Red Letter Christians

November Monthly Morning Prayer
2024-11-01 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Virtual
We are beyond honored to welcome Rev. Dr. William Barber II as our guest for November’s Monthly Morning Prayer.
Bishop William J. Barber II is President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Bishop with The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, Executive Board Member of the Christian Church Disciples of Christ, and Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival, and a Kettering Foundation Senior Fellow.
He is the author of five books: We Are Called To Be A Movement; Revive Us Again: Vision and Action in Moral Organizing; The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and The Rise of a New Justice Movement; and Forward Together: A Moral Message For The Nation. White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy was released in June 2024.
Bishop Barber served as senior pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ for thirty years and as president of the North Carolina NAACP from 2006-2017 and on the National NAACP Board of Directors from 2008-2020. He is the architect of the Forward Together Moral Movement that gained national acclaim in 2013 with its Moral Monday protests at the North Carolina General Assembly. In 2015, he established Repairers of the Breach to train communities in moral movement building through the Moral Political Organizing Leadership Institute and Summit Trainings (MPOLIS). In 2018, he co-anchored the relaunch of the Pour People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival—reviving the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign organized by women’s rights movement, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., worker’s rights movement, religious leaders, and people of all races to fight poverty in the U.S. As a moral leader Bishop William Barber II engaging in non-violent civil disobedience has been arrested more than 15 times in various states standing up with those who have been marginalized by systematic racism, poverty, and injustice.
A highly sought-after speaker, Bishop Barber has given keynote addresses at hundreds of national and state conferences, including the 2016 Democratic National Convention, one of few preachers in nations history to be invited to give the homily at the 59th Inaugural Prayer Service for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Vatican at Pope Francis’s encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home” and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. In June 2018, he addressed the 5th Uni Global Union World Congress to more than 25 countries.
Bishop Barber is regularly featured in media outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, NNPA, the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Nation magazine. He was named one of 2020’s BET 100 Entertainers and Innovators and one of the 2019 recipients of the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor. He is a 2018 MacArthur Foundation Genius Award recipient and a 2015 recipient of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award and the Puffin Award. Bishop Barber has had twelve honorary doctorate degrees conferred upon him. He earned a High School degree from Plymouth High, a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctorate from Drew University with a concentration in Public Policy and Pastoral Care. And has studied in a special fellowship at MIT.
Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove will be facilitating this time of reflection and prayer as always. We will be streaming live on all our socials; register to join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsf-yhqDktEtaFrLGo6ruPBpOkho6n2LLY
We will be live on all of our socials! Morning prayer takes place at the beginning of each month based on the book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. You can follow along with the readings from Common Prayer at commonprayer.net for free!

Execution Alert: Richard Moore
2024-11-01 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
Join us to protest the execution of Richard Moore in South Carolina on November 1, 2024. To learn more about how you can help, visit: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-richard-moore-in-south-carolina-2
To act/learn more, visit: Stop the Execution of Richard Moore in South Carolina (actionnetwork.org)
Let us pray over the life of Richard Moore. Lord, have mercy.

RLC Book Club with Eliza Griswold
2024-10-23 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
We are excited to have October’s featured guest Eliza Griswold talking about her latest book, “Circle of Hope: A Reckoning of Love, Power and Justice in an American Church” with Shane Claiborne and Katie Jo Brotherton.
About the Book:
“Circle of Hope” is an intimate portrait of a church, its radical mission, and its riveting crisis. “The revolution I wanted to be part of was in the church.”
Americans have been leaving their churches. Some drift away. Some stay home. And some have been searching for—and finding—more authentic ways to find and follow Jesus.
This is the story of one such “radical outpost of Jesus followers” dedicated to service, the Sermon on the Mount, and working toward justice for all in this life, not just salvation for some in the next. Part of a little-known yet influential movement at the edge of American evangelicalism, Philadelphia’s Circle of Hope grew for forty years, planted four congregations, and then found itself in crisis.
The story that follows is an American allegory full of questions with urgent relevance for so many of us, not just the faithful: How do we commit to one another and our better selves in a fracturing world? Where does power live? Can it be shared? How do we make “the least of these” welcome?
Building on years of deep reporting, the Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold has crafted an intimate, immersive, tenderhearted portrait of a community, as well as a riveting chronicle of its transformation, bearing witness to the ways a deeply committed membership and their team of devoted pastors are striving toward change that might help their church survive. Through generational rifts, an increasingly politicized religious landscape, a pandemic that prevented gathering to worship, and a rise in foundation-shaking activism, Circle of Hope tells a propulsive, layered story of what we do to stay true to our beliefs. It is a soaring, searing examination of what it means for us to love, to grow, and to disagree.
About the Author:
Eliza Griswold is the author of six books of poetry and nonfiction, all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her book Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America was awarded the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. She writes for The New Yorker, is the Ferris Professor and Director of the Program in Journalism at Princeton University, and lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.
We will be live on all of our socials. Register to join us on Zoom!
Find us streaming live on Red Letter Christian’s Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube channels.

