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

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 256 pages
• Published by: Regal Books February 1, 2008
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0830745297
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0830745296
• Book Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Weighs: 1 pounds

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 looks at 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?

Reader 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.