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20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch
AIDS, women preachers, public schools, psychological counseling, homosexuality, and working mothers-these are some of the hot issues that many Christians avoid discussing. With insight and clarity, Tony Campolo confronts today's toughest social and moral questions while raising a few of his own.
235 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Tony Campolo
129 books85 followersAnthony Campolo was an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo was known as one of the most influential leaders in the evangelical left and was a major proponent of progressive thought and reform within the evangelical community. He also became a leader of the Red-Letter Christian movement, which aims to put emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. Campolo was a popular commentator on religious, political, and social issues, and had been a guest on programs such as The Colbert Report, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect and The Hour.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 28, 2020
None of the questions were really answered, or he switched away from the question to prattle on about sort of related topics.
August 28, 2013
I bought this book some time back thinking it would be more of an issue book and less of a self help/guilt you into submission sort of book and it started well.In spite of being very dated, he addressed issues like compassion to Aids victims and reaching out to gays feeling isolated and rejected by God very well. He seemed very postive on the subject of women preachers as well.
However, when he got to the subject of women working for a living he retreated to some fantasy 1950s world where families could live better than subsistance level on only one income. He recommendation for mothers to stay home while their children are little was unrealistic in 1988 and triply more so in 2013. He seems to feel that a women giving up three years or so of her life is no big deal, but fails utterly to address the issue of multi child households. For most families religious or not, the mother will be putting her career and life on hold for 3 to 10 years, particularly if the children are spaced in anyway. So after 10 years, she tries to get a job only to be told she's: too old, too out of training and doesn't have the skills required for the technology that has come out while she was stagnating in the house raising children.
However, when he got to the subject of women working for a living he retreated to some fantasy 1950s world where families could live better than subsistance level on only one income. He recommendation for mothers to stay home while their children are little was unrealistic in 1988 and triply more so in 2013. He seems to feel that a women giving up three years or so of her life is no big deal, but fails utterly to address the issue of multi child households. For most families religious or not, the mother will be putting her career and life on hold for 3 to 10 years, particularly if the children are spaced in anyway. So after 10 years, she tries to get a job only to be told she's: too old, too out of training and doesn't have the skills required for the technology that has come out while she was stagnating in the house raising children.
March 7, 2020
I give Campolo 1 star for being willing to tackle these issues.
I deduct 1 for the manner in which he mishandles Scripture. I deduct 1 star for his maniacal opinions and solutions. I deduct 1 star for his writing style. And I deduct 1 final star for his having published this book and forced me into having to read it in order to answer the nonsense and help folks sort out his confusion... for going on 30 years now.
If you wonder how evangelical Christianity has become a lukewarm shell of it's former self, look no further than this book and it's author as a prime example of the sort of Balaam-like guidance that has produced such a state of things.
I deduct 1 for the manner in which he mishandles Scripture. I deduct 1 star for his maniacal opinions and solutions. I deduct 1 star for his writing style. And I deduct 1 final star for his having published this book and forced me into having to read it in order to answer the nonsense and help folks sort out his confusion... for going on 30 years now.
If you wonder how evangelical Christianity has become a lukewarm shell of it's former self, look no further than this book and it's author as a prime example of the sort of Balaam-like guidance that has produced such a state of things.
February 15, 2015
As with any Christian literature, I did not agree with every one of Campolo's points. While this book, published in the 1980s, is already rather dated in the controversies it covers, it makes good points within each topic, and provides evidence to back each argument. This is a good read, and a refreshing reminder of what it truly means to follow Christ.
