Listen to our founders talk about the heart of the Red Letter Christians movement.

Mission

Staying true to the foundation of combining Jesus and justice, Red Letter Christians mobilizes individuals into a movement of believers who live out Jesus’ counter-cultural teachings.

About Us

The goal of Red Letter Christians is simple: To take Jesus seriously by endeavoring to live out His radical, counter-cultural teachings as set forth in scripture, and especially embracing the lifestyle prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount.

By calling ourselves Red Letter Christians, we refer to the fact that in many Bibles the words of Jesus are printed in red. We, therefore, assert that we are committed first and foremost to doing what Jesus said. Jesus calls us away from the consumerist values that dominate contemporary America. Instead, he calls us to meet the needs of the poor. He also calls us to be merciful, which has strong implications in terms of war and capital punishment. After all, when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, he probably means we shouldn’t kill them.

Values

The words of Jesus are authoritative and compel us to believe:

  1. All people are made in the likeness and image of God.
  2. Jesus is the lens through which we understand the Bible… and through which we understand the world in which we live.
  3. Doing Jesus’ work leads to personal growth and greater understanding.
  4. Freedom comes through serving others — not power, politics, or materialism.
  5. Diversity and collaboration make us stronger, not weaker.
  6. Wherever your power and influence might lie, it is magnified when shared and held by those who are poor, oppressed, and overlooked by society.
  7. Questioning cultural norms is healthy and can lead to wholeness.
  8. We respect and fight for the well-being of all people as children of God  —especially those with whom we differ.
  9. We embrace and work alongside people of different faiths, erasing the lines of “us vs. them.”

What We Do

Blog: Our main space for conversation and challenge is this blog. We partner with a host of authors and practitioners who provide content on a range of issues from breaking events, global justice issues, theology, and daily life.

Newsletters: Wake Up! is our daily email that provides a scripture and application to subscribed readers. Often provided by an author in our network, the goal of the Wake Up is to challenge readers to live the scriptures. Additionally, the RLC Catch Up! is a bimonthly newsletter updating you on the most popular stories you missed over the last 2 weeks. Subscribe here.

Radio & Podcast – Across the Pond: Every week Dr. Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne, through British Premier Christian Radio, have a weekly program discussing issues relevant to Red Letter Christianity today. Check out the show here on RLC, or subscribe on iTunes or your podcast app.

The Gathering: This annual December meeting of 50 prominent and rising voices in Christianity is a time of idea sharing, fellowship, and rest for the speakers and writers in our network.