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By Kathryn Post
(RNS) — ‘The biggest lesson I had to learn is that God’s lack of an answer to my prayers to change me was an answer, because there was…
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Woke Bibles Need to Go
We are living at a time when it’s hard to keep up with the many threats to our American Values. Woke policies that prioritize DEI – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion…
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The Golden Age of Idolatry Begins: Trump, MLK Jr., and the Golden Calf
It frustrates me to hear people say, “I don’t like talking about politics or spirituality,” when these are two crucial topics that shape our lives. Politics determines our rights, the…
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Tony Campolo’s Celebration of Life Service January 25, 2025 | Eastern University
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, Tony’s family, friends, and supporters gathered to celebrate his remarkable life and legacy. The service includes a slideshow of Tony’s life and friendships, special music from Eastern University’s Dr.…
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Generosity: A Solution to Atrocity
I remember, as a child in school, learning about the big-name human atrocities throughout history. Typically dumbed down and severely whitewashed versions of things like the transatlantic slave trade, the…
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Requiem for ‘the church building’ – a thing never mandated via Scripture
By Dan Yi
“[L]et us worship God again in simplicity, instead of making a fool of God in splendid edifices; let us be in earnest again and stop playing.” – Søren Kierkegaard (‘The…
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Inauguration Week Was a Collision of Two Christianities
Between the Christianity of Trump and the Christianity of Christ, we recognize the widest possible difference. Editor’s Note: previously published on Religion News Service on January 24, 2025. Photo caption:…
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The 47th president, toxic leadership and moral collapse
and how to lead like Jesus in the midst of it. Editor’s Note: previously published on author’s Substack (Right Side Up) on January 22, 2025. On Monday I watched the…
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What was the Faith of the Bleeding Woman? (Mt 9:20-22)
In Jesus’ day, the presence of blood meant a person was unclean and required specific ritual practices to become cleansed. To touch others or other objects without such ritual cleansing…
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Speaking the Truth in Love
So grateful to my dear friend and sister Bishop Mariann Budde for bearing witness to the love and mercy and compassion of our God. This is what it looks like…
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The Black Utopians excerpt (from the chapter “Promise Land”)
“Excerpted from THE BLACK UTOPIANS: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America by Aaron Robertson. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Copyright © 2024 by Aaron Robertson. All…
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King Day and Inauguration Day confluence sparks plans for rallies, prayer, hospitality
Editor’s Note: First published by Religion News Service on January 16, 2025. WASHINGTON (RNS) — As President-elect Donald Trump takes his oath of office for a second presidential term, the…
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Another View on Violence
My dad wrote a piece you might have seen on December 10th called “Violence in All Its Forms is Wrong.” He reminded us, amid a veritable ocean of jokes at…
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Christian No More
By Bill Mefford
When I first dedicated my life to Jesus I was 12 years old and did not totally understand what I was doing. At the same time though, it was very…
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An Admonition to Christians to Show Greater Compassion to Palestinians
By Alex Awad
Editor’s note: Previously published on ComeandSee.com on Dec 31, 2024. Reprinted here with permission. On a beautiful summer day at a public park in Eugene, Oregon, my wife and I…
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The Lamb Of God Is Not The Lion Of Judah
By Lenny Smith
I really shouldn’t have to make this claim to Christians, any Christians who know the Bible. Apparently, there are even many pastors and theology teachers who haven’t been able to…
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Jesus Don’t Live in Tennessee No More.
