Reasoned , but Warm Frustrated Evangelical Book Review

So in this my final installment of Frustrated Evangelical Book reviews, I examine Tony Campolo's Letters to a Young Evangelical. This book snuck up on me, in a good way. When I started it, I thought it was pedestrian. Campolo begins by outlining what an evangelical is and (typically) believes. At first, I worried that Tony Campolo, the guy who shocked Wheaton and other evangelical college students with an admonishment to care for the homeless that included curse words, had played it safe. Frankly, I was disappointed.
Then it began to evolve. Over the course of the book, Campolo takes on politics, gay marriage, Islamic-Christian relations, gender roles in the church, abortion, and other hot topics. I dug this book. Campolo is honest about his opinion- he decries the homophobic attitudes within the church, but admits he still thinks that homosexuality cannot be reconciled with his understanding of Scripture. The cool thing is that he admits his wife disagrees with him and then gives her rationale why. I appreciated the even-handed tone. As I wrote previously, Balmer's book was angsty and passionate- that's why I liked it. Yet, there is something calming about Campolo's style of writing- sort of like my new favorite fleece pullover. You just feel comforted- even as he tells you there is no easy answer to this dilemma. While it is clear he disagrees with the Religious Right and fundamentalists (he is frustrated that fundamentalists have appropriated the term "evangelical"), he does not sink to name-calling. Nevertheless, he is quick to point out the problems with some aspects of evangelical/fundamentalist theology (i.e. dispensationalism). Campolo, in fact, calls for a new term for those who would take up Jesus' subversive message: "Red-Letter Christians" (take for the fact that the words of Jesus are often in red letters). While this is admirable, I don't think it will catch on, nor am I sure I want it to. Shouldn't we be working to rise above labels? Or at least, why not redeem the term for subsequent generations. Bottom line: great book, and I highly recommend it.

Here is an Orthodox prayer to sign off:
The Father is my hope; the Son is my refuge; the Holy Spirit is my protector. O All-holy Trinity, glory to thee.

pax,
jefe