Red Letter Christians: A Citizen's Guide to Faith and Politics (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In today s political environment, who speaks for whom is not always clear. Over the past couple of decades, evangelical Christians have tended to be associated with the religious right and the most conservative positions of the Republican Party. Rebelling against this designation are those who prefer to be called Red Letter Christians, desiring to live out the red letters of Jesus words in the New Testament. Believing that Jesus is neither a Republican nor a Democrat, Red Letter Christians want to jumpstart a religious movement that will transcend partisan politics and concentrate on issues such as fighting poverty, caring for the environment, advancing peace, promoting strong families, and supporting a consistent ethic of life, all viewed as critical moral and biblical values. Into this arena of thought steps Tony Campolo, the powerful evangelist known for his passionate and prophetic sharing of the radical message of Jesus. In this book, Campolo examines many of the hot-button issues facing evangelicals from the perspective of Jesus red-letter words in the Bible. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, Campolo will make you think and pray and act.

From the Inside Flap

From Red Letter Christians: Challenging the popular image of Evangelicals is one of the purposes of this book. I want it to be known that there are millions of us who espouse an evangelical theology, but who reject being classified as part of the Religious Right. We don’t want to make Jesus into a Republican. On the other hand, we want to say loud and clear that we don’t want to make Jesus in a Democrat, either. Early twentieth-century playwright and social critic George Bernard Shaw once said that God created us in His image—and we decided to return the favor! Clearly there are those on the Religious Right who would make Jesus into a Republican and an incarnation of their political values. And on the other side of the aisle, there are those who would make Jesus into a Democrat who espouses their particular liberal agenda. But Jesus refuses to fit into any of our political ideologies. Transcending partisan politics, Jesus calls us to make judgments about social issues as best we can when we vote, and to do so in accord with our best understanding of God’s will. In doing so, we are to avoid partisan politics that lead to unnecessary, unproductive and even dangerous divisions. At election time when you are asked, “Are you a Democrat or a Republican?” your answer should be, “Name the issue!” On any specific social or political issue, we must be ready and willing to work out which party and/or candidate best represents our convictions. This, of course, will make voting into a difficult decision-making process. But who said following Jesus was easy?

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Regal Books (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830745297
• ISBN-13: 978-0830745296
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #272,645 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Perspective Long Overdue, May 2, 2008

By	Christopher Hall (Boston, MA & London, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Coming from a Massachusetts Northeast liberal, a book by a Evangelical Baptist Minister might not be a perfect read. Yet Tony Campolo has put together a remarkably adept book that puts faith into perspective when addressing political action. The result is a powerful book that may best be summed up by Campolo's opening statement: "when people ask a Christian are they a Democrat or a Republican, you should reply: what's the issue?"

Clearly the Bible has been subverted too often to satisfy the needs and agenda of a small minority. Campolo carefully examines the words of Jesus to present a powerful argument that faith based politics is neither the exclusive realm of Democrats or Republicans. His arguments are so well reasoned, in almost every case, he is able to present two sides of the issue convincingly, the lone exception being capital punishment (which he argues Christ would be adamantly against.) Further, Campolo argues that the focus should be on the "Red Letter" words of Christ as Jesus often contradicted (realigned might be a better word) edicts that were found in the Old Testament (example, Jesus countermanded Moses approval of polygamy).

Too often it seems, evangelicals seem to base their political choices and ideas on elements found within the Old Testament while simultaneously professing their adherence to the teachings of Christ. Campolo makes a valid argument that the focus ought to be on the words and actions of Jesus, rather than the events that happened in the Old Testament. This isn't to say he rejects the Old Testament, early in his book, he affirms it as the written word of God, but he does move the focus onto the relevancy of the New Testament.

For Christians such as myself, this is a wonderful book because it focuses on the importance of the words of Jesus and his teachings and exposes the duality of many elements of the Old Testament. Evangelicals who would condemn homosexuality based on Leviticus seem keen to ignore the fact that slavery and polygamy run rampant through the Old Testament. "Picking and choosing" issues isn't an option for Red Letter Christians, Christ's words are right there and what he says about the poor, foreigners, the sick, the helpless and the underprivileged are in bright red. This book is sure to offer a new perspective for anyone interested in faith-based politics.

24 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quote Jesus and Get in Trouble!, January 18, 2008

By	California Theo - See all my reviews

Campolo has proven once again that when we Christians actually pay attention to the teaching and message of Jesus the voices of the status quo will come along and say, enough with these "platitudes." We American Christians push Jesus off to the side and carefully keep him marginalized. The Romans disliked his message so much they killed him.

Campolo's work asks us to take the teaching of Jesus and put it in the middle of the culture in which we exist. We don't know if it will work because we've never really tried it.

As always, Campolo's effort here is filled with sit and wisdom. It is a remarkable call from an evangelical to the USA to "follow" Jesus.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wisdom to help us with polarizing issues, August 17, 2009

By	lapsrus "lapsrus" (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

Tony Campolo is an E Coast pastor with a heart for the less fortunate, the people in uncomfortable situations, the people with conflicted consciences. He points out how far we have gotten from how Jesus would have ministered to those people and how we can get back to the kinder, gentler ways without having to compromise our own values.

Highly recommended.