Jesus don’t live in Tennessee no more. He moved a few days ago when Governor Bill Lee announced this new execution protocol. Jesus don’t reside in places of such arrogant…
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To the Christian Nationalists Who Attacked the Capitol in Jesus’ Name
Remarks on the Anniversary of the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 https://www.facebook.com/ShaneClaiborne/videos/jan-6-reflection-on-the-insurrection/567820336126801/ Editor’s Note: This piece originally appeared in Religion News Service on January 6, 2023. In the New…
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Discovering the Doctrine of Discovery, an excerpt from “Knock at the Sky”
Excerpted from Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible by Liz Charlotte Grant ©2025 (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.). Reprinted by permission from the publisher.…
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Resisting the Sin of Sodom
By Bob Ekblad
Hostility towards strangers and aliens is the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah which resulted in their destruction in Genesis 19. This is visible when the men of Sodom surround Lot’s…
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Christ in the Rubble
Advent 2024 – Red Letter Christians Christ is Still in the Rubble: A Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac (December 20, 2024 – Replay & Transcript) Christ in the…
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Religious traditions can help with holiday blues, mental health experts say
Editor’s Note: First published by Religion News Service on December 16, 2024. Photo credit: First Baptist Church of the City of Washington, D.C., held a Blue Christmas service on Dec.…
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Statement on Biden’s Commutation of US Federal Death Penalty Cases
Breaking news today: President Biden will commute most but not all US federal death penalty cases. My response below: Every move away from the death penalty is a move in…
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God Does Not Win Elections: A Theological Perspective
Today’s political landscape relies heavily on God’s role in government. Leaders and politicians claim to be on God’s side or, more explicitly, that God chooses their side. In this article,…
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Christ is Still in the Rubble: A Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac
It has been 440 days. 440 days of constant bombing. Nonstop. 440 days of starvation. On top of 17 years of siege and imprisonment. Tens of thousands killed. Injured. Forever…
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Witness to War: Lessons from a WWII Translator
Historical takeaways on war, peace, and blind nationalism through the eyes of a soldier. “The Translator” This time last year, a destructive war ignited across the Middle East. Ceasefire talks…
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Christians Must Call on President Biden to Show Mercy to All on Federal Death Row. Here’s Why I Agree.
For those who, like me, turn to the Bible for our guiding principles, it is clear that God’s justice is wrapped up in mercy. The oft-cited reference to “an eye…
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A Song for Kelcy Warren
If we treated billionaires like they were human, would they behave more humanely? I read recently that the environmental activism group, GreenPeace, is being sued for $300 million, by the…
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Faith Leaders, Activists, the Pope Urge Biden to Empty Federal Death Row Before Trump Term
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published on Religion News Service on December 11, 2024. By Bob Smietana and Jack Jenkins (RNS) — Activists and faith leaders hope to save the lives of…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 3
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. TONY: I was on a radio show in New Zealand with a Christian Zionist who believes that…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 2
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. TONY: To call Israel and Palestine “the Holy Land” is a misnomer when what goes on there…
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Dialogue on the Middle East, Part 1
Excerpt from Red Letter Revolution by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. Reprinted with permission. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom … these are the beginnings of…
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Violence In All Its Forms Is Wrong
Violence is wrong. The murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was wrong. My heart goes out to his family and all who worked with Brian in his many stations in…
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Do You Know the Real St. Nick?
Do you know the real St. Nick? The original “Old St. Nick” who inspired the tradition of Santa Claus was a bishop of Myra in fourth-century Turkey. Christians around the…
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My Holy Longing
This past September, I got caught in a rip current while swimming in the Pacific Ocean. My husband and daughter were splashing with a boogie board near the shore, and…
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Love Amid the Ruins: A Testament to Gaza’s Resilient Spirit
By Jack Nassar
In Gaza, where the air is thick with sorrow and the land bears the scars of genocide, the human spirit remains unyielding. Amid the ruins of shattered homes, schools, and…
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Christian Groups Seek to Stop Israel’s Land Confiscation
Washington, DC, November 15, 2024 – The Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace, Churches for Middle East Peace, and groups in several US denominations have launched a campaign to protest Israel’s…
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Advent Reflections from Bethlehem: a Special & Holy Project
