Rest In Peace, Tony Campolo

RIP, Tony Campolo.

Died: Tony Campolo, Champion of ‘Red Letter’ Christianity - Christianity Today

Tony Campolo frequently started his speeches to Christian audiences by telling them three things.

First, he would tell them how many children had died from hunger or malnutrition-related diseases the night before—a number in the tens of thousands.

And Campolo would say, “Most of you don’t give a s—.”

Then: “What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said ‘s—’ than the fact that thousands of kids died last night.”

Campolo, a progressive Christian leader who courted controversy challenging evangelicals to see caring for the poor as an integral part of proclaiming the gospel, died on Tuesday. He was 89.

I only saw a few of his speeches, but was impressed at his love of the common man. According to the article,

Born a second-generation Italian immigrant in 1935, Campolo had his first taste of social conflict in the church while growing up in Philadelphia. His family attended an American Baptist congregation in West Philadelphia, but it shut down when white people fled the city and their African American neighbors for the suburbs. Campolo’s father, Anthony Campolo Sr., decided not to follow. Instead, he took his family to a Black Baptist church nearby, and they worshiped there.

As a young pastor in his 20s, Campolo faced racism in the church again. He was working in a congregation near Valley Forge, in Pennsylvania, when General Electric opened a new research headquarters in the area, triggering a housing shortage. Black people in particular had trouble finding places to live. Campolo started pushing local leaders to fix the problem and soon found himself the head of a council working on fair and affordable housing.

The backlash was quick. Campolo was sharply criticized by white people in his congregation, who said he was going to hurt real estate value and the reputation of the church.

It was eye-opening for the young minister. “I did not expect that Christian people could be so openly racist,” he said.

“I surrendered my life to Jesus and trusted in him for my salvation, and I have been a staunch evangelical ever since,” Campolo wrote in 2015. “I believe the Bible to have been written by men inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. I place my highest priority on the words of Jesus, emphasizing the 25th chapter of Matthew, where Jesus makes clear that on Judgment Day, the defining question will be how each of us responded to those he calls ‘the least of these.’”

A Baptist pastor and sociologist, Campolo attributed this vision to John Wesley. In a 2003 interview with Christianity Today, Campolo said he studied the founder of Methodism in a class on “Christian classics” when he was a student at Eastern College (now a university). He realized Wesley’s social activism wasn’t distinct from his conversion but deeply connected.

“The Wesleyan vision was warm-hearted evangelism with an incredible social vision,” Campolo said. “Out of this conversion grows the great Wesleyan revival with all of its social consciousness, attacking slavery, championing the rights of women, ending child labor laws.”

He is survived by his wife, Peggy, and their children, Lisa Goodheart and Bart Campolo.

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Thanks, Randy. Until now I only knew his name.

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I love it when Christian preachers get up and hit the congregation between the eyes with unfathomable statements from the apparent sanctity of the pulpit. And so they should…too many individuals sit in those seats slumbering in the comfort of their religious existence.

i recall that the late Australian billionaire Kerry Packer once let an absolute ripper go after winning the “World Series Cricket battle” with the saints of cricket…upon entering a meeting with his vanquished foes to begin discussion over Television rights…Kerry is famously quoted as saying…

“There is a little bit of the whore in all of us, gentlemen. What is your price?”

Then there is this absolute ripper of a statement in front of the Australian Parlimentary “House of Representatives Select Committee” on Print Media by the great man regarding tax…

‘I am not evading tax in any way, shape or form. Now of course I am minimising my tax and if anybody in this country doesn’t minimise their tax they want their heads read because as a government I can tell you you’re not spending it that well that we should be donating extra’

If only we had some of those one liners in church services!

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  1. “Love is not something we give or receive, it’s something we are.”
  2. “It’s not enough to preach a message; we have to live it out.”
  3. “But isn’t it time for Christians to admit that we should reject bargains if they are gained by the exploitation of the poorest of the poor in developing countries?”
    ― Tony Campolo, Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics
  4. There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed… There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor.
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He was not on my radar either, and I only recall him vaguely, though I remember hearing a few of his quotes. In reading about him here and elsewhere today, I am sorry I missed out. It never ceases to amaze me how big the world of Christianity is, and how we wind up in our little insulated bubbles. Thank you guys for helping me out of mine.

One of the email lists I am on (Jim Denison’s forum) discussed Campolo’s ministry today, and while generally positive, also discussed some the controversial aspects of his ministry. Evidently, Campolo was a spiritual advisor to President Clinton in his mess, and was affirming of gay marriage, both things that made him anathema to large parts of the evangelical deep state. Not to get too political, but just a statement of fact. It is really tough to not venture into forbidden topics, isn’t it! :wink:

In any case, what an interesting life and story. Lots to learn from him.

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Need to get a list going for #4.

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Thanks Randy.

I read Tony Campolo’s book, We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Partly Right, some years ago. It was challenging.

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I am happy to see Tony remembered for what he was: a soldier in Christ’s Love Army. He was a Mensch. I first met him at a conference in Pittsburgh where we were both speakers, and we hit it off immediately. I was pained to hear of his dementia late in life.
Rest in peace my friend!

Roy

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Great idea! Maybe this is relevant

Thanks!

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