January 28, 2023
THE POPULAR AUTHOR TAKES ON CONTROVERSIES
Anthony Campolo is an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, and public speaker.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1988 book, “I feel that the time has come to be bold and to declare from the rooftops what I have been hiding away in my closet of opinions. The time has come to talk about many important things that perhaps I should have talked about a long time. The range of topics in this book is wide… While I know that much of what I have said in this book may be controversial or to make people angry. I just wanted to deal with some crucial issues that are seldom handled from the pulpit. I wanted to speak to such sensitive topics a homosexuality and divorce. I wanted to offer my ideas on … the ordination of women and our attitudes toward AIDS victims. I wanted to speak out strongly on some of my own pet peeves, such as hunting and overpriced funerals. And I wanted to share what I know for those people who … feel the need for psychotherapy… I have tried to maintain a high regard for Scripture on the one hand and a deep empathy for the people involved in these problems on the other.”
On the ordination of women, he observes, “Upon first reading, [1 Tim 2:11-12] very clearly seems to say that women ought not to say anything at church meetings, let alone be ordained as ministers. However… church leaders … are not about to fire all the female Sunday School teachers, youth directors, and Christian Education directors… of their churches… without women, the programs of their churches would fall apart. Usually the church leaders do a bit of unconvincing double talk as they endeavor to make a fine distinction between teaching and preaching… Of course, when it comes to Sunday school teachers, they ignore the fact that the apostle Paul apparently does not recognize this distinction---he categorically says that women should say nothing in church---period!... recent biblical scholarship has shown me that my former reading of this passage was limited by a failure to understand what was going on in the church of the first century…” (Pg. 37)
He recounts, “When I have had the opportunity to address large audiences, I have taken an informal survey to see how people have come to know Jesus. I ask how many became Christians as the result of listening to some Christian radio show… a Christian television show… Out of a crowd of several thousand people, usually just a few hands go up… But when I ask how many have become Christians because some person loved them and shared the gospel with them, the response is always overwhelming.” (Pg. 72)
He explains, “Conservative Republicanism is a very viable political option for evangelical Christians, but it is not the only option… Actually, there are many evangelicals who identify with the political left. I myself am chairman of the board of directors for Evangelicals for Social Action, an organization… who identif[ies] with a host of positions many might consider ‘liberal’…” (Pg. 74-75)
He says, “I believe that Christian parents must not abandon the public schools, especially in light of the fact that most poor children will never have the tuition to go to Christian schools even if they want to do so… 30 percent of all children born in this decade will grow up in poverty, with their only educational options being withing the public school system. We Christians cannot just take our own children and run away.” (Pg. 87)
He argues, “in this fallen world, the orientation of many homosexuals is natural (that is, the result of natural biological factors). I am not suggesting that ALL homosexual orientation is the result of hormonal factors. Actually, I believe that there may be a variety of causes for this orientation, including problems in the socialization of the young and faulty parental identification. What I do claim is that most homosexuals did not consciously CHOOSE their orientation.” (Pg. 113) [He supports same-sex ‘covenants’: “the word covenant connotes a lifelong commitment of mutual obligation which does not necessitate sexual intercourse.” (Pg. 117)
In the final chapter, he points out, “Jesus told his disciples that their generation would not pass away before everything that needed to be fulfilled for His return would take place… I am convinced that by A.D. 70 everything was in place for the return of Christ, and that it has been right for Christians to expect His return ever since that time. There is no need for evangelicals to advocate unjust policies in the Middle East on the supposition that land must be taken from the Arabs and given to the Jews in order to create the conditions essential for the return of Christ.” (Pg. 233)
This book will interest Christians interested in considering such ‘touchy’ issues.
Anthony Campolo is an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, and public speaker.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1988 book, “I feel that the time has come to be bold and to declare from the rooftops what I have been hiding away in my closet of opinions. The time has come to talk about many important things that perhaps I should have talked about a long time. The range of topics in this book is wide… While I know that much of what I have said in this book may be controversial or to make people angry. I just wanted to deal with some crucial issues that are seldom handled from the pulpit. I wanted to speak to such sensitive topics a homosexuality and divorce. I wanted to offer my ideas on … the ordination of women and our attitudes toward AIDS victims. I wanted to speak out strongly on some of my own pet peeves, such as hunting and overpriced funerals. And I wanted to share what I know for those people who … feel the need for psychotherapy… I have tried to maintain a high regard for Scripture on the one hand and a deep empathy for the people involved in these problems on the other.”
