The outspoken American preacher and ‘Red Letter Christian,’ Tony Campolo died last month aged 89.
The evangelical speaker and author was a forceful influence in the American church and was best known for calling Christians to follow Jesus’ teaching by loving and serving the poor and vulnerable in society.
‘Perhaps because our culture and politics have gone so off course, with values so contrary to those of Jesus, more and more people intuitively recognise that His vision of God’s kingdom – a new world of compassion, justice, integrity and peace – is the Good News they’ve been searching and waiting for,’ said Campolo in his book Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics.
According to a statement posted on his Facebook page, Campolo died in his home in Pennsylvania surrounded by family and loved ones.
‘His life was a testament to faith, love, and the transformative power of relationships, and his influence will be felt for generations to come,’ the statement said.
Campolo, who used humour and straight-talking to reach his audiences, founded Red Letter Christians (RLC) with Shane Claiborne in 2007. A community of Christians, RLC’s mission is to encourage evangelicals to focus on sharing the gospel rather than becoming increasingly politicised.
At times, however, Campolo has been a controversial figure in the Christian landscape. In 2015, he announced he was changing his view on LGBT relationships, supporting same-sex marriage against the backdrop of Obergefell v. Hodges, the US Supreme Court decision that gave same-sex couples the right to get married.
Co-founder of Red Letter Christians, Shane Claiborne took to X to remember Campolo after the news of his death.
‘Today I lost a dear friend and brother…’ he said. ‘I will miss him something fierce.’