Called to Community: Reviving Jesus’ Justice for Our Time (Red Letter Revival Night 2)
2024-10-19 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, United States
“Let us be those creative dissenters who will call our beloved nation to a higher destiny, to a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.”
– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
On this second and final evening of the Red Letter Revival – Philadelphia, believers will gather to breathe new life into Rev. Dr. King’s “revolution of values”: casting an alternative vision for the future where Christians can clearly see the synergy between faith and justice and understand how to work with churches, organizations, and activists working to realize this justice – right here and right now.
Inspired by the grace and wisdom of faithful speakers, activists, and artists, we will collectively respond to King’s call to be creative dissenters and merge the resources, vision, and expertise of dozens of organizations and hundreds of leaders, bending our collective path closer towards the world God intended for God’s creation.
Welcome:

Lisa Sharon Harper, Founder & President, Freedom Road LLC & Board Member, RLC
Shane Claiborne, Co-founder, Red Letter Christians

Womanist Preaching Team:

Rev. Dr. Leslie D. Callahan, Pastor, St. Paul’s Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA
Kimberlee A. Johnson, D.Min., Dean, Palmer Theological Seminary and Palmer College at Eastern University; Director, Center for Community Engagement; Founder/Advisor, Prison Education Program; Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary & Urban Studies
Dr. Anthea Butler, Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought; Chair of the department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Musicians & Artists: The Angels of Harmony from Eastern University

Register Now

The Birthplace of Democracy: A Spiritual Pilgrimage
2024-10-19 13:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Philadelphia
Join with fellow co-conspirators on a pilgrimage through Philadelphia’s storied past. As part of the Red Letter Christians 2024 Philadelphia Revival, this walking pilgrimage invites believers to trace the paths of those who stood for justice and embodied the love of Christ in the face of oppression and inequality.
With each stop, we’ll pause to offer prayers and blessings, led by voices committed to the Gospel’s call for justice, peace, and Becoming Beloved Community – right here and right now. We’ll visit sites where faith and action intertwined, where the cries for freedom were lifted, and where the seeds of a just society were planted. Along the way, we’ll also highlight additional points of interest, providing opportunities to delve deeper into the history and ongoing struggle for justice.
This pilgrimage is more than a journey through history; it is a call to action. As we reflect on the legacy of those who came before us, we are reminded of the work still to be done. Together, we will draw inspiration from the past to shape a future where Christ’s love stands against injustice, where our faith compels us to act, and where the vision of a just and peaceful world becomes a reality.
Join us as we hear these sacred stories affirming that Jesus and justice go hand-in-hand and commit ourselves to the work of building a society with love at its core.
Tentative Walking Pilgrimage Sites

Meeting Point & Start of Pilgrimage: S Front St & Market St
Front Street and Market Street where enslaved Africans were sold
Statue of Tamaned (Lenape Chief) who engaged William Penn and other “settlers”/colonizers
Christ Church, site where several of the country’s worshiped
Ben Franklin’s House
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Longest Running Synagogue in the U.S.)
Arch St. Quaker Meeting House
St. George Methodist Church
National Mint
Free Quaker Meeting House
First President’s Mansion where George Washington lived and owned enslaved people
Liberty Bell
Independence Mall
Sansom Street Hall (Site of the 5th national Women’s Rights Convention)
Mother Bethel AME Church