On the ordination of women, he observes, “Upon first reading, [1 Tim 2:11-12] very clearly seems to say that women ought not to say anything at church meetings, let alone be ordained as ministers. However… church leaders … are not about to fire all the female Sunday School teachers, youth directors, and Christian Education directors… of their churches… without women, the programs of their churches would fall apart. Usually the church leaders do a bit of unconvincing double talk as they endeavor to make a fine distinction between teaching and preaching… Of course, when it comes to Sunday school teachers, they ignore the fact that the apostle Paul apparently does not recognize this distinction---he categorically says that women should say nothing in church---period!... recent biblical scholarship has shown me that my former reading of this passage was limited by a failure to understand what was going on in the church of the first century…” (Pg. 37)
He recounts, “When I have had the opportunity to address large audiences, I have taken an informal survey to see how people have come to know Jesus. I ask how many became Christians as the result of listening to some Christian radio show… a Christian television show… Out of a crowd of several thousand people, usually just a few hands go up… But when I ask how many have become Christians because some person loved them and shared the gospel with them, the response is always overwhelming.” (Pg. 72)
He explains, “Conservative Republicanism is a very viable political option for evangelical Christians, but it is not the only option… Actually, there are many evangelicals who identify with the political left. I myself am chairman of the board of directors for Evangelicals for Social Action, an organization… who identif[ies] with a host of positions many might consider ‘liberal’…” (Pg. 74-75)
He says, “I believe that Christian parents must not abandon the public schools, especially in light of the fact that most poor children will never have the tuition to go to Christian schools even if they want to do so… 30 percent of all children born in this decade will grow up in poverty, with their only educational options being withing the public school system. We Christians cannot just take our own children and run away.” (Pg. 87)
He argues, “in this fallen world, the orientation of many homosexuals is natural (that is, the result of natural biological factors). I am not suggesting that ALL homosexual orientation is the result of hormonal factors. Actually, I believe that there may be a variety of causes for this orientation, including problems in the socialization of the young and faulty parental identification. What I do claim is that most homosexuals did not consciously CHOOSE their orientation.” (Pg. 113) [He supports same-sex ‘covenants’: “the word covenant connotes a lifelong commitment of mutual obligation which does not necessitate sexual intercourse.” (Pg. 117)
In the final chapter, he points out, “Jesus told his disciples that their generation would not pass away before everything that needed to be fulfilled for His return would take place… I am convinced that by A.D. 70 everything was in place for the return of Christ, and that it has been right for Christians to expect His return ever since that time. There is no need for evangelicals to advocate unjust policies in the Middle East on the supposition that land must be taken from the Arabs and given to the Jews in order to create the conditions essential for the return of Christ.” (Pg. 233)
This book will interest Christians interested in considering such ‘touchy’ issues.
April 30, 2026
I do not recommend this book. The first chapter was not that bad; Campolo had a couple of good points on the topic. Chapter two was okay but did not offer much. Chapters three and four were where things went downhill for me.
*Spoilers*
Chapter three discusses whether women should or should not be preachers. Campolo's argument was that preaching and teaching are essentially the same thing, and, since many denominations allow women to teach the word (especially in areas of kids' ministry and ladies' groups), women should be allowed to preach. He tries to justify this by claiming "[i]n this passage of Acts [2:17-18], the word here translated as "prophesy" means "to preach"" (p. 40-41). Upon looking up the Greek term myself, I found that the actual term for 'prophecy' in the aforementioned passage is 'propheteuo' meaning to "speak an inspired message and, sometimes, proclaiming the future as a warning to preparedness and continued obedience" (The Strongest of Strongs, p. 1528).
