Red Letter Revolution: What If Jesus Really Meant What He Said?

By Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo

For all the Christians facing conflict between JesusÆ words and their own lives, for all the non-Christians who feel they rarely see JesusÆ commands reflected in the choices of his followers, Red Letter Revolution is a blueprint for a new kind of Christianity, one consciously centered on the words of Jesus, the BibleÆs ôred letters.ö

Framed as a captivating dialogue between Shane Claiborne, a progressive young evangelical, and Tony Campolo, a seasoned pastor and professor of sociology, Red Letter Revolution is a life-altering manifesto for skeptics and Christians alike. It is a call to a lifestyle that considers first and foremost JesusÆ explicit, liberating message of sacrificial love.

Shane and Tony candidly bring the words of Jesus to bear on contemporary issues of violence, community, Islam, hell, sexuality, civil disobedience, and twenty other critical topics for people of faith and conscience today. The resulting conversations reveal the striking truth that Christians guided unequivocally by the words of Jesus will frequently reach conclusions utterly contrary to those of mainstream evangelical Christianity.

If the Jesus who speaks to you through the Gospels is at odds with the Christian culture you know, if you have ever wanted to stand up and say, ôI love Jesus, but thatÆs not me,ö Red Letter Revolution will prove that you are not aloneùyou may have been a Red Letter Christian all along.

Endorsements:

ôThis book, by a young and an elderly Christian, will help you decide how we Christians could change the world if we took the æred letterÆ words of Jesus literally and seriously.ö ùPresident Jimmy Carter

ôIn Red Letter Revolution the uncompromised truth of Jesus' teachings are given voice by two modern-day Christian leaders who do more than preach this Good News. They walk the talk and lead the way.ö ùArchbishop Desmond Tutu

ôI started reading this book and couldn't stop. . . . Thank you, Tony and Shane. Thank you for this book. May the movement spread around the world.ö ùAbuna Elias Chacour,?Melkite Catholic Archbishop of Galilee

ôRed Letter Revolution is an adrenaline-producing conversation with prophetic bite.ö ùEugene H. Peterson, author of The Message Bible

ôI cannot over-emphasize or exaggerate the richness of this book.ö ùPhyllis Tickle, author of Emergence Christianity

ôIn this courageous and well crafted book, we have a return to the core message of the Gospel from two Christians who first tried to live it themselvesùand only then spoke." ùFr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation

ôShane Claiborne and Tony Campolo are two of the most significant prophetic voices in the Christian world.ö ùRabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine (tikkun.org)

ôThis is a must-read book for anyone who is seeking to take JesusÆ call on their lives seriously.ö ùJim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners magazine

ôIf you ever wished you could eavesdrop on a conversation with two of the world's most interesting and inspiring Christians, just turn to page one.ö ùBrian D. McLaren, author/speaker (brianmclaren.net)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Oct 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781400204199

Shane Claiborne

Shane obtuvo su título de la Universidad de Eastern, y cursó estudios de postgrado en el Seminario de Princeton. Su experiencia ministerial es variada, pasando por una misión de diez semanas junto a la Madre Teresa de Calcuta, y a un año dedicado al servicio de la acaudalada mega iglesia Willow Creek Community Church ubicada en las afueras de Chicago. También ayudo a fundar El Camino Simple (The Simple Way), una comunidad de fe en áreas urbanas marginales de la ciudad de Filadelfia que ha logrado crear y unir a comunidades de fe radical por todo el mundo. Shane escribe y viaja extensamente para hablar sobre la reconciliación, la justicia social, y sobre Jesús. Él es uno de los personajes que aparecen en la serie de DVD «Otro Mundo Es Posible» y es autor de varios libros entre los que figuran Revolución irresistible y Jesús para presidente. Shane participa en más de 100 charlas anuales en unos doce países y en casi todos los estados de los Estados Unidos.

Reviews for Red Letter Revolution

[organicshoes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus Really meant what He said? Through this book Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne strike up a conversation about what Christianity would look like if we followed the words of Jesus rather than rooting ourselves in the ‘traditions’ of the church. This book is not a regular book it is a dialogue between the two authors, a transcript of the conversations that they have had on a range of topics from money, politics, missions, immigration, to giving.This book brings up a lot of discussion and gives you something to consider and to think about, although you may not agree with the views of either author the discussion is informative and helps us to realize that sometimes we base things on what we do by tradition and forget to look into what the Bible says. The Red Letter Revolution also introduces us into a new way of living in community with one another and taking steps to really read what Jesus said.This book has received a range of reviews from extremely positive to extremely negative, it is understandable that this book may make you angry and you may disagree with some points made throughout the book, I encourage you to approach this book with an open mind and to listen to what is being said and you may just find some points to take to heart.

[stephenbarkley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

On the surface this looks like a book written by the odd couple. On one side you have Tony Campolo, the wizened elder statesman. On the other side you have the iconoclastic young radical, Shane Claiborne. Fortunately for all of us, their theological similarities outweigh their superficial differences!This is a book about and for Red Letter Christians. These are Christians who feel the title Evangelical is doing them a disservice. Central among the Red Letter Christian beliefs is a renewed emphasis on the teaching of Jesus (thus the Red Letters). The wonderfully sarcastic title sets the tone of the volume: "What if Jesus Really Meant What He Said?"Throughout the book, Tony and Shane discuss a multitude of topics: Liturgy, Hell, Islam, Pro-Life, Homosexuality, War, and the Resurrection to name just a few. I was slightly surprised at the candor of these two dialogue partners, and heartily agreed with them at many points.Some of the topics covered in the Red Letter Revolution confused me—not necessarily because I disagreed with the stance but because the Jesus' red letters don't really cover the topic. Take environmentalism for example. Jesus says nothing about the it, despite the out-of-context chapter epigraph of Matthew 6:28-29! Throughout that chapter Tony and Shane talk about Genesis, Corinthians, Psalms, Romans, and Isaiah. Despite making many important points, I can't see how the Red Letter banner covers the topic.I'm glad I read this book. For a popular Christian work, there's a surprising amount of depth. If you're looking for something to challenge and inspire your faith, give the Red Letter Revolution a try.