Tony Campolo
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Dr. Anthony "Tony" Campolo (born 1935) is a well-known American pastor, author, public speaker, and modern-day crusader who challenges Christians by illustrating how their faith can offer solutions in a world of complexity. With his liberal political and social attitudes, he has been a major proponent for progressive thought and reform in the evangelical community and he has become a leader of the Christian Left, himself often called a member of the "Evangelical left".
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he entered the arena of science and astronomy as a teenage prodigy who lectured at the Franklin Institute and studied with Albert Einstein.
Tony Campolo is an alumnus of, and currently a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St Davids, Pennsylvania. He is a 1956 graduate of Eastern and earned a Ph.D from Temple University. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and evangelist, presently serving as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, which is affiliated both with the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and with the American Baptist Churches USA[1] (http://mtcarmel-bc.org/affiliations.html).
Campolo founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), which works to help "at-risk" youth in the US and Canada, and has helped to establish several schools and universities.
His best known work is a speech entitled It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming!; recordings of which have been widely circulated in evangelical circles. He is a frequent speaker at Christian conferences.
He was also the spiritual advisor to President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Although he has associated himeself with the Democratic Party and several "left wing" groups and causes, he has publically stated his opposition to abortion and to gay marriage. Campolo's left leaning political beliefs have put him at odds with several leaders of the Christian right such as Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell.
Campolo was the subject of an informal heresy hearing in 1985 brought about by several assertions in his 1983 book A Reasonable Faith. The book became a hot button and the swirling controversy caused Campus Crusade for Christ and Youth for Christ to block a planned speaking engagement by Campolo. The Christian Legal Society empowered a "reconciliation panel", led by noted theologian J. I. Packer, to examine the issue and resolve the controversy. The panel examined the book and questioned Campolo. The panel later issued a statement saying that although it disagreed with several of Campolo's statements, it did not find them to be heretical.
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Quotes
"I think that Christianity has two emphases. One is a social emphasis to impart the values of the kingdom of God in society - to relieve the sufferings of the poor, to stand up for the oppressed, to be a voice for those who have no voice. The other emphasis is to bring people into a personal, transforming relationship with Christ, where they feel the joy and the love of God in their lives. That they manifest what the fifth chapter of Galatians calls "the fruit of the Spirit". Fundamentalism has emphasized the latter, mainline churches have emphasized the former. We cannot neglect one for the other." (Source: www.beliefnet.com)
"There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed...There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor."
Sexuality Debates
Tony Campola and his wife, Peggy, have participated in very public debates and discussions about the place of lesbian and gay persons within church and society. In his public stance at least, Tony Campola contends that homosexuality is a sin in practice, though not in orientation -- though he also argues that gay people living together in a committed, sexually active relationship, is morally preferable to less than monogamous relationships. Peggy Campola argues, as an Evangelical, that the church's traditional teaching on homosexuality is mistaken -- just as the church's traditional teaching on the role of women, slavery, and divorce is also mistaken. In recent years, some have suggested that Tony Campolo's private view on homosexuality has moved in the direction of his wife's view, and that he has fudged opportunities to articulate his new thinking in public for fear of losing his conservative Christian audience.
Published works
- A Reasonable Faith (1983, Lightning Source Inc., ISBN:0849936349)
- It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin' (1984, W. Publishing Group)
- 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch (1988, Word Publishing)
- Things We Wish We Had Said: Reflections of a Father and His Grown Son (co-written with Bart Campolo) (1989, W Publishing Group)
- Wake Up America!: Answering God's Radical Call While Living In The Real World (1991, Harpercollins)
- How To Rescue The Earth Without Worshiping Nature: a Christian's Call To Save Creation (1992, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
- Everything You've Heard Is Wrong (1992, Word Publishing)
- The Kingdom Of God Is A Party' (1992, W Publishing Group)
- Carpe Diem (1994, Word Publishing)
- Is Jesus A Republican Or A Democrat?: And 14 Other Polarizing Issues (1995, W Publishing Group)
- Following Jesus Without Embarrasing God (1997, W Publishing Group)
- Let Me Tell You A Story: Life Lessons From Unexpected Places And Unlikely People (2000, Word Publishing)
- Revolution And Renewal: How Churches Are Saving Our Cities (2000, Westminster/John Knox)
- Which Jesus? (2002, W. Publishing Group)
- The Survival Guide For Christians On Campus: How To Be Students And Disciples At The Same Time (2002, Howard Publishing Co)
- Adventures in Missing The Point: How The Culture-Controlled Church Neutered The Gospel (co-written with Brian D. McLaren) (2003, Youth Specialties)
- You Can Make A Difference (2003, W. Publishing Group)
- Speaking My Mind: The Radical Evangelical Prophet Tackles The Tough Issues Christians Are Afraid To Face (2004, Word Publishing)
- The Church Enslaved: A Spirituality For Racial Reconciliation (2005, Augsburg Fortress Publishers)
External links
- Tony Campolo Official Site (http://www.tonycampolo.org)
- Mission Year (http://www.missionyear.org)
- Eastern University (http://www.eastern.edu)
- Urban Promise USA (http://www.urbanpromiseusa.org)
- Urban Promise Canada (http://www.urbanpromise.com)
- Beyond Borders (http://www.beyondborders.net)
- Campolo School for Social Change at Eastern University (http://www.eastern.edu/academic/trad_grad/ssc/index.html)
- Compassion International (http://www.compassion.com)
- Speak: Make A Noise About Injustice (http://www.speak.org.uk)
- Call To Renewal: People of Faith Overcoming Poverty (http://www.calltorenewal.com)
- Cornerstone Christian Academy (http://www.cornerstonephiladelphia.com)
- Oasis (http://www.oasistrust.org)
- Jubilee USA Network (http://www.jubileeusa.org)
- Aquila (http://www.aquilahousing.co.uk)
- Opportunity International: Giving The Poor A Working Chance (http://www.opportunity.org)
- Zero28 (http://www.zero28.com)
- The Experiment in Alternative Leadership (http://www.theexperiment.info)
- HopeHIV (http://www.hopehiv.org)