This has been a special, holy project at a particularly horrifying time in history. As the world has watched the mass slaughter in Gaza and the escalating violence in the…
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When Grief and Gratitude Embrace
Editor’s Note: Previously published on the RLC Blog on November 21, 2023. I am in the midst of what I call my gratitude season. Ever since the year I celebrated…
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Decolonizing Thanksgiving
By Cherise Bock
Editor’s Note: Originally published on The Watershed Discipleship blog on November 21, 2017. Reprinted with permission. Previously published on the RLC Blog on November 23, 2023. As we head into…
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I Didn’t Sign Up For This
By Liz Daye
Editor’s Note: previously published on author’s Substack (For Flourishing) on November 21, 2024. On 11/6, I shared on Threads, “And just like that, the American Evangelical Church sold its prophetic…
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No, I’m Not Excited About the New Bonhoeffer Movie
Do you remember the first time a movie botched one of your favorite book characters? It’s an experience that every serious reader shares. When you spend hours of imagination constructing…
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A Reflection on Bonhoeffer
By Bob Bowen
Marshall McCluhan is a name not many people know, though he is recognized, within the circles of media communication, as one of if not the best philosopher of communication ever. …
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God in America
God in America. We must become store houses of hope! I recognize that the words I’ve chosen to use in this piece above are quite severe, quite pointed; possibly…
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Tony Campolo, sociologist and famed Red Letter Christian, has died
– we are taking a little time to grieve the loss of our friend and co-founder and to celebrate his life. We’ll have more to say soon… – Shane Editor’s…
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Encountering the Autistic God
While I do not remember the exact words spoken to me, I remember the day on which I finally received my autism diagnosis. The evening sky exploded into a vast…
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Who Has Your Trousers? Keeping Company in the Darkness
By Diana Gruver
I’ve spent time over the last few years researching people in church history who struggled with depression, but intertwined with their stories are those of their friends and family members…
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Be The Light: Choose Love
Photo: View of the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean from Point Pleasant, NJ 11.6.24 Now, More Than Ever, Be The Light: Choose Love The Sun rose today. Here is…
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Veterans Day Reflection from a Conscientious Objector
I never celebrated Veterans Day, until I became a Conscientious Objector. Even though serving in the military was a family tradition, we never celebrated Veterans Day. I never knew what…
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Announcing New Conscientious Objectors Resource Page
Why are we as a Red Letter Christian Community highlighting and supporting these courageous Voices of Conscientious Objectors? Because we are living like Jesus meant the words he said. Blessed…
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A Reflection by Father Hubert Van Zeller Contrasting With A Reflection of My Own
Suppose you have an angry prisoner in a cell. Compare him to a hermit, a religious man who has bound himself by vow to the enclosure of his hut. The…
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Do You Have Faith In Change???
James 2:14-20 14) What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? 15) If a brother or sister…
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Excerpt from “The Ballot and the Bible”
A city on a hill. These words have captivated Americans for generations. They encapsulate our sense of collective destiny, divine mission, and moral strength. They pack into one little phrase…
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Reflections of a Palestinian Christian Theologian on Lausanne IV
By Tony Deik
Mission in the Shadow of Zionism: Reflections of a Palestinian Christian Theologian on Lausanne IV by Tony Deik Around a month has passed since the global gathering of Lausanne IV…
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The Struggle of a Christian Voter
The voices are powerful and insistent. They tell me what a Christian vote should look like. They tell me that there is only one choice in exercising my civic right…
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Fleeing Idolatry in a Time of Pretender Saviors
By Bob Ekblad
Many people have rightly sounded the alarm about the rise of Christian nationalism in the USA. Yet the growing idolatry of the person of Donald Trump (and other authoritarian leaders…
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Heart Problem
By David Titus
Years ago, I was for gun control, to pass laws to reduce the number of guns and how powerful guns were on the street. While I do still believe reducing…
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A Path to the Undecideds
The Christian vote in this election is critical. We know because we’ve seen plenty of Christian groups taking a stand for both presidential candidates. But what about the Christians who…
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A Stay for Robert Roberson in Texas
Photo Credit: 12/19/23, Livingston, Texas: Robert Roberson photographed through plexiglass at TDCJ Polunsky Unit. Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Innocence Project. They killed Derrick Dearman in Alabama Thursday night, but in…
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Permission to Leave (Excerpted from “Fire in the Whole”)
Excerpted from Fire in the Whole. © 2024 Robert G. Callahan, II. Used by permission of Westminster John Knox Press. Chapter 12 Permission to Leave While I believe that it’s important for…
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“Who else is going to Stand beside him?” A Different Look at the Death Penalty
For over a decade, I’ve been involved in frontline work against the death penalty. In recent years, I’ve stood in execution chambers and held the hands of eight different men…
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Jesus Loves the Little Children…
I have found myself searching for a church that feels filled with the holy spirit and truly exemplifies the Jesus I have come to know the past couple years. I…
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“Who else is going to Stand beside him?” A Different Look at the Death Penalty
For over a decade, I’ve been involved in frontline work against the death penalty. In recent years, I’ve stood in execution chambers and held the hands of eight different men…
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Practices to Prevent a Civil War
Like you, I am concerned about the deep and deepening divisions in our country. A friend recently commented that “our society is seething”, and the upcoming election is like pouring…
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TOMORROW: A Reflection and Invitation: National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty, Thursday October 10
By Sam Heath
Join me and many others tomorrow October 10 for the National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty and be part of the movement to bring healing after harm. Oklahoma governor…
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(In)justice Themes of Loyalty and Complicity in my latest favorite shows and How They Weave into Spiritual Abuse
(In)justice Themes of Loyalty and Complicity in my latest favorite shows – Suits and Emily in Paris – and How They Weave into Spiritual Abuse I’ve been in cancer treatment…
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Addicted to Death: America’s 2024 Killing Spree
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published on Religion News Service on October 2, 2024. (RNS) — Last week, America executed five people. We haven’t had that many executions in…
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Kristin Kobes Du Mez Discusses the New Documentary ‘FOR OUR DAUGHTERS’ (RLC Interview)
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Author of Jesus and John Wayne, Releases New Documentary ‘FOR OUR DAUGHTERS’ Which Explores the Conservative Christian Subculture of Sexual Abuse and Silencing Women Renowned historian…
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A Reflection and Invitation: National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty Upcoming on October 10
By Sam Heath
Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt made a noteworthy comment following the September 26th execution of Emmanuel Littlejohn, a man the governor’s own self-appointed Pardon & Parole Board recommended for clemency. The…
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It’s Hard to be Sad When You’re Blowing Bubbles
Recently a friend took a day cruise on the Erie Canal, encountering a man and his siblings celebrating the life of his wife. My friend has known and continues to…
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Excerpt from “What Christians Believe About the Devil”
By Joel Simpson
The full message is here: Online Service, Sept 15, 2024 | “What Christians Believe About the Devil” (Message begins at 38:18) By First United Methodist Church of Taylorsville https://www.facebook.com/fumctaylorsville/videos/1028527539066164 This…
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Stumbling Towards Wholeness
NOTE: All names of patients have been changed along with any identifying details. I’m at the hospital and it’s a Sunday day shift. Jésus is assigned to me. He is…
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JESUS FOR PRESIDENT (special online presentation REPLAY)
By RLC Editor
Saturday, September 21st, RLC co-founder Shane Claiborne offered a special online presentation of JESUS FOR PRESIDENT! Enjoy the replay! Also, as a special offering, from now until Election Day…
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Radical Surrender without Resignation
This meditation is an excerpt from Andrew DeCort’s new book Blessed Are the Others: Jesus’ Way in a Violent World (BitterSweet Collective). The book is out September 24; learn more…
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Haitian Residents at Church in Springfield, Ohio: A Reflection
By Troy Jackson
I first learned about Haiti in a video series called “You Can Make a Difference” by Red Letter Christians founder Dr. Tony Campolo nearly forty years ago. I learned of…
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Immigrants in Springfield, presented by Pastor Carl Ruby
By Carl Ruby
A Christian viewpoint on Immigration in Springfield, Ohio Sunday, September 15, 2024 Excerpts from transcript: Let’s quiet our hearts – lead you in a prayer that takes into account the…
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Learned Behavior
By S.M. Reed
This blog could be thought of as a continuation to the previous one. It occurred to me following posting the previous blog, that people might wonder, how? How do I keep…
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A Note on Gentle Instruction
By S.M. Reed
The following blog post was originally posted on my blog, “Letters to the Jaded Evangelical”. The blog is geared towards those who have become discouraged by the church’s intermingling with…
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More than 300 Evangelical Pastors and Leaders Sign “Confession of Evangelical Conviction” and Call for Revival
By RLC Editor
Editor’s Note: Shane Claiborne was one of the initial signers of the Confession, as was Lisa Sharon Harper and several other friends of RLC. A significant movement is emerging within…
