Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Red Letter Inconsistency

Interesting exchange between Stan Guthrie and Tony Campolo in CT under the banner When Red is Blue. Guthrie makes his case that the term "Red-letter Christians" seems to refer to those who hold two problematic views. One is that the "red letters", that is the words of Jesus in some translations of the Bible implies that Jesus' words are somehow more canonical than other portions of scripture. The other is that the "red-letter" Christians seem to decry the entanglement of the "religious right" in politics, but then turn and embrace political views that are almost entirely in agreement with the views of the left. Writes Guthrie...

If you believe ending poverty requires more government spending and a higher minimum wage; if you believe in a manmade global warming crisis; if you oppose school vouchers; if homosexual marriage is no big deal (and in fact a civil right); and if you are tired of talking about the 50 million unborn human beings lost to abortion since 1973, then you know which lever to pull.

Guthrie's critique may or may not be 100% correct, but Campolo's response was a bit of a surprise.