Register Now

Tour of Transformative Community Organizations in Kensington, Philadelphia
2024-10-19 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | The Simple Way, 3234 Potter St, Philadelphia, PA, 19134, United States
Join fellow co-conspirators for a tour of Kensington in North Philadelphia.
RAWtools Philly
Spend the morning turning guns into garden tools with blacksmiths from RAW tools Philly! Hear stories of magnificent transformation and deep trauma of grief and loss as you recommit to solving our problems without guns and violence.
The Simple Way
Visit a community organization knitting neighbors together in a network of love and mutual support. The Simple Way has a garden and Food Choice Pantry. They offer support services and advocate for systematic change with other local partners when bigger systems throw obstacles in their neighbors’ way. See how this network of compassion allows neighbors Kensington to thrive.
Simple Homes
Simple Homes is dedicated to creating dignified, affordable housing for low-income families in Philadelphia. Born from a collaboration between The Simple Way community and the Fuller Center for Housing, Simple Homes revitalizes abandoned houses, turning them into stable, healthy homes. With over 20,000 abandoned houses in Philadelphia and countless families in need, Simple Homes is committed to transforming neighborhoods and ensuring that everyone has a place to call home. Their model, proven effective in cities across the country, focuses on building not just houses, but a supportive and thriving community.
Details

Tour begins at 10:30am from The Simple Way: 3234 Potter St, Philadelphia, PA 19134
This experience requires roughly 20 minutes of walking
Recommended optional donation: $35. This tour is free and open to the public.

Register Now

Setting the Table: Creating a Safe Space for Christian Women in Dialogue about the Future of our Nation and the Church
2024-10-19 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
As Christian women in this divided time, we believe it is important to commune together through shared meals and to prayerfully listen to one another in order to ask what God is doing in this moment. How do we see this movement theologically and spiritually? It is through relationships with one another and the intentional building of mutual trust that opponents can become friends, that we can speak to one another instead of past each other, and that we can move forward together.
This event will include breakfast, conversation at tables and a closing liturgy with Christian women leaders representing communities from a range of political perspectives.
This event is by invitation only as has a registration fee of $25. Please contact revivals@redletterchristians.org if you wish to attend.

The Body of Christ in the American Empire (Red Letter Revival Night 1)
2024-10-18 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, 6361 Lancaster Avenue (Absalom Jones Way), Philadelphia, PA, 19151, United States
On the first evening of the Red Letter Revival – Philadelphia, believers will gather at The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas to reflect on the chaos of injustice and ignite our spirits in preparation to birth a more just world with Christ’s love at its core. In this divisive election season, we’ll explore how to strategize and mobilize to put love at the center of our policies on racial justice, gun violence, housing, poverty, voter engagement, and war and how to uproot Christian nationalism which distorts our faith and threatens the neighbors we are called to love.

Welcome & Introduction:
The Very Rev. Canon Martini Shaw, Seventeenth Rector of the Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
The Rev. Charles (Chaz) Lattimore Howard, PhD, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community, University of Pennsylvania
Lisa Sharon Harper, Founder & President, Freedom Road LLC & Board Member, RLC
Shane Claiborne, Co-founder, Red Letter Christians
Preacher:
Rev. Traci deVon Blackmon
Rev. Traci Blackmon lives by the mantra: Faith hears, Love heals, and Hope builds. She is the Founder & Lead Consultant of HopeBuilds, LLC, a newly launched social impact firm that accompanies communities, corporations, and congregations eager to build the just and equitable worlds they imagine. HopeBuilds envisions a world where our greatest differences become invitations to shape collective narratives that serve as building blocks of hope, empowering communities to thrive.
From 2016 through 2023, Rev. Blackmon served as Associate General Minister & Vice-President of the United Church of Christ, a Christian denomination of approximately 750,000 members dispersed among 5,000 churches within the United States. In that role, she led the Justice and Local Church Ministries. From 2009 through 2020, Rev. Blackmon pastored Christ The King United Church of Christ, a congregation anchored in Florissant, MO, in St. Louis County. Under her leadership, Christ The King served as a sanctuary for community engagement, and the denomination launched several anchor initiatives focused on congregational education, engagement, and social action. Following the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr. in nearby Ferguson, the church hosted the first city-wide community engagement meeting and remained a gathering site for faith-based organizing efforts.
Prior to 2009, Rev. Blackmon served as a pastor of Simpson Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church and worked as a licensed registered nurse, healthcare administrator, and community organizer for several healthcare delivery systems. She was appointed chair of the Criminal Justice Reform Task Force of the Ferguson Commission, which released the ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity’ report in 2015, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being, and economic mobility. In 2012, she was appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by Barack Obama.
Rev. Blackmon currently serves on the boards of the Parliament of World Religions, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She is an Auburn Senior Fellow and theologian in residence for Eden Theological Seminary. Rev. Blackmon earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Birmingham-Southern College, a Master of Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Eden as well. Traci is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and is the mother of three adult children.
Featuring the Gospel Choir of The Historic African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas.