Preaching and teaching are two different things. Preaching involves leading and caring for a flock as Jesus, the ultimate Shepherd, would while teaching is merely delivering the word of God to others. Sure, women can pick up positions where godly men are absent, an argument Campolo tried to use as his basis for arguing his point. However, the correct order - one that should be put into place the moment a godly man is called - is: Christ, man, woman, and child.
A church is the family of God, and their meeting place is known as the house of God. Since the beginning, God has declared men to be the head of the house and family. Thus, men are to be the ones in that role. Yes, women can teach the word, like a Shepherd's wife helps her husband tend to the flock by feeding the sheep, but it is the men who are to be the shepherds.
Having determined this issue in his theology, I was very hesitant going forward, wanting to see if issues continued in the other chapters. Two paragraphs into chapter four, I put the book down. The first two paragraphs revealed Campolo's wishy-washy ideology. He starts by proclaiming himself a feminist but then goes on to say women with children should be at home. While I am not a feminist myself, pairing these contradictory statements with his poor theology from the previous chapter, I was not sure if continuing was worth my time. After reviewing some of the comments here on Goodreads about the book, I realized I was not alone in this and refuse to pick the book back up.
*Spoilers*
Chapter three discusses whether women should or should not be preachers. Campolo's argument was that preaching and teaching are essentially the same thing, and, since many denominations allow women to teach the word (especially in areas of kids' ministry and ladies' groups), women should be allowed to preach. He tries to justify this by claiming "[i]n this passage of Acts [2:17-18], the word here translated as "prophesy" means "to preach"" (p. 40-41). Upon looking up the Greek term myself, I found that the actual term for 'prophecy' in the aforementioned passage is 'propheteuo' meaning to "speak an inspired message and, sometimes, proclaiming the future as a warning to preparedness and continued obedience" (The Strongest of Strongs, p. 1528).
Preaching and teaching are two different things. Preaching involves leading and caring for a flock as Jesus, the ultimate Shepherd, would while teaching is merely delivering the word of God to others. Sure, women can pick up positions where godly men are absent, an argument Campolo tried to use as his basis for arguing his point. However, the correct order - one that should be put into place the moment a godly man is called - is: Christ, man, woman, and child.
A church is the family of God, and their meeting place is known as the house of God. Since the beginning, God has declared men to be the head of the house and family. Thus, men are to be the ones in that role. Yes, women can teach the word, like a Shepherd's wife helps her husband tend to the flock by feeding the sheep, but it is the men who are to be the shepherds.
Having determined this issue in his theology, I was very hesitant going forward, wanting to see if issues continued in the other chapters. Two paragraphs into chapter four, I put the book down. The first two paragraphs revealed Campolo's wishy-washy ideology. He starts by proclaiming himself a feminist but then goes on to say women with children should be at home. While I am not a feminist myself, pairing these contradictory statements with his poor theology from the previous chapter, I was not sure if continuing was worth my time. After reviewing some of the comments here on Goodreads about the book, I realized I was not alone in this and refuse to pick the book back up.
November 6, 2021
Campolo is very much an evangelical but very much a moderate or possibly left-leaning evangelical, or at least his positions in this book would seem to take that stance. As such, he probably succeeded in pleasing very few with this book. I definitely disagreed with him on some points, but the whole book was well-written and thought-provoking. The funny thing is that the “hot potatoes” have not changed too much since 1988. Still decidedly dated, however (and I wouldn’t expect differently from 1988). Overall, a good read!
October 14, 2008
This is the best Christian current-issues book I've read since Blinded By Might (see my review of that) in 2004. (It's about twenty years old, being copyright 1988, but does not focus on 1980s-specific issues, so you will not find it dated. But if the age still concerns you, the author has written a more recent issues book called Speaking My Mind. I'm going to read it too eventually.)
