Red Letter Reconciliation

We have been reading a book that we like so much, we’re making it the Book of the Week. It’s called Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus really meant what He said? by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo.

The term “red letter” is a reference to the editions of the New Testament that have the words of Jesus written in red. Campolo writes in the introduction that he and a group of evangelical Christians adopted a name for themselves, Red Letter Christians, “who take the radical teachings of Jesus seriously and who are committed to living them out in our everyday lives.”

Campolo, who is in his eighties, is a well-known evangelical preacher, speaker and professor. Claiborne is in his early forties, and is also a writer, speaker and activist. As Campolo writes, “We are aware that while we agree for the most part on theology and social ethics, living out what we believe has taken different forms for each of us.”

The book Red Letter Revolution is presented as a series of 26 dialogues between the two theologians. We found this book, published in 2012, in the PCBC library catalog when we searched on the term “racism,” which is one of the 26 topics. The topics are divided into sections: Red Letter Theology, Red Letter Living, and Red Letter World. So far, we have read the discussions on racism, homosexuality, being pro-life, Islam, and women. We are looking forward to reading about civil disobedience, national debts, reconciliation, saints, hell, politics. Okay, we are looking forward to reading all of them. It’s good to expand our minds.

Dialogue. Two viewpoints exchanged in a respectful fashion with the goal of mutual understanding. It’s possible, friends. May we suggest that dialogue is critical to reconciliation and harmonious living? And may we deplore our current social atmosphere that trades dialogue for snarky yelling past anyone with a differing point of view?

We urge you to come check out Red Letter Revolution and read it. We also encourage you to engage in dialogue with other people to come to a mutual understanding about areas where you differ in opinion. You may never come to agreement, but you will very likely come to respect one another and maybe forge an alliance or friendship.

The principles of dialogue and mutual understanding are the basis for our Library’s pet project, Faithfully Yours, our PCBC alliance with the sisters and brothers of Concord Baptist Church. We have another Ladies Book Brunch coming up on April 2, at Concord. Yes, we’ll be talking about some wonderful books. But we will be talking, having dialogue, getting to know one another, developing friendships—building bridges. If you can, please come to the Ladies Book Brunch. It doesn’t really matter if you read one of the books or not: All that matters is that you come with an open heart and a yearning toward red letter living.

A Psalm for Our Times

I'm back!
 
It's been way too long since I've posted in this Faithfully Yours blog. I got busy. I got a new job. I got distracted. I was saying my say in other places, namely, the "Off the Shelf" blog for the Park Cities Baptist Church Library.
 
I've been writing "Off the Shelf" once a week since August 2014. While trying to project the voice of the PCBC Library, I probably haven't fooled anyone regarding who was the author. The only problem with "Off the Shelf" is that it was hard to find. Its link is buried in the PCBC Library webpage. Sadly, I'm too much of a technical dinosaur to figure out how to get it more exposure. This blog, however, links effortlessly to my Facebook account. So, I think I'll try replicating my "Off the Shelf" posts here, too. I hope you like them.
 
My most recent post was inspired by the recent political elections, Super Tuesday here in Texas.  Here's what I had to say:

A Psalm for Our Times

Did you find yourself tearing your hair and gnashing your teeth on March 1, Super Tuesday, or on March 2 when you heard the results of the presidential primaries and other political races? If the media—print, TV, radio, and social media—is on target, a majority of Americans are, at the very least, concerned about the state of political affairs this year. Many are more than concerned; they are outright angry or freaked.

 

There is a lot to be freaked about. It’s doubtful that anyone is content with the status on the major issues of economy, immigration, national security, health care, racial justice, education, climate change, etc. etc. And if the unrest and uncertainty aren’t enough to unhinge everyone, the strident political rhetoric certainly are.

Seriously: Did you ever think you would hear political leader wannabes at national, state and local levels speak and behave in such obnoxious, disparaging and childish ways?

We admit that have been doing a little hair tearing and teeth gnashing. But this week as we read the Bible, the words of Psalm 2 caught our attention. It seems that boisterous and self-aggrandizing political leaders are nothing new. Here’s what the psalmist had to say about them:

 

Why do the nations conspire [or rage] and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

 From time immemorial, people and nations have yelled loudly and plotted to have their own way in defiance of God. But then as now,

 

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

 The psalmist’s advice is as true today as ever:

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

The words of the beautiful poem are a good reminder that God alone is sovereign. He alone rules over peoples and nations.

So don’t tear your hair and gnash your teeth. God is on His throne, and He controls the nations and their demagogues. For us, the last phrase of Psalm 2 is comforting:

                        Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

It's nice to be back. Be sure to let me know what you think.