Register Now

Execution Alert: Derrick Dearman
2024-10-17 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
Join us to protest the execution of Derrick Dearman in Alabama on October 17, 2024.
To act/learn more, visit: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-derrick-dearman-in-alabama/
Let us pray over the life of Derrick Dearman. Lord, have mercy.

Execution Alert: Robert Roberson
2024-10-17 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
Join us to protest the execution of Robert Roberson in Texas on October 17, 2024. To learn more about how you can help, visit: Stop the Execution of Robert Roberson in Texas – Action Network

To act/learn more, visit: Stop the Execution of Robert Roberson in Texas – Action Network
Let us pray over the life of Robert Roberson. Lord, have mercy.

National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty
2024-10-10 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York)
Join Christians across the nation as we come into a space of power, peace, and prayer to honor this year’s World Day Against the Death Penalty. You’ll hear from death row exoneree Sabrina Butler-Smith and have time to join in prayer over some specific aspects of the death penalty: murder victims’ family members, the federal & state death penalty, people on death row, policy & lawmakers, and the hearts & minds of all in our country. You’ll leave challenged, encouraged, and equipped with resources to take your next steps in moving from awareness to action around the death penalty. No matter your view on capital punishment, come to learn more and consider how Christians can respond to the realities of maintaining the death penalty as a response to harm.
National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty (ejusa.org)

SPECIAL EVENT: Faith Forum on Peace in the Middle East
2024-10-07 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for a free and live virtual Conscientious Objectors’ Faith Forum on October 7 at 12 PM ET in honor of the lives lost on October 7 and since October 7.

We will be joined by people who refused to engage in the violence, inviting us to ask the question, “What does courage look like for me?” We welcome special guests from Israel and Palestine, conscientious objectors who refused to fight for Hamas and for the Israeli military, along with US veterans who became peacemakers.

Sofia Orr: Israeli conscientious objector who refused to serve in the IDF
Ahmed Helou: Former Hamas youth member who has lost over 80 family members to the war on Gaza
Joy Metzler: U.S. conscientious objector and Airforce Academy graduate, 2 LT
Diana Oestreich: Peacemaker and former U.S. war veteran

What better way to honor the lives lost on October 7th, and since October 7th, than by celebrating the courageous people who have refused to participate in the violence. You will hear from modern day heroes for peace as they share their stories of why they choose not to participate in the escalating violence of war. And they will invite us to ask the question, “What does courage look like — for me?”
There is a rich history when it comes to conscientious objectors — people who refuse to fight in war because it violates their faith or conscience. And in particular, Christians who follow Jesus “the Prince of Peace,” have been war resisters for centuries, going back to the earliest days of Christianity. Let’s take a moment to remember all the lives lost to war and rededicate ourselves to peace. Violence only begets more violence. We will not build a better world by killing each other’s children.
This virtual event is sponsored by Red Letter Christians — and it is FREE and open to everyone.
Register to join here: RLC Faith Forum with Conscientious Objectors Registration – Zoom
To access additional resources for Conscientious Objectors, click here.

To access additional resources for Conscientious Objectors, click here.

