In the previous article I wrote about this subject, I associated the Red-Letter Christians with the Emergent Church. I did that because they are one in the same. All of the big names in the Red-Letter Christian movement are the same big names in the Emergent Church movement: Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Shane Claiborne, Jim Wallis and many more.

 Again, just what is a Red-Letter Christian? According to Tony Campolo…

“Because being evangelical is usually synonymous with being Republican in the popular mind, and calling ourselves “progressive” might be taken as a value judgment by those who do share our views, we decided not to call ourselves “progressive evangelicals.” We came up with a new name: Red-Letter Christians. 

“By calling ourselves Red-Letter Christians, we are alluding to the fact that in several versions of the New Testament, the words of Jesus are printed in red. In adopting His name, we are saying that we are committed to living out the things that He said.” 

Right away, Mr. Campolo is disassociating R-L C’s with two major groups of people: Republicans and Progressives. 

Why Republicans? Because they were never associated with them in the first place. Just the word “Republican” is a turn off for the left. It’s a turn off for me too most of the time, but for the church-on-the-left, it means money, power, too conservative, too pro-family, too pro-life. In other words, you can’t equate the word Republican with socialism not even a little bit. 

But why disassociate with the Progressives? Well, they’re not, really. They’re just changing the name to protect the innocent. Too many folks are aware that progressive really means liberal. They simply cannot call themselves Liberal Evangelicals, even though that’s what they are. The term “Progressive Evangelicals” worked well for them when all they wanted to do is reach out to the left but, come on, who can argue with any group who would call themselves Red-Letter Christians? Jesus’ words are the red words in the New Testament. All Christians will like that, right? Where’s the danger in following a movement like that? 

In the description Mr. Campolo gave of the R-L C’s, he said that “(i)n adopting His name, we are saying that we are committed to living out the things that He said.” 

Hey, that’s all well and good. We as Christians should have that as a goal, to live out the words of Jesus. On his web site, Mr. Campolo refers directly to the Sermon on the Mount as being a sort of reference point of their R-L C campaign. Does he know who Jesus is talking to when He begins His sermon? He is speaking to His Disciples! 

Matthew 5:1, 2 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them… 

The reason I think that is important is because the emergent church and the R-L C’s are ultra liberal in their theology and they believe the government is the cure all for all the world’s woes. They believe that government takeover of Health Care, welfare programs, taxing the rich to give to the poor, and pouring more tax payer dollars into the public school systems is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. 

That is not what the Sermon on the Mount is all about. It is about making the role of caring for the sick, the poor, and education the duty of the church, not the government. Jesus is not talking to Caesar, He is talking to the Christian. He is not talking to the Roman Senate, He is talking to those who are willing to leave everything to follow Him. 

It is preposterous for Tony Campolo and Jim Wallis and the rest of the Emergent Church leaders to think that the Kingdom of God will accomplish these things by forcing people who want nothing to do with Jesus to fork over their money.  I know they don’t want to even look at the following verse because it is in black letters, but… 

Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 

Remember, the government cannot give to one unless it takes from another, and they never pass a plate.