(CP) Tony Campolo, the best-selling creator, trainer and evangelical preacher identified for selling a motion referred to as “Crimson Letter Christianity,” has died. He was 89.
Campola's loss of life was introduced on his Fb web page on Tuesday night. A message to his pals and followers mentioned the distinguished preacher “died at his house in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania,” the place he was “surrounded by his household and family members.”
“His life was a testomony to religion, love and the transformative energy of relationships, and his affect can be felt by generations to return,” the assertion added.
“For greater than six a long time, as a pastor, distinguished professor, fascinating public speaker and prolific creator, Tony has touched numerous lives all over the world along with his hopeful message of social justice, love and reconciliation.”
Shane Claiborne, a progressive Christian activist and creator, expressed his condolences on his X account, describing Campolo as a “pricey good friend and brother.”
“Tony Campolo has been my companion in ministry for the previous 20 years [Red Letter Christians]. I’ll miss him terribly, however I do know there’s a social gathering on the opposite aspect,” Claiborne tweeted.
“I don't have a lot to say proper now. However I’ll quickly. Thanks for all of the love and condolences from all over the world. I'm grateful for all of the lives he's touched over time.”
Born on February 25, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Campolo was identified for his charismatic preaching, years of labor as a professor, and social activism, particularly among the many needy.
For practically 40 years, Campolo led a bunch often called the Evangelical Affiliation for the Promotion of Training, which he based to assist communities in want. He left his place within the group in 2014.
In 2007, Campolo helped discovered a bunch referred to as Crimson Letter Christians, so named as a result of in some printed variations of the Bible, Jesus' phrases are printed in pink fairly than black ink.
“We additionally consider within the black letters and we consider that the complete Bible is God's phrase. However Jesus is the lens by means of which we interpret the Bible and the lens by means of which we interpret the world we dwell in,” the group's web site mentioned. .
“It's clear that a number of the loudest voices in Christianity haven’t been probably the most stunning voices. And a number of the most stunning voices haven’t had the amplification they deserve. We alter the narrative by altering the narrator.”
The motion was not with out its critics, amongst them Mark Tooley of the theologically conservative Institute for Faith and Democracy, who believed that the motion's pondering was “damaging and harmful as a result of it suggests that every one of Scripture is lower than dependable and that fashionable people in a single tradition can uniquely reinterpret or reject historic Christian moral instructing with out the recommendation of the common church.”
“So a couple of phrases from Jesus supposedly mandate a vast welfare state, opposition to the navy, abolition of weapons, and so forth.,” Tooley informed The Christian Put up in a 2016 interview.
“In the meantime, historic church instructing on abortion or homosexuality is simply too typically dismissed as a result of Jesus didn't particularly tackle it.”
Campolo defended the Crimson Letters Christians, telling CP in a 2016 interview that “there is no such thing as a doubt that the morality prescribed by Jesus is superior to something that has been instructed by the legislation and the prophets.”
“I all the time need to add that the early Church didn’t have the New Testomony, however what they had been in a position to do beneath the affect of the Holy Spirit was to search out the message and story of Jesus written by means of the Legislation and the Prophets. of the Outdated Testomony,” Campolo mentioned.
“Briefly, the Scriptures that had been written earlier than the New Testomony level to Jesus and are important for us to grasp Jesus.”
Campolo has garnered controversy for a number of the ideological positions he has taken over the previous few years, together with his perception that church buildings ought to absolutely settle for same-sex romantic relationships.
Whereas Campolo rejected the “Evangelical” label, he informed CP in an earlier interview that he nonetheless holds a “very conventional” view of salvation and rejects accusations that he’s a universalist.
“I consider that when Jesus died on the cross, he took upon himself the sins of people that would repent and belief him for his or her salvation. I consider within the penal substitutionary doctrine of the atonement,” Campolo defined.
“I'm nonetheless an evangelical when it comes to religion practices and beliefs. What I'm attempting to convey, and I feel lots of people would agree with me, is that the phrase 'evangelical' has turn out to be politicized in a approach that causes a few of us to be involved.”
Along with his activism and preaching, Campolo was a school member on the College of Pennsylvania, professor emeritus of sociology at Japanese College, and the creator of greater than 30 books.
Campola is survived by his spouse, Peggy, to whom he was married for greater than 65 years, two youngsters, 4 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
© The Christian Put up