October Monthly Morning Prayer
2024-10-01 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for October’s Monthly Morning Prayer with our dear guest Danielle Strickland. Danielle wears so many hats – she is a Spiritual Leader, a Justice Advocate, a Communicator and Peacemaker.
Danielle lets Love lead her to inspire, challenge, provoke and disrupt the present, and to live in the future now. Having lived in different cultures and contexts around the world she celebrates diversity and deeply longs for wrong things to be made right. Danielle practices following Jesus daily. This pursuit has led to exciting entrepreneurial exploits (like co-founding multiple charities and non-profits) and a whole host of failures (that we don’t as often talk about). All of this has convinced her of the deep need we all have for hope, faith, and love. Her deepest longing is to demonstrate what living that boundless life looks like.
Danielle has written six books (the latest is The Other Side of Hope), has a podcast called The Right Side Up (which recently celebrated half-a-million downloads), and speaks to people at events all over the world. Danielle leads Boundless Communications Inc. which launches creative exploits like Women Speakers Collective (liberating voices of women around the globe), IMBY (a tiny home movement IN MY BACKYARD), Brave Global (preventing human trafficking), Infinitum (a way of living deeply), and Hagar’s Voice (support and advocacy for survivors of abuse). She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her three sons and husband Steve. Danielle loves getting outside, doing new things, physical adventures, and she can’t seem to turn down a free lunch.
Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove will be hosting as always. We’d so love for you to join us as we pray and reflect on what it means to lead a Christ and love-centered life with intentionality.
We will be live on all of our socials; register to join us on Zoom!
Morning prayer takes place at the beginning of each month based on the book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. You can follow along with the readings from Common Prayer at commonprayer.net for free!

Execution Alert: Garcia Glen White
2024-10-01 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
Join us as we protest the execution of Garcia Glen White in Texas on October 1.
To act/learn more, visit: Stop the Execution of Garcia White in Texas – Action Network
Let us pray over the life of Garcia Glen White. Lord, have mercy.

RLC Book Club with Scot McKnight
2024-09-30 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for September’s Book Club with Scot McKnight to read and learn from his book, “Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple.” McKnight will be in conversation with Shane Claiborne on 30 September at 7 PM ET!
About the Book:
In “Revelation for the Rest of Us,” author Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett explores the timeless message of Revelation and how it speaks to us today with a courageous challenge to be faithful witnesses to Jesus, while standing against the ever-present reality of worldly authorities. McKnight also addresses the popular misconceptions about the book, explaining what John means in his use of the images of dragons, lambs, and beasts, and how the symbolism of Revelation speaks powerfully to the present day – though not in the way most people think. He also offers a discipleship manual for discerning the immoralities of political powers and how the church can be both an agent of resistance and transformation.
About the Author:
Scot McKnight is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. He is the author of more than 80 books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One.Life, The Blue Parakeet and Kingdom Conspiracy. He maintains an active blog at christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight. He and his wife, Kristen, live in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, where they enjoy long walks, gardening, and cooking.
We will be live on all of our socials. Register to join us on Zoom!
Find us streaming live on Red Letter Christian’s Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube channels.

Execution Alert: Emmanuel Littlejohn and Alan Miller
2024-09-26 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
There are two executions happening on September 26, 2024:
1. September 26: Emmanuel Littlejohn in Oklahoma: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-emmanuel-littlejohn-in-oklahoma and bit.ly/EmmanueLittlejohn
2. September 26: Alan Miller in Alabama: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-alan-miller-in-alabama/
Let us pray over the lives of Littlejohn and Miller, friends. Lord, have mercy.

Execution Alerts: Marcellus Williams and Travis Mullis
2024-09-24 00:00 - 23:59 (America/New_York)
There are two executions happening today on September 24, 2024:
1. Join us to protest the execution of Marcellus Williams in the state of Missouri. Visit https://actionnetwork.org/…/marcellus-williams-in…/ to learn more.
2. Join us also to protest the execution of Travis Mullis in the state of Texas and visit https://actionnetwork.org/…/stop-the-execution-of…/ to learn more.
Let us pray over the lives of Williams and Mullis, friends. Lord, have mercy.

JESUS for President: Free Virtual Event
2024-09-21 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Saturday, September 21st: RLC co-founder Shane Claiborne will be offering a special online presentation of JESUS FOR PRESIDENT!
As a special offering, from now until Election Day (Nov. 5), you can also get a signed copy of JESUS FOR PRESIDENT for $20 at www.RAWtoolsPhilly.org – and for every 5 copies you buy we will toss in a free copy too! Spread the word and join us for FREE! Register at bit.ly/3XUt40h

www.RAWtoolsPhilly.org

September Monthly Morning Prayer
2024-09-01 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for September’s Monthly Morning Prayer for a time of reflection, prayer and REVIVAL! We’re going to have Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove host Dave Gibbons, Newsong Church, and the California RLC Revival Leadership where they’ll fill you in on what went down at the California RLC Revival 2024!
As you all know, there’s a powerful movement taking shape to reshape Christianity’s culture in this country during this divisive election season and you’re so invited to be a part of it! On the weekend of August 30-31 in Newsong Church, Santa Ana, California, Red Letter Christians will host the first Red Letter Revival of 2024 which will be a dynamic gathering bringing together hundreds of faith and community leaders, students, and people of faith to celebrate – and cultivate – a new vision of Christianity – one with love at its core. Learn more and join us here: https://redletterchristians.org/cali2024!
We will be live on all of our socials; register to join us on Zoom!
Morning prayer takes place at the beginning of each month based on the book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. You can follow along with the readings from Common Prayer at commonprayer.net for free!

Red Letter Revival (Southern California) - A Festival of Jesus’ Love in Action
2024-08-31 18:00 - 21:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Newsong Church, 1010 W. 17th Street, Santa Ana, CA, 92706, United States
Ignite your faith and join hundreds of believers and community organizations for an evening that will inspire action.
Together, we’re overturning the tables of our broken society and centering love as we grapple with the challenges of war, racism, poverty, inequality, unjust immigration policies, and violence.
Experience powerful speakers, soul-stirring music, and thought-provoking art that showcase a growing movement of Christians committed to embodying Jesus’ radical love.
This free, open-to-all event isn’t just a celebration – it’s a movement shaping the very heart of Christian engagement in our world.
Doors open at 5:30pm and the celebration begins promptly at 6pm.

Join us!
Learn more about Red Letter Revivals

Join us!

Resilient Voices: Unveiling Injustice, Inspiring Action
2024-08-30 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Newsong Church, 1010 W. 17th Street, Santa Ana, CA, 92706, United States
An evening of storytelling to transform and inspire
Join us on Friday evening for a powerful event where voices of resilience and change take center stage. “Resilient Voices: Unveiling Injustice, Inspiring Action” invites individuals who have faced injustice to recount their experiences, reflect on the impact of injustice in their lives, and inspire others with their journeys toward creating positive change.
When you join us, you’ll grapple with injustice and have to ask yourself: “What can I do in my life, with my community and with my strengths, to ensure that my society uplifts and protects the divine dignity of each of my neighbors?”
Register now to be part of this transformative storytelling experience.

RLC Book Club with Kaitlyn Schiess
2024-08-27 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
We are excited to have our dear friend Kaitlyn Schiess as the featured book club author for the month of August where we will be spotlighting her book, “The Ballot and the Bible.”
The book asks: How do Bible passages written thousands of years ago apply to politics today? What can we learn from America’s history of using the Bible in politics? How can we converse with people whose views differ from our own?
In “The Ballot and the Bible” Kaitlyn Schiess explores these questions and more. She unpacks examples of how Americans have connected the Bible to politics in the past, highlighting times it was applied well and times it was egregiously misused.
Schiess combines American political history and biblical interpretation to help readers faithfully read Scripture, talk with others about it, and apply it to contemporary political issues–and to their lives. Rather than prescribing what readers should think about specific hot-button issues, Schiess outlines core biblical themes around power, allegiance, national identity, and more.
Readers will be encouraged to pursue a biblical basis for their political engagement with compassion and confidence.
Kaitlyn Schiess of course needs no introduction. She is an author, speaker, and perpetual theology student. She is the author of The Ballot and the Bible (Brazos, 2023) and The Liturgy of Politics (IVP, 2020), and her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, and Sojourner. She is a co-host and Senior Editor of the Holy Post podcast, and the host of Curiously, Kaitlyn. She has a ThM in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary and is currently a doctoral student in theology at Duke Divinity School.
We will be live on all of our socials. Register to join us on Zoom!
Find us streaming live on Red Letter Christian’s Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube channels.

National Week of Prayer & Action on Gun Violence
2024-08-23 00:00 - 2024-08-30 23:59 (America/New_York)

Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Peace Witness at Pentagon (Aug. 6th) and White House (Aug. 9th) - Sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
2024-08-06 07:00 - 08:00 (America/New_York)
“Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil”. (Epitaph at bottom of the Hiroshima Peace Park Memorial Cenotaph and Peace Flame to remember all the victims of the atomic bombings)
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Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Peace Witness at Pentagon (Aug. 6th) and White House (Aug. 9th)
When: Tuesday, August 6, 2024 (Anniversary of the U.S. Nuclear Bombing of Hiroshima) @ Pentagon 7-8 AM

Where: Pentagon Designated Protest Zone on the Southeast Side of Building (Take South exit from Pentagon Metro station–Walk a short distance on sidewalk toward South Parking Lot–vigil site is on left behind fencing)
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When: Friday, August 9 (Anniversary of the U.S. Nuclear Bombing of Nagasaki): Noon-1 PM

Where: Outside the White House on Pennsylvania Ave.(North side)

Sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker

Nagasaki, September 1945
Dear Friends,
To commemorate the 79th anniversary of the sinful and criminal U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, in concert with other peacemakers from the DMV, invites you to attend a prayer vigil/witness on Monday, August 6th outside the Pentagon, and on August 9th, outside the White House.
We will remember and pray for the victims of these unspeakable nuclear atrocities and all those who witnessed the destructive power of nuclear weapons use, testing and mining–hibakusha, pacific islanders, Native Americans, downwinders, and all other victims of nuclearism–and call for nuclear abolition.
Pope Francis has declared that the possession of nuclear weapons is immoral, and 70 countries have now ratified the new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which entered into force on January 22, 2021, thereby making nuclear weapons illegal under International law. The nine nuclear-armed nations — the U.S., Russia, United Kingdom, France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea — have not signed the treaty, nor has any nation from the NATO alliance.
On January 24, 2024, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight, the closest to global catastrophe it has ever been. This is due to the existential threats of nuclear war and the climate crisis, bio- and cyber threats, nuclear proliferation, state-sponsored disinformation and Artificial Intelligence. The Ukraine war has further exacerbated the nuclear peril between the two foremost nuclear powers as both Russian and U.S. nuclear arsenals are now on high alert.
On June 17, 2024, ICAN released a report about global nuclear weapons spending in 2023 totaling over $91 billion. The United States’ share of total spending, $51.5 billion, is more than all the other nuclear-armed countries put together and accounts for 80% of the increase in nuclear weapons spending in 2023. The next biggest spender was China which spent $11.8 billion with Russia spending the third largest amount at $8.3 billion.
https://www.icanw.org/global_nuclear_weapons_spending_surges_to_91_4_billion

The U.S. nuclear arsenal upgrade now underway is estimated to cost $1.7 trillion over the next several decades, while poverty increases, the climate crisis worsens, and basic human needs go unmet.
The Navy has contracted with General Dynamics to build the Columbia class nuclear subs to replace the existing Trident fleet. Twelve Columbia class subs will cost over $120 billion and the first of these subs will be named the USS District of Columbia. This is sinful and criminal! As these exorbitant resources are spent on weapons of mass murder, 90 people died without the dignity of home last year in D.C.
In case you didn’t hear about this, the USS Florida Trident nuclear submarine, now refitted with Tomahawk cruise missiles, was deployed on November 5, 2023 to the Middle East, in support of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. On July 5, 1982, the Trident Nein carried out a plowshares action directed at the USS Florida at General Dynamics/EB in Groton, CT—a witness I was blessed to be part of. We join our voice with all those urgently calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to all U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel and U.S. complicity in the genocide, forced starvation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, an end to the occupation of Palestine, and for a just peace for Palestine and Israel.
As we call on the nation to repent for the nuclear sin, abolish all nuclear weapons, ratify the TPNW, and redirect exorbitant military and nuclear expenditures to meet urgent human needs, we do so in solidarity with actions taking place around the U.S. and worldwide. In the U.S. see: https://www.nuclearbantreaty.org/
The Hibakusha plead to the world: “Humanity and nuclear weapons cannot co-exist.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. exhorts us: “The choice today is…either nonviolence or nonexistence.”
Pope Francis declares: “Nor can we fail to be genuinely concerned by the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental effects of any employment of nuclear devices. If we also take into account the risk of an accidental detonation as a result of error of any kind, the threat of their use, as well as their very possession, is to be firmly condemned…The total elimination of nuclear weapons is…a moral and humanitarian imperative of our time.”

Please join us and share this invitation with friends.
For more information contact: Art Laffin (artlaffin@hotmail.com)

In hope for a disarmed world,
Art

Rev. Munther Isaac U.S. Speaking Tour!
2024-08-01 08:00 - 2024-08-17 17:00 (America/New_York)
Coming to a city near you!
Our dear brother Rev. Munther Isaac is in the US on a national speaking tour with Friends of Sabeel North America. Come to a city near you or join the livestream. Rev. Munther is one of the most important voices in the church and in the world right now. Here’s the info: FOSNA presents: Rev. Munther Isaac — Friends of Sabeel North America

August Monthly Morning Prayer with Rev. John Dear
2024-08-01 08:00 - 09:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for August’s Monthly Morning Prayer with Rev. John Dear in conversation, reflection and prayer with Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove! August 1 at 8 am ET.
Rev. John Dear is an internationally recognized voice and leader for peace and nonviolence. A priest, activist, author, and Nobel peace prize nominee, he served for years as the director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. After 9/11, 2001, he was a Red Cross coordinator of chaplains at the Family Assistance Center in New York, and counseled thousands of relatives and rescue workers. John has traveled the war zones of the world, been arrested some 85 times for peace, led Nobel Peace prize winners to Iraq, given thousands of lectures on peace across the U.S., and served as a pastor of several churches in New Mexico. He arranged on many occasions for Mother Teresa to speak to various governors to stop an impending execution, and helped draft Pope Francis’ Jan. 1, 2017 World Day of Peace message on nonviolence. He is a co-founder of Campaign Nonviolence and the Nonviolent Cities.
His many books include: The Beatitudes of Peace; They Will Inherit the Earth; The Nonviolent Life; Radical Prayers; Walking the Way; A Persistent Peace; Transfiguration; Living Peace; The Questions of Jesus; and most recently, The Gospel of Peace: The Psalms of Peace and Nonviolence in a time of War and Climate Change.
Three years ago, Fr. John Dear founded the online project, “The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus” to offer regular zooms on Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, and Gospel nonviolence from an array of well-known speakers, as well as free podcasts, free YouTube videos, blogs, and action ideas.
Speakers have included authors and teachers such as Cornel West, Jim Lawson, Rajmohan Gandhi, Marie Dennis, Matthew Fox, Helen Prejean, Robert Ellsberg, Shane Claiborne, Kathy Kelly, Jim Finley, Maria Stephan, Roshi Joan Halifax, Bill McKibben, Medea Benjamin, Archbishop John Wester, Frida Berrigan, Catherine Meeks, and many others. It has become the national hub for speakers on Christian peacemaking, social justice, and creative non-violence.
We will be live on all of our socials; register to join us on Zoom!
Morning prayer takes place at the beginning of each month based on the book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. You can follow along with the readings from Common Prayer at commonprayer.net for free!

RLC Book Club with Karen Gonzalez
2024-07-25 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for July’s Book Club with Karen González in conversation with Juan Martínez Ovalle.
Karen González is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a former public-school teacher and attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. For the last 15 years, she has been a non-profit professional. She wrote a book about her own immigration story and some of the immigrants found in the Bible: The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong (Herald Press, May 2019). Karen’s second book is Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Response to Immigration (Brazos Press, October 2022). She also has bylines in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, and others. She lives in Mexico City, Mexico. You can find her on Instagram, Threads and Twitter at @_karenjgonzalez.
We will be live on all of our socials; register to join us on Zoom!
Find us streaming live on Red Letter Christian’s Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube channels.

July Monthly Morning Prayer with Daniel Yang
2024-07-01 09:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
Join us for Monthly Morning Prayer bright and early on July 1 with our friend Daniel Yang!
Daniel Yang is the National Director of Churches of Welcome at World Relief. Previously he served as the director of the Church Multiplication Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, a think tank for evangelism and church planting. He has pastored and helped plant churches in Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Toronto, and Chicago. He earned an MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a BS in computer science from the University of Michigan and is currently a PhD student in intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
We look forward to spending time with Daniel in reflection and prayer in conversation with Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.
As always, we’ll be live on all our socials; register to join us on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkf-yhqz4rGNyz-xstlAMXUUuT4TfZ8Syb
Morning prayer takes place at the beginning of each month based on the book, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. You can follow along with the readings from Common Prayer at commonprayer.net for free!
All are welcome; we’ll be live on all our socials! Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
