Red Letter Christianity claims
It’s time for a Christianity that looks like Jesus again. It’s time for gospel preaching and prophetic witness. It’s time to return to the things Jesus said. It’s revival time!
From Lynchburg to Dallas
In April the first ever Red Letter revival was held over two days in Lynchburg, VA. The second – and to date only other scheduled revival – occurred this past weekend in Dallas, TX.
Each day workshops covering a wide range of justice focused topics were presented from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. were followed by a revival service from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Revival Worship
I arrived at the event just in time for the closing worship service on Saturday night. Held at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church (Dallas) the service focused on a way forward for self-identified progressive Evangelicals based on Jesus and justice.
Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo shared the role of emcee with Claiborne providing a welcome and introductions to several speakers and Campolo calling for the offering and issuing the altar call. The Cathedral of Hope UCC choir served as the musical headliner leading those gathered through a variety of high energy worship songs.
Other speakers included
- George Mason, Senior Pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, offered the opening prayer
- Ray Jordan, Senior Pastor of Central Congregational UCC, welcomed everyone on behalf of the local planning team
- Erin Wyma, Associate Pastor of Cathedral of Hope UCC, shared about progress around transgender rights including a recent proclamation by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings
- Dough Pagitt, Founding Pastor of Solomon’s Porch and Executive Director of Vote Common Good, shared his experience traveling the country by bus with other Evangelical leaders to encourage people to get out and vote in the recent elections, and to do so for the common good
The guest preachers could not have been more different in style, yet shared a prophetic voice calling for systemic changes designed to create a better, brighter, and more just world for all people.
Diana Butler Bass, independent scholar and award winning author, invited people to reconsider gratitude. She grounded those present in recognition that gratitude isn’t about hearts and flowers; it’s deeply political. Bass noted that in the New Testament gratitude is two things: (1) currency of a pyramid system of injustice and (2) Jesus’ vision calling people out of the pyramid to a table where there is no more status or hierarchy. She challenged he hearers o recognize the current moment for what it really is here in the American empire, and for those who follow the Way of Jesus to consider Jesus’ re-framing of gratitude one of the most radical things God is calling us to and to be.- Frederick Douglass Haynes III, Senior Pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church , directly addressed the shady systems and toxic theology that remain pervasive in the Dallas community and throughout the United States. Haynes spoke to the conditions that enabled the possibility of the current American President’s election and highlighted continued inequality and oppression present in Dallas. While calling for changes to begin on the local level, he challenged those present to embrace a woke theology. And, Haynes advocated for and to a
ministry of making waves that needs to move from city to city all across the country.
So What?
As a lifelong member of congregations affiliated with Mainline Protestantism, I was pleased to see that the Red Letter Revival brought together a multi-cultural, multi-denominational group of followers of the Way of Jesus from around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex to focus on issues of social justice.
I’m hopeful that this and other initiatives will encourage increased collaboration in the work of justice not only between like minded progressive Evangelicals, but also between progressive Evangelical congregations and Mainline congregations.