-
For years, I have sat in dialogue rooms across from people whose politics, experiences, and understanding of the place we both call home were very different from mine.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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. …
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Reflections of a Palestinian Christian Theologian on Lausanne IV
By Tony DeikMission 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…
-
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…
-
Fleeing Idolatry in a Time of Pretender Saviors
By Bob EkbladMany 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…
-
Heart Problem
By David TitusYears 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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
“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…
-
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…
-
“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…
-
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…
-
TOMORROW: A Reflection and Invitation: National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty, Thursday October 10
By Sam HeathJoin 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…
-
(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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
A Reflection and Invitation: National Christian Prayer Call on the Death Penalty Upcoming on October 10
By Sam HeathOklahoma 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…
-
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…
-
Excerpt from “What Christians Believe About the Devil”
By Joel SimpsonThe 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…
-
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…
-
JESUS FOR PRESIDENT (special online presentation REPLAY)
By RLC EditorSaturday, 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…
-
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…
-
Haitian Residents at Church in Springfield, Ohio: A Reflection
By Troy JacksonI 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…
-
Immigrants in Springfield, presented by Pastor Carl Ruby
By Carl RubyA 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…
-
Learned Behavior
By S.M. ReedThis 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…
-
A Note on Gentle Instruction
By S.M. ReedThe 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…
-
More than 300 Evangelical Pastors and Leaders Sign “Confession of Evangelical Conviction” and Call for Revival
By RLC EditorEditor’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…
-
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…
-
Everything Could Be a Prayer (excerpts)
By Kreg YingstAn 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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…
-
The In-Between Places
By Sue FulmoreThere 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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
“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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Pressure Builds on UN to Uphold Court Rulings on Gaza and West Bank
By Kathy KellyPressure Builds on UN to Uphold Court Rulings on Gaza and West Bank For Immediate Release: August 2, 2024 Contact: Kathy Kelly, President of World BEYOND War, kathy.vcnv@gmail.com; David Swanson, Executive…
-
More than 200 Christian leaders sign letter calling for cease-fire in Gaza
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on July 23, 2024. Shane Claiborne signed the letter referenced in the article, representing Red Letter Christians. July 23, 2024 By Chloë-Arizona Fodor, Jack Jenkins…
-
Shattered
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…
-
God Is Asking Us to Do More, Not Do It Alone
By Sally VonnerI grew up in a matriarchal family that was mindful of community; we knew our neighbors, we helped one another. If a neighbor needed something from the mom n’ pop…
-
Treasure in Heaven
I think churches feel obligated to break out the red letter words from Jesus found in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew at least once a year, “Do…
-
Sighs Too Deep for Words
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…
-
My Church is Broken, and So Am I
NOTE: All patient names and any identifying details have been changed. It’s a midwestern autumn morning. I wake up early after a late night at my cousin’s wedding. I’m disoriented…
-
A Call to Solidarity
Among progressive Christians, there is alarm about the impacts of climate change, and rightly so. According to UNESCO, humanity’s actions on earth are as impactful as a geological force. Climate…
-
On Peacemaking: A Litany for Lamenting Every Act of Violence
Editor’s Note: we share this powerful essay and litany prayer from Diana Oestreich originally published in Rally: Communal Prayers for Lovers of Jesus & Justice. The candles flickered and wax…
-
Save Pastor Kevin Burns
By RLC EditorTennessee Inmate Kevin Burns Fights for Freedom from Death Row Kevin Burns sits on Tennessee’s death row, maintaining his innocence for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. Despite 28…
-
Buying Guns on the Blue Market
A version of this essay appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on June 30, 2024. It’s easier to get a gun in America than it is to get rid of a…
-
In A Mirror Dimly
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…
-
Way to Peace
By David TitusAs he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now…
-
God Did Not Save Donald Trump
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared in Religion News Service on July 15, 2024. Did God save the former president, but not those who died instead? (RNS) — I’m glad Donald…
-
In God’s Hands
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…
-
Made in the Imagination of Love
I love God. I just don’t trust God. The god of conditional promises. Of quid pro quo practices. Of formulaic certainties. The sow tithes and reap rewards god. The attend-church-worship-pray-read-bible-to-live-a-fully-blessed-life…
-
Christian Leaders from Around the Country Read Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech “WHAT TO THE SLAVE IS THE FOURTH OF JULY”
By RLC EditorEditor’s Note: originally published on the RLC Blog on July 3, 2021. One-hundred and seventy-two years ago tomorrow, abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass gave a speech to the 600…
-
RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorOn Saturday afternoon, June 29, RawTools finished the marathon, forging over 44,000 minutes, 1 minute for each life lost to gun violence in 2023. Matt Clarady was a big part…
-
UPDATE: RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorSo far, after day 26, 38,140 minutes of forging have been logged, and below are a few more images of the creations formed from the efforts of the highly skilled,…
-
Meeting Christ in my Neighbor at the Intersection
“If you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you will surely die”. When I was taught the story of Eden as a child I remember…
-
The Aftermath of Coming Out
By Jenn ZatopekLast year I penned my first essay about the wonders of queer joy, coming out publicly as a bisexual woman living in Texas. The essay was well received, first by…
-
Stop Grasping for Power – Start Reaching for One Another
By Jer SwigartOn October 13th, after six days of navigating bomb shelters in Jerusalem, I arrived at Logan International Airport. As I shuffled toward customs I watched the sunrise over Boston. I…
-
RAW Tools 44K Countdown 2024
By RLC EditorSo far, after day 19, 31,822 minutes of forging have been logged, and below are a few images of the creations formed from the heartfelt efforts of the RAW Tools…
-
The Lesson of the Eunuch
Photo credit: “The Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by the Deacon Philip”, by Lambert Sustris (between 1545 and 1550) When discussing queer inclusion with Christians, a common refrain is that…
-
Who is Worthy of Honor?
Black people have never known honor on U.S. shores. From the auction blocks to the voting booths, honor has been as elusive to us as reparations for hundreds of years…
-
A Prayer for Pride Month
God, it’s Pride Month, and a lot is going on. Pride Month is always busy for the LGBTQIA+ community, whether we are attending parades and festivals, creating good trouble at…