edge than this particular book. If anything else, pick it up to get you thinking and considering what you believe and why.

For Campolo fans, I am new in his world of literature...so, I have no real basis by which to compare. I find him incredibly smart and brilliant in the way he lays out his perspective. If you are a fan, I am guessing you will probably read this and think - I have heard this before.