What do you think?
Rate this book
Red Letter Christianity: Living the Words of Jesus No Matter the Cost
In RED LETTER CHRISTIANITY Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo explore what it means to take seriously the words of Jesus. Both authors are known for their commitment to the lifestyle requisites of the Gospels, and their belief that real Christianity must inform the way we live...every day of our lives. RED LETTER CHRISTIANITY deals with the crucial questions facing followers of Jesus today, including global poverty and injustice, the growth of the church, issues of sexuality, the environment...and many more. Readers are invited to sit around the table with Shane and Tony as they discuss these issues together.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2012
11 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 1, 2014
A helpful and engaging introduction to some key issues facing Christians today. The title comes from a movement of those, primarily American, who largely theologically evangelical but are not comfortable with all the things being done or said with that label. These people focus on the words of Jesus Himself. Each chapter is written as conversation between Tony Campolo - a father of this movement, and one of the key figures of American evangelicalism of the last 40 years. Along with his much younger co-author, Shane Claiborne, Campolo has had a prophetic ministry challenging the church on issues of justice and mission. Claiborne is a radical voice, largely theologically conservative, committed to a life of integrity and radical engagement.
The book makes for fascinating, provocative reading; occasionally it suffers in 3 areas. One it is, by necessity, sometimes too fixed on the American context. Second it does try to cover too much ground and ends up doing justice to very few - these are really simple introductions to difficult and weighty subjects. Third, it could do with other voices - of disagreement. Too often they say the same thing in different ways; different views need to be aired more rigorously if the debate is to be truly valuable.
The book makes for fascinating, provocative reading; occasionally it suffers in 3 areas. One it is, by necessity, sometimes too fixed on the American context. Second it does try to cover too much ground and ends up doing justice to very few - these are really simple introductions to difficult and weighty subjects. Third, it could do with other voices - of disagreement. Too often they say the same thing in different ways; different views need to be aired more rigorously if the debate is to be truly valuable.
April 5, 2020
A stark reminder of the words that Jesus said and how radically counter-cultural they were.
Honestly, this book took me on a journey... It broke my heart, it made me angry, it challenged me... There's certainly no beating round the bush with Shane and Tony. Although Red Letter Christianity only scratches the surface on some issues, it's a brilliant starting point for some BIG conversations that need to be had.
Honestly, this book took me on a journey... It broke my heart, it made me angry, it challenged me... There's certainly no beating round the bush with Shane and Tony. Although Red Letter Christianity only scratches the surface on some issues, it's a brilliant starting point for some BIG conversations that need to be had.
December 7, 2018
Some good stuff that helps to understand how evangelical theology is changing and diversifying.
September 19, 2014
Tony and Shane offer a lot of insight into how we can live more authentically Christ-centered lives. I love the ways in which these two discussed ways of being and doing in our lives as people of faith who see Jesus' ministry as a central vine through our own lives.
The main reason I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 was because of the middle section of the book about how we as Christians can address possibly controversial subjects in our faith lives. As much as I know Tony and SHane were trying to be inclusive, the parts about women, racism, homosexuality, and others seemed more "othering" than I think the authors intended. I think it would have set a better tone to focus the discussion on gender, race, sexuality, etc. by naming the abstract idea, rather than a set group of people, and then elaborating on how the general idea of the "in group" needs to change before we can even start talking about how real justice can be lived out. I think this is what Shane and Tny definitely intend...but as a woman, it felt very awkward to read the chapter entitled "Women" only to have an incredibly short list given by two men on how I am oppressed and shouldn't be. After reading, I felt like a lot more could have been done to break down walls by talking about gender constructs in general and how men, women, and people who don't identify as either would benefit from more inclusivity. This same sort of strategy could be used to talk about race, sexuality, and other other life experiences, too, or else it just seems like Tony and Shane are justifying to white heterosexual men why the rest of us can be Christians too. Yet I know these two to be loving and welcoming individuals, so I don't want those parts to turn you off from reading the book!
The beginning and the end were fabulous! Tony and Shane do A LOT of transformative conversation for us...I especially liked the pieces in the end about reconciliation, resurrection, and mission work. These bits were healing to read - the comparisons between ancient Rome and modern day America were eye opening, even having heard the juxtaposition before. After reading the book I would say I feel more clear headed and open minded toward new ways of reading into scripture and understanding the Bible in my own cultural context.
The main reason I gave this book a 4 instead of a 5 was because of the middle section of the book about how we as Christians can address possibly controversial subjects in our faith lives. As much as I know Tony and SHane were trying to be inclusive, the parts about women, racism, homosexuality, and others seemed more "othering" than I think the authors intended. I think it would have set a better tone to focus the discussion on gender, race, sexuality, etc. by naming the abstract idea, rather than a set group of people, and then elaborating on how the general idea of the "in group" needs to change before we can even start talking about how real justice can be lived out. I think this is what Shane and Tny definitely intend...but as a woman, it felt very awkward to read the chapter entitled "Women" only to have an incredibly short list given by two men on how I am oppressed and shouldn't be. After reading, I felt like a lot more could have been done to break down walls by talking about gender constructs in general and how men, women, and people who don't identify as either would benefit from more inclusivity. This same sort of strategy could be used to talk about race, sexuality, and other other life experiences, too, or else it just seems like Tony and Shane are justifying to white heterosexual men why the rest of us can be Christians too. Yet I know these two to be loving and welcoming individuals, so I don't want those parts to turn you off from reading the book!
The beginning and the end were fabulous! Tony and Shane do A LOT of transformative conversation for us...I especially liked the pieces in the end about reconciliation, resurrection, and mission work. These bits were healing to read - the comparisons between ancient Rome and modern day America were eye opening, even having heard the juxtaposition before. After reading the book I would say I feel more clear headed and open minded toward new ways of reading into scripture and understanding the Bible in my own cultural context.
August 2, 2014
the best thing about this book (though in itself was very good, it is set out as a dialogue between shane claiborne and tony campolo and goes through a 'discussion' about key issues and topics) was the fact that a complete stranger bought it for me after perusing the shelves at a bookstand she asked which one I would buy if I could. hooray for hospitality and books!
November 7, 2012
Nice little book which hopefully makes peoplethink more about accepting gay people in the church, or even leading a church. Also cool the guy wore "God loves women preachers" an an all-male conference. I liked it, but didn't "challenge me" as already had these ideas before started book.
August 26, 2015
Great discussions of some modern topics in Christianity and getting back to the heart of what the evangelicals were trying to do. Not something where I'd agree with everything they say, but certainly thought-provoking and worth the time for Christians to read.
September 11, 2014
Certainly gives you some things to think about. About the way to approach reading the Bible, and how to live out your Christian Faith.
April 29, 2014
Really enjoyed this book. Even though I may not have agreed with all of it, it certainly made me think and reconsider Jesus' words.
October 6, 2015
Thought provoking conversational essays from contemporary Christian authors and activists. Really enjoyed it. Would read again.
July 15, 2016
One of my favourite reads!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews