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“Democratic Space” (excerpted from The Introduction) It was Martin Luther King Jr. who, in 1963, spoke to “the fierce urgency of now.” Now more than then, we need…
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“The Good Mother”, an excerpt from “Mother, Creature, Kin: What We Learn from Nature’s Mothers in a Time of Unraveling”
So many of the stories we hear today are about a world falling out of being. Falling away. Falling from grace. The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposes declaring twenty-three…
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“The Red and the Black”, an excerpt from “Pilgrim: a Theological Memoir”
The Red and the Black I guess you could say I have been a red-letter guy since I was ten years old. That’s when my mother gave me my own…
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Good Trouble on Good Friday 2025
We got into good trouble on Good Friday. Twenty-six people were arrested for a nonviolent direct action at the headquarters of Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons contractor, where the…
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For the Emo at Easter: Stages of Grief when ‘Losing’ a Savior
Two Easters ago, my Dad, in his favorite pastel-striped bow tie, was surrounded in prayer and anointed in hugs for an hour after service. The ‘love mob’ around his wheelchair…
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When ‘If’ Comes Calling: The Voice of Temptation
By Andrea HugIf. It’s a two-letter word with so many possibilities – so much potential and hope! It’s a dream that provides direction and meaning. And in America, we dream BIG! We…
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The Holy Thursday Revolution
This table is the hinge of history. The table is the point. Thursday is the Last Supper and the First Feast. The Holy Thursday Revolution.
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Your Kin-dom Come
I’m not sure when I first genuinely encountered the kingdom of God. Perhaps it was in that moment during eighth grade when I first audibly heard God speak to me,…
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Efficiency’s Insufficiencies
Efficiency’s Insufficiencies: Holy Week lessons from Judas and Mary When the president gave Elon Musk the floor to share about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during the oval office press…
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Isn’t the World Lent-y Enough Already?
Just before Lent this year, I sat down to think about what I might engage as a Lenten practice to no avail. When people asked me about what I was…
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Today’s Pharaohs
By Ariel GoldPhoto credit: Freedom Seder Hagadah, on display at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris France, Credit: Ariel Gold In 1969, amid the turbulence of the Civil Rights movement…
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Stations of the Cross Illustrated by Men on Tennessee Death Row
May these paintings open our hearts up to the profound depth of God’s love, and may they stir in us a passion for extending that love and grace to others.…
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Suffering as Sacrament: The Book of Job & ‘the Invisible Transcendent Society’
By Dan YiGod is love. […] You cannot even remotely imagine how He suffers. – Søren Kierkegaard The mystery of the poor is this: That they are Jesus, and what you do…
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Forgiveness Is an Act of Justice
By Nathan GeerThere seems to be a chronology to the work of forgiveness: forgiveness within leads to forgiveness without. According to the patterns of forgiveness we see in Jesus, we first do…
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The Symptoms of a Nation Approaching Spiritual Death
When we recognize that something which impacts anyone of us can quickly impact all of us, we know everyone must learn the signs of what the disease looks like before…
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Jesus & Divine Metamorphosis of Easter
If Easter wasn’t a Debt Payment, then what was it? “He made him who did not know sin to be sin for our sake, so that through him we might…
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Keep Listening and Don’t Give Up – A Sermon on Luke 9:28-36
I wonder if Jesus’ disciples found themselves thinking, sometimes, I don’t know if this is what I signed up for. I wonder this as I read the part of the…
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Survive—together.
Editor’s Note: This piece was first published on the Freedom Road blog on Substack on March 26, 2025 and is reprinted here with permission. We no longer have a federal…
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Waiting With Intention
I love the Japanese artform of Kintsugi, which takes broken pottery and repairs it with golden lacquer. Rather than discarding what is broken or seeking to cover up the cracks,…
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A Christian Argument for Compassionate Politics
By Alasdair DowTo begin, let me dive into new territory. Usually when you write a political article the aim is to make a grand point with what is wrong with someone else’s…
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“Christ in the Rubble”, an excerpt
Introduction Why would a pastor write a book exposing the horrific realities of Gaza? Is it the role of the church to speak publicly—even urgently and insistently—about politics and warfare?…
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But What Does it Mean To Be Great?
By David TitusMatthew 20:25-27 – Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not…
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Lenten Reflection on Isaiah 58
By Art LaffinGreetings of peace to you this Lenten Season. Lent is a time for personal and societal repentance, radical conversion and transformation. Living under the brutal occupation of the Roman empire,…
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Community
By Steve FawverI often find it easy to overlook the power of community – deep connection with those around us in life. Recently I have been drawn to a new perspective through…
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“Prayer at this Kairos Time” an excerpt from “Arise and Witness”
Introduction to “Prayer at this Kairos Time” (Art Laffin) This undated prayer by Anne is as relevant now as when she wrote it. A dictionary definition for Kairos is: the…
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When God Chooses to be Silent
By Susan GrantI began digging my grave just short of two decades ago. The first thrust of the shovel into the ground came on a day that started out as ordinary. As…
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Faces in the Movement: A Q&A with Khia Shaw-Wilson, United Women in Faith’s Transformation Officer
There are a host of women driving meaningful change. We don’t always see them but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist or that their work isn’t impactful. Coinciding with Women’s…
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Bouncing Off The Floor
By Lenny SmithSometimes you have to reach bottom, in order to bounce off the floor and fly up into the air. Back in 1973, I was out of work, again, and pretty…
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The Radical Forgiveness of Saint Patrick and Maewyn Succat
Are you angry? Are you resentful and bitter over the past? Are there those whom you cannot or will not forgive? Maewyn Succat would tell us that with God’s help, there…
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Confession: Good for the Soul, Good for Us All
By David WatersIn the first reflection of our Lent Series, “Wearing Ash within a World on Fire,” Jer Swigart shared that in our broken world “Lent must be more than a personal…
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What Would Jesus Really Do?
By S.M. ReedS.M. Reed holds two Master’s degrees, one in Theology and one in Psychology. She was raised in church and has been involved in different ministry and leadership positions for most…
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A Biblical Understanding of Romans 13
A Biblical Understanding of Romans 13, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities…” Editor’s Note: This piece was previously published on Noah Filipiak’s blog on February 6, 2025. “Let…
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Entering Deeply into the Story in a New Way: Introducing “Radical Bible”
Many years ago, my wife and ministry partner, Sue, and I were leading a church group in a Lenten series on the Gospel of John. Typically, we had about 45…
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Dividing Bone and Marrow – What Asexuality Can Offer the Church
By Gee Bree“Okay, so you guys don’t kiss, but like, do you want to have sex with him? Make babies with him?” It was a pointed question my college friend was asking…
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Liturgical Resurrection
This week we honored Ash Wednesday, marking our entry into Lent, the late winter womb of the liturgical year. While the noise of the secular rings about me, I am…
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“Facing the Darkness” an excerpt from “Arise and Witness”
Prologue by Anne Montgomery, RSCJ, Facing the Darkness “A voice from the dark called out, ‘The poets must give us imagination of peace, to oust the intense, familiar imagination of…
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Songs of Oneness for the Non-Religious or Unaffiliated
Friends, I’d like to introduce a new collection of songs which I just recently recorded and released: “Human Spirituals, Songs of Oneness for the Non-Religious or Unaffiliated.” As the title…
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Welcome the End of the World
By Lenny SmithSo many have a very confused set of ideas about “the end of the world.” First, I want to present what I consider to be the meaning of “the world.”…
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Wearing Ash Within a World On Fire
By Jer SwigartAsh Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of reflection, repentance, and preparation. It’s an invitation to journey inward, to confront our temptations, acknowledge our failures, and move toward…
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Unchristlike Theology Hurts People
Despite the unending news cycle, I’m still reflecting on Vice President JD Vance’s comments in his January 29 Fox News interview. He outlined a paradigm for love, saying, “There’s this……
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Rising Above All Divides
On January 18, 2023, I stood on the stage at the MissionConnexion conference in Portland, Oregon, alongside my friend Dan Sered, the COO of Jews for Jesus and a Messianic Jew whose…
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The Struggle for Hope
I began January 2024 as a pessimist. The year ahead held two big decisions and I was fearful of both. When the United Methodist Church voted to rid its Book…
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Why Christians Should Be Concerned with Climate Displacement and Border Militarization
By Ilka VegaWe are weeks into a new administration, and it is abundantly clear that our nation is facing an existential threat to programs aimed at addressing the climate crisis. First, there…
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Immigrants Are People
By Mark AnslemIt should go without saying, but it needs saying: Immigrants are people. To many people, however, immigrants are not people. The conversations that continue to be had about immigration in…
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An Altar Call from Tony Campolo
By Tony Campolo Transcript: We are facing a problem and that is that we’ve run out of time, and we have to close this thing down. I was going to preach. I’m…
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Tony Campolo on Red Letter Christianity
By Tony CampoloListen to Tony discuss the ideas and scripture behind the Red Letter Christians movement.
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The Babylonian Captivity of the Church
By Tony CampoloEditor’s Note: Previously published on the RLC blog on April 2, 2020. When St. John wrote the book of Revelation, he was trying to help the first century Christians understand…
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Praying in a Broken Time, excerpt from “The Prayer of Unwanting”
Excerpted and adapted from THE PRAYER OF UNWANTING by David Williams (Broadleaf Books, 2025). Reprinted here with permission of Broadleaf Books. Praying in a Broken Time I’m not particularly great at praying.…
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How to Pursue Transformation, Not Just Change: an excerpt from “Letting Go, Finding You”
We have all had experiences of being so sure after we read a particular book or attended an inspiring conference that our lives would never be the same again. We…
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“I’ve Got Questions”, an excerpt
You don’t often get fortune-telling in a Baptist church, so when it happens, you sit up and take notice. Perhaps prophecy is a better descriptor. I was about thirteen years…
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John the Baptist vs. Herod: The Prophetic Cost of Speaking Truth to Power
Just a day after the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th president of the United States, President Trump, Vice President Vance, their families, and other important political figures…
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“The Anti-Greed Gospel”, an excerpt
Money. Mammon. Riches. All names for the same rival god, the service of whom the Scriptures call greed. Mammon lies at the root of lynching, of racial violence, of racial…
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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 MeffordWhen 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 AwadEditor’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 SmithI 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 EkbladHostility 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 NassarIn 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 BockEditor’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 DayeEditor’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 BowenMarshall 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 GruverI’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…