The author, Tony Campolo, is a social liberal but definitely *not* a theological liberal; he says he accepts the inerrancy of the Bible, talks about sin and about God's grace, and if I recall, says he is a Baptist and former pastor. (At publication, he taught sociology at Eastern College in St. David's, Pennsylvania.) So reading this book isn't like reading something by John Shelby Spong.
It discusses the following issues:
-What Christians should do about the AIDS epidemic.
-Christian ways of dealing with low self-esteem.
-Whether there should be women preachers.
-Whether the mother of a young child should have a career.
-Christian ways of dealing with sexual frustration.
-How worthwhile is Christian televangelism?
-Should kids, especially Christian kids, go to public schools?
-How Christians need to avoid despising homosexuals, especially within the church.
-Whether rich people can go to heaven, and how Christians should behave with their wealth.
-What the Christian attitude towards modern sports should be.
-Hunting: What kind of hunting is acceptable, and what kind is a sin.
-When it is acceptable to take someone off life support.
-How single women over 30 can deal with loneliness.
-Whether it's right for Christians to kill. (This is the only chapter where I completely disagreed with his opinion.)
-How undertakers often take financial advantage of grieving families when planning funeral services for them.
-When it is or isn't right to put an elderly family member in a care center. (This, unlike the chapter on whether Christians can kill, is *not* black-and-white in its conclusions.)
-When it is or is not right for divorced Christians to remarry.
-What kinds of psychological treatments are a good idea.
-What parents should do when their adult children make bad decisions.
-What Christians' attitude regarding Israel and Palestine should be.
The author, Tony Campolo, is a social liberal but definitely *not* a theological liberal; he says he accepts the inerrancy of the Bible, talks about sin and about God's grace, and if I recall, says he is a Baptist and former pastor. (At publication, he taught sociology at Eastern College in St. David's, Pennsylvania.) So reading this book isn't like reading something by John Shelby Spong.
It discusses the following issues:
-What Christians should do about the AIDS epidemic.
-Christian ways of dealing with low self-esteem.
-Whether there should be women preachers.
-Whether the mother of a young child should have a career.
-Christian ways of dealing with sexual frustration.
-How worthwhile is Christian televangelism?
-Should kids, especially Christian kids, go to public schools?
-How Christians need to avoid despising homosexuals, especially within the church.
-Whether rich people can go to heaven, and how Christians should behave with their wealth.
-What the Christian attitude towards modern sports should be.
-Hunting: What kind of hunting is acceptable, and what kind is a sin.
-When it is acceptable to take someone off life support.
-How single women over 30 can deal with loneliness.
-Whether it's right for Christians to kill. (This is the only chapter where I completely disagreed with his opinion.)
-How undertakers often take financial advantage of grieving families when planning funeral services for them.
-When it is or isn't right to put an elderly family member in a care center. (This, unlike the chapter on whether Christians can kill, is *not* black-and-white in its conclusions.)
-When it is or is not right for divorced Christians to remarry.
-What kinds of psychological treatments are a good idea.
-What parents should do when their adult children make bad decisions.
-What Christians' attitude regarding Israel and Palestine should be.
January 27, 2009
Campolo s original book tackling contemporary issues and questions from a Bible focused mindset. Campolo discusses the questions with a simple, common sense approach. This book is a great way to clear away the cultural clutter and examine these issues from a fresh perspective.
December 10, 2007
There were several solid insights in this book, but the overall writing didn't grab me. I was never really looking forward to the next chapter, but more wondering if I could bear it sort of.
Read
July 25, 2011Some really good and thoughtful points, interspersed with some items on which he really drops the ball. Feh.
August 16, 2013
Needs to be up-dated. This book is 25 years old and while many of the issues remain hot potatoes for Chrisitians, some of the examples are no longer relevant.
October 21, 2015
Used this for a midweek bible study discussion and it had a lot of people talking about contemporary issues, I can say that! A bit dated now, I'm sure, but in 1992 I remember really enjoying it.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews