Tony Campolo

Anthony Campolo Jr. (February 25, 1935 – November 19, 2024) was an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo was an influential leader in the evangelical left. Campolo was a popular commentator on religious, political, and social issues, and had been a guest on programs such as The Colbert Report, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect and The Hour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and education

Campolo was born to an Italian-American family in Philadelphia on February 25, 1935.<ref name="NYT Obit">Template:Cite news</ref> He studied at Eastern College and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1956.<ref name="auto1">Randall Herbert Balmer, Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism: Revised and expanded edition, Baylor University Press, USA, 2004, p. 126</ref> He was ordained a Baptist pastor in 1957.<ref name="auto1"/> He also studied theology at Palmer Theological Seminary and obtained a Bachelor of Divinity in 1960 and a Master of Divinity in 1961.<ref name="auto">Campolo Center for ministry, Tony's Birthday Trivia Quiz!, campolocenter.org, USA, February 15, 2022</ref> He studied sociology in Temple University and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in 1968.<ref name="auto1"/><ref>Noel de Bien, Feature Interview: Tony Campolo, abc.net.au, Australia, June 27, 2004</ref>

Career

In 1964, Campolo became professor of sociology at Eastern University in St. David's, Pennsylvania.<ref>Elizabeth Eisenstadt Evans, Eastern University has served as the evangelical left's laboratory, christiancentury.org, USA, May 5, 2021</ref> For ten years, he also taught at the University of Pennsylvania.

He became an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, which is affiliated with both the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. and the American Baptist Churches USA.<ref>CBSNEWS, Pastor Fights To Regain Streets, cbsnews.com, USA, June 8, 1998</ref>

In 1969, he founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), which works to help "at-risk" youth in the U.S. and Canada, and has helped to establish several schools and universities.<ref name="auto1"/>

In 1976, Campolo ran as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania's 5th district,<ref name="Rabey Sunday">Template:Cite news</ref> but lost to incumbent Republican Dick Schulze.<ref name="Legistorm Schulze">Template:Cite web</ref>

Campolo was the subject of an informal heresy hearing in 1985 brought about by several assertions in his 1983 book A Reasonable Faith, particularly his claim that, "Jesus is actually present in each other person".<ref name="Mason Progressive">Template:Cite news</ref> The book became a hot button issue, and 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 issue. The panel examined the book and questioned Campolo. The panel issued a statement saying that although it found Campolo's statements "methodologically naïve and verbally incautious", it did not find them to be heretical.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1998, he became a spiritual adviser to President Bill Clinton.<ref>Alison Fitzgerald, Clinton Recruits Spiritual Advisers, apnews.com, USA, September 16, 1998</ref>

In 2007, with Shane Claiborne, he founded Red-Letter Christians, with the aim of bringing together evangelicals who believe in the importance of insisting on issues of social justice mentioned by Jesus (in red in some translations of the Bible).<ref>Nick Tabor, Can this preacher's progressive version of evangelical Christianity catch on with a new generation?, washingtonpost.com, USA, January 6, 2020</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also became a leader of the Red-Letter Christian movement, which aims to put emphasis on the teachings of Jesus.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2011, Campolo began hosting the TV show Red Letter Christians, aired on JC-TV. This weekly half-hour talk show features interviews with leaders in the Red-Letter Christian movement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On January 14, 2014, Campolo announced his plans to retire from leading the EAPE and to close that ministry, the extra money in the ministry being distributed to offshoot ministries started by EAPE.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Views on religion and politics

Although Campolo associated himself with the Democratic Party and several other modern liberal groups and causes, he publicly stated his opposition to abortion. Campolo held a consistent life ethic stance in opposition to any human situation that leads to the termination of life including warfare, poverty/starvation (as caused by extreme wealth inequalities), capital punishment, and euthanasia.<ref>Template:Cite news (revised May 25, 2011)</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pally">Template:Cite news</ref>

Starting in the late 1980s, Campolo's left-leaning political beliefs began to put leaders of the Christian right, such as Gary Bauer and Jerry Falwell, at odds with him.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Despite his criticisms of political conservatives in the evangelical community, Campolo also criticized the more liberal mainline Christian denominations.

Along with his wife, Peggy Campolo, he participated in very public debates and discussions about the place of lesbians and gays within church and society. Campolo formerly contended that homosexuality was a sin in practice, although not in orientation, while his wife disagreed, holding that committed, monogamous homosexual practice was not a sin; she supports full equality for LGBT people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Regarding marriage, he stated that all couples should have the right to a civil union with all the legal rights that are associated with such a contract.<ref>Red Letter Christians by Tony Campolo, Chapter 7 Gay Rights</ref>

On June 8, 2015, Campolo released a statement changing his position on the issue of gay relationships, and stating that he now supported full acceptance of Christian gay couples into the Church. He cited several reasons including the institution of marriage primarily being about spiritual growth instead of procreation, what he had learned through his friendships with gay Christian couples, and past examples of exclusionary church traditions practiced "by sincere believers, but most of us now agree that they were wrong."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Campolo offered the benediction on the second night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, including in his prayer "We are a nation that needs healing. Break down the barriers of race and ethnicity that separate us. Cure the sexism and homophobia that denies the dignity of so many of our fellow Americans. Help us to overcome our fears of refugees and show us how to love our enemies and overcome evil with good."<ref name="Woods Hilary">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2018, he participated in a "Red Letter Revival" in Lynchburg, Virginia, intended to highlight the connection between Evangelical Christianity and concern for social justice. Describing the Red-Letter Christian movement that organized that revival, he said:

"We want to be people of Jesus. That does have political implications. You can't go to the New Testament without sensing Jesus' commitment to the poor. … We basically see ourselves as committed to them. And that list in the 25th chapter of Matthew talks about welcoming the alien. Those aligning with Donald Trump are aligning with an anti-refugee mindset. We feel if we are reading the scriptures honestly, we are to receive the alien. I guess we are progressive in the sense that … we are opposed to the view of women that puts them in a submissive position. We are saying we don't really buy that. … I can understand why we are called "progressive evangelicals" because we stand over and against the kind of reactionary points of view that are being established by evangelicals across the country."<ref name="Brumley Red">Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Campolo married Peggy Davidson on June 7, 1958.<ref>Kristin E. Holmes, Campolo to slow, but not stop, Christian outreach, inquirer.com, USA, January 31, 2014</ref> Their daughter was born in 1960 and their son was born in 1963.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His son, Bart Campolo, is a former evangelical preacher who left Christianity and transitioned to secular humanism. The two engaged in an ongoing conversation since Bart announced to him that he no longer believed in God. They co-authored a book exploring the issues at the heart of this conversation,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a documentary film (Leaving My Father's Faith) was released in 2018 which features the conversations between them and tell the story of Bart's journey out of faith.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Illness and death

In June 2020, Campolo had a stroke which left him partially paralyzed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He died from heart failure at his home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on November 19, 2024, at the age of 89.Template:R<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards and honors

Honorary degrees

• 2006: Doctor of Humane Letters, Eastern University<ref name="auto"/>

Published works

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External links

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• Red Letter Christians Blog, by Tony Campolo and friends
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• Interview with Tony Campolo by Stephen McKiernan, Binghamton University Libraries Center for the Study of the 1960s, September 3, 1997