Tony Campolo - Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles the Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid to Face

SPEAKING
MY MIND

OTHER BOOKS BY TONY CAMPOLO

Its Friday, but Sundays Comin
Carpe Diem
Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God
20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch
Let Me Tell You a Story
You Can Make a Difference
Which Jesus?

SPEAKING
MY MIND

TONY CAMPOLO

2004 Tony Campolo.

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Other Scripture references are from the following source:

The New King James Version (NKJV). 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Campolo, Anthony.
Speaking my mind / by Tony Campolo.
p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-8499-1817-9 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-0-8499-0823-1 (trade paper)
1. EvangelicalismUnited States. I. Title.
BR1642.U5C35 2004
270.8'3dc22

2004006231

Printed in the United States of America
10 11 12 13 14 EPAC 13 12 11 10 9

To my son-in-law
Marc Goodheart

He is an answer to my prayer that
my daughter Lisa would marry a good man.

Contents

PART I:
THE EVANGELICAL TAKEOVER

PART II:
WHAT PROBLEMS LIE AHEAD?

Recently, Tony Campolo had a serious stroke. Afterward, in our regular prayer group conversations over coffee in the back room of Joes Place, Tony demonstrated more impatient concern than usual when discussing the church. It was a loving concern, expressed within the context of a high view of the church as Christs body a body anointed to preach the gospel to the poor, to set free the captive.

Indeed, his zeal reminded the four of us who share such time with Tony not only of Jesuss Lukan reading from Isaiah, but also of the observation of one of the disciples during the Lords cleansing of the temple: The zeal of His Fathers house has consumed Him (see John 2:17).

This book grew out of that loving concern and consuming zeal for the church. If read in its entirety, it will strike the objective reader that the author cares deeply about both the people who make up the church and the Lord of the church. Reading only snippets, as Tonys detractors will make certain happens by quoting selected lines out of context, will result in a regrettably distorted and fragmented view of this prophetic Christian and his beliefs. It would be advisable, in my opinion, to begin the book by reading the last chapter, then proceeding to chapter 1.

Virtually no week goes by without someone, after learning where I work, telling me that Tony was instrumental in his or her becoming more deeply committed to Jesus and His teachings. More often than not, these people observe that they did not want to be moved by Tony because they disagreed with his political views. Yet, as they listened, they were inspired to understand the kingdom of God more deeply and fully than ever before. Political differences were transcended by the common ground around the cross and empty tomb and by the Scriptures illuminated by the Holy Spirit as Tony preached.

A nagging concern of Tonys while writing this book was that the surgical dissection and selective reporting of its lines by his critics would further isolate him from the conservative evangelical community he regards as family. In the final analysis, he believed that he owed the community a full explanation of how his journey with the Lord for more than half a century has shaped his beliefs.

As always, when he preaches or writes, Tony issues invitations to faith and service. This book is no exception. However, it goes further, inviting those who share his longing for a church that is reflective of the Christ who lived out the Sermon on the Mount to join him in conversations about such a church.

Last year, my father had a series of mild strokes in a rather abbreviated number of weeks. With each stroke came a temporary loss of memory. To jog his memory, Dad would recite the names of immediate family members. Following one particular stroke, try as he might, he could not remember anyones namenot even Mothers. After straining to call her by name but failing, he began to recite the first verses of the book of John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... (NKJV). Although we in the family needed no such evidence, it was a reminder that nothing could separate that saintly fellow from the love of God that he shared in Christ Jesus. It is my hope that this book will convince many people of the truth that gave my father the assurance of salvation and his confidence in a gracious God.

In conclusion, I am grateful for the courage Tony shows in addressing controversial questions that most thoughtful Christians have prayerfully, but privately, pondered. They need to be discussed in the light of day. May you and trusted prayer group partners do so, just as a handful of people have done for many years in the back room at Joes.

DAVID BLACK, PHD
President, Eastern University
St. Davids, Pennsylvania

Just for the record: I did not choose the subtitle of this book. That phrase was the publishers idea. A prophet is, by my definition, someone who has a word straight from God and declares it to the world, knowing that the message has divine legitimation. Such is not the case with me or with what I have to say in this book. I spent many hours in prayer, seeking Gods direction in what I would write, but I received no specific revelation that would allow me to declare, Thus saith the Lord! At best, I am a detective. I see myself as someone who works hard trying to ferret out the truth about what God is doing in the church and in the world, and the part we are to have in that work. What you have on the pages that follow is the thinking of a struggling Christian who is trying to figure out what is right and wrong within the community of Christians he loves as it strives to relate to the world.

As I wrote this book, I fought within myself, trying to make sure I wrote honestly about what was going on in my heart and mind. Parts of what you read here will probably seem somewhat inconclusive. That is because I am still unsettled about certain things myself. However, I am convinced that if I waited until I was absolutely sure about everything, I would say very little, if indeed anything at all. My faith journey is not complete, by any stretch of the imagination. My thinking about many of the issues discussed in this book is still in process. Over the years, I have had to change opinions and beliefs that I once held with dogmatic fervor. Now, there are fewer and fewer things about which I am absolutely certain. However, I hold those things with an ever-increasing tenacity. And this one thing I do know, in accord with the apostle Paul, and that is Jesus Christcrucified, risen, and coming again. The more I feel the certainty of who He is and what He did for me, the more I love Him.

I once had a conversation with Bono, the lead singer for the rock band U2. I wanted to know how he could put together a song entitled I Still Havent Found What Im Looking For, since I knew he was a firm believer in Christ. Bono answered, Being a Christian hasnt given me all the answers; instead its given me a whole new set of questions. The more I think about his answer, the more I think it applies to me too. It is as a struggling Christian that I try, in these pages, to make valid cases for some of the most pressing concerns of our times. As I lay out my arguments, I leave it to you to be the jury that discerns, decides, and then returns the verdicts on what I have to say.