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Blessed are Those Who Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 As a pastor I have the opportunity to visit quite a few people in their homes. As…
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Everything Could Be a Prayer (excerpts)
By Kreg Yingst
An excerpt from Everything Could Be a Prayer by Kreg Yingst © 2024 Broadleaf Books. Reproduced by permission. JOHN M. PERKINS (1930–) Reconciliation All this is from God, who reconciled us to…
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Being a Sanctuary: The Radical Way for the Body of Christ to Be Sacred, Soft, and Safe (an excerpt)
It was a Sunday at 6:45 a.m. in 2016, 2017, or 2018—it’s all a blur now. The day went by, and just like that it was 8:45 p.m. and I…
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Ephphatha, Be Opened
By Mary Quigley
-“He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”- Ephphatha. Be opened. Hear the children in Gaza crying. Hear the children in…
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The Widow Who Demands Justice
Excerpted from The Moral Teachings of Jesus: Radical Instruction in the Will of God (Cascade Books, September 2024). And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry…
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Preparing the way for Jesus— and not for a false Christ, or the next US (or any) President
By Bob Ekblad
“Prepare the way of the Lord!” writes Isaiah the prophet– and John the Baptist does this, announcing Jesus. He identifies Jesus as Israel’s Messiah, God’s own Son, the lamb of…
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The Women We’ve Been Waiting For (an excerpt)
The Women We’ve Been Waiting For: A 40-Day Devotional for Self-Care, Resilience, and Communal Flourishing (an excerpt) In our journey of faith, we’d be wise to remember that our whole…
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The Democrats need to be done with death
A version of this essay appeared on Religion News Service on August 27, 2024. PHOTO: Abraham Bonowitz of Death Penalty Action and Esther Brown of Project Hope to Abolish the…
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Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Beyond Spiritual Narratives
As a Palestinian-American leading a ministry in the Middle East, I frequently encounter misconceptions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In evangelical circles, it’s common to frame this enduring struggle as a…
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Clemency for Emmanuel Littlejohn: An Open Letter to Governor Kevin Stitt
August 18, 2024 Clemency for Emmanuel Littlejohn: An Open Letter to Governor Kevin Stitt Dear Governor Kevin Stitt, There are hours that try our souls. We don’t necessarily know what…
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Excerpt from “THE MYSTIC JESUS: The Mind of Love”
I have found over the years that I’m far from alone in having had a strange introduction to Jesus. The prepackaged religious Jesus doesn’t work for everyone, including some Christians.…
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Standing Against Trump and Genocide
A version of this essay appeared on Religion News Service on August 20, 2024. I’m an evangelical against Trump … and genocide Like many Christians, I find myself conflicted this…
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The In-Between Places
By Sue Fulmore
There is magic in the in-between places. We know the beauty of the world at dawn, as the light seeps in. The darkness retreats and our slice of this spinning…
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Womanish Theology: Discovering God through the Lens of Black Girlhood, an Excerpt
My first encounters with God were through my foremothers: my great-grandmother Ma Rosella, my grandmother—affectionately known as Mama Hattie—and her identical twin sister, Aunt Mary. In the 1980s they all…
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Release
The following reflection is based on the story and paintings found in Rebecca J. Craig’s memoir, “Once Upon a Nightmare: Through the Looking Glass of Narcissistic Abuse” available now on…
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“You Are Not Your Trauma: Uproot Unhealthy Patterns, Heal the Family Tree”, an excerpt
When I was sixteen years old, I spent most of my time trying to get high—anything to help me get my body back to equilibrium. I did not know at…
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August 9th: A Day of Repentance?
Editor’s Note: the following piece was originally published on the RLC Blog on August 9, 2017. August 9, 2017 ************* August 9th is a tragic day in history. August 9,…
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Saving Grace
The following reflection is based on the story and paintings found in Rebecca J. Craig’s memoir, “Once Upon a Nightmare: Through the Looking Glass of Narcissistic Abuse” available now on…
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So We and Our Children May Live, an excerpt
A decade ago, I (Sheri) realized I had to work on preventing climate change. My only child, Patrick, was eight at the time, and I kept imagining how I would…
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The Chaplain who Blessed the Hiroshima Bombers Repents
Editor’s Note: the following piece was originally published on the RLC Blog on August 6, 2014. August 6, 2014 Sixty-nine years ago, as a Catholic Air Force chaplain, Father George…
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A Sonnet for Sonya Massey
“Don’t hurt me.” It was tragic enough that Sonya Massey had to greet the officers at her front door with these words, even though she had called them herself regarding…
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Christians, Get Out and Vote
As Christian preachers, we don’t often agree with Donald Trump. But we do agree with one message he has for Christians: we must get out and vote in November. While…