| Who Is Tony Campolo?: A Look At the Teachings of Dr. Tony Campolo |
|
by Ingrid Schlueter and Rev. Wayne Sedlak
Previous Page: Introduction |
Tony Campolo is in great demand. Hundreds of times a year he speaks to crowds of high school and college students at universities, conferences and retreats all over the country. His blunt, "tell-it-like it-is" style of speaking has won him fans across a broad spectrum of age and denomination. An American Baptist, he has taught sociology at Eastern College in St. David's, Pennsylvania since 1966. In addition to teaching, Dr. Campolo has written 26 books, he writes a column, he is associate pastor at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and he appears on a weekly television show. Tony Campolo is a man with a great deal of passion and a vision to change both America and America's churches. Campolo is not calling for minor adjustments in the life-style and belief systems of evangelical Christians--he's calling for a major overhaul. What are his current complaints with the state of the church? There are many. The evangelical church is "homophobic" he says,1 and their views on homosexuality are "despicable."2 Christians, he says, are too ready to pull their children from public schools because homosexuals are allowed to teach there, and he disputes the notion that homosexuals present a special threat to children.3 He is critical of Christians who believe in a strong military defense,4 those who eat a lot of red meat,5 purchase fur coats,6 or those who live the "affluent middle-class life-style."7 Campolo doesn't like the way America's economic system works. He views capitalistic institutions as "principalities and powers in need of redemption."8 He wants to see the erection of new social and economic structures in order to end what he calls the exploitation of the poor and to achieve social justice.9 Tony Campolo has become extremely popular while communicating this blueprint for what he thinks America should be. In order to understand how he has achieved such popularity it is critical to understand his methodology. |
