WINDOWS ON THE WORLD: SPEAKER SERIES
In collaboration with Eastern University, these videos feature Red Letter Christian thinkers and activists who model “the whole gospel for the whole world.”
In the Declaration of Independence, most people are unaware that 2030 lines below the statement “all men are created equal,” Native Americans are referred to as “merciless Indian savages.” Join us as Mark Charles helps us think through — from an indigenous perspective — how a 15th century “Doctrine of Discovery” has influenced the very foundations of the United States of America.
In a timely conversation, Drew G. I. Hart weaves together accessible and everyday personal stories with antiracism theory and Christian theology. He unveils how sentiments of white exceptionalism and racialized ideology creep into our lives and unconsciously distort God’s desire for both the church and society. While there is no quick fix for tackling racism, Hart provides concrete practices for churches committed to the journey of struggling for justice in the Way of Jesus.
We are facing the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II, and there has been intense debate in our country about whether we should let in refugees and how we should respond. What are the facts about who refugees are and how should Christians in particular respond? At a time of heightened fear and anxiety over refugees, this talk from Jenny Yang highlights the facts about the refugee crisis and how followers of Christ can form a biblical response.
Five minutes on our smart phones and we are again confronted with the conflicted reality of our country and world. As followers of Jesus, do we throw up arms and walk away or roll up our sleeves and join God in healing our broken world? The work of peacemaking is often stigmatized as something soft and idealistic, reserved for political powerbrokers or those on the fringes of society. As followers of an enemy-loving God, it is clear that peacemaking is a subversive, costly way of life. In this talk, Jon Huckins explores what it would mean if conflict wasn’t a problem to fix, but an opportunity for transformation.
Listen to Lisa Sharon Harper — a prolific speaker, activist, and author — examine the biblical concept of shalom, the Kingdom of God, and God’s very good news to people who need it most. The founder of Freedom Road, Lisa’s latest book is The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right.
Dr. Ash Barker was immersed in Bangkok’s largest slum with his family for over 12 years. From this extreme context, he was challenged by the story of the Good Samaritan. As he states, “Life in Klong Toey slum confronted me. I couldn’t avoid the big, risky questions that this text and this neighborhood raised for me about life, death, and what matters most.” In this lecture, Dr. Ash Barker examines this biblical story and its impact on us today.
Dr. Chris Haw, an Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Scranton, spent 10 years living in one of America’s most violent and poor cities, Camden, NJ. There, he also became part of one of the most corrupt and most beautiful groups in the world, the Catholic Church, leaving behind “nondenominational” evangelicalism. In this talk, Haw connects the challenges between following Jesus, loving our broken world, and being part of an awful church.
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove grew up in the Bible Belt in the American South as a faithful church-going Christian. As a young recruit to the culture wars, he wanted to stand up for God and morality in public life. But he gradually came to realize that the gospel his Christianity proclaimed was not good news for everybody. As white evangelicals grapple with the resurgence of white nationalism in American politics, Jonathan shares his experience of learning how “slaveholder religion” distorted the gospel in America, and what we can learn from the freedom church that has always opposed slavery and injustice. Learn from this conversation about what it means for all of us to get free from slaveholder religion.
The United States has more people locked up in jails, prisons, and detention centers than any other country in the history of the world. Mass incarceration has become a lucrative industry, and the criminal justice system is plagued with bias and unjust practices. And the church has unwittingly contributed to the problem. This lecture by Dominique Gilliard explores the history and foundation of mass incarceration, examining Christianity’s role in its evolution and expansion.
Drawing from his 30 years of mission experience with World Relief, World Vision, and Red Letter Christians, Don Golden sheds light on the changing demans of Christian mission. Starting with the Biblical use of the Greek work oikos (household) from which the word “economy” is derived, Don highlights the New Testament emphasis on the physical space where faith works out in practice for the wellbeing of all.
DALLAS REVIVAL
Catch all the sermons from our second Red Letter Revival in Dallas, Tx. (Nov 16-17, 2018).
Brother Shane Claiborne–author, activist, and co-founder of Red Letter Christians–welcomes #DallasRevival attendees with a reminder that we are all loved by God and that we’re here to celebrate what God is already doing in Dallas, Texas. The loudest voices of Christianity haven’t always been the most beautiful voices, and some of the most beautiful voices haven’t always had the amplification that they deserve, Shane says. The Dallas Revival sought to decentralize the former while giving platform to the latter.
Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglas Haynes III–senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas for 35 years–brought the fire when he shared that closeness without contact sets the stage for chaos. Dallas is a big rich town but many of us minister in the poorest parts. Dallas is #274 of 274 cities known for the widening of the wealth gap where folks grow up in hell a block away from heaven. We need a revival!
Dr. Diana Butler Bass–best known in mainline Protestant communities as a change agent, teacher, and spiritual leader–brought a good, strong word in Dallas about the story of Zacchaes, Jesus, and waking up to radical gratitude! How do we practice or experience gratitude in a world where we feel scared and are surrounded by injustice? In this talk, Diana helps us rip away the American cultural context of the word gratitude and see what it really meant in Jesus’s time.
Rev. Dr. Zan Wesley Holmes–Pastor Emeritus of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas–asks the question, “Are we moving forward together in the name of Jesus? Emphasis on together.” In our nation, we are more divided now than we have been in decades, Holmes reminds us. What we need more than anything else, when we cannot get together, is a fresh vision and encounter from Jesus! Jesus shows up.
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis–Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church and President of The Middle Project–took to the stage to remind us that God has a bigger imagination that we do. Is it possible that when Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves that he didn’t have a category in mind of what that meant since Jesus came to save the whole world? Who are we, Lewis prompted, to limited the imagination of our God?
Austen Hartke–author of “Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians–offered a prophetic witness by taking us into a deep dive of Acts 8. Sharing parts of his story of transitioning while growing up in an evangelical community, and in his biblical teaching of the Ethiopian Eunuch and temple policies in Isaiah, Hartke challenges us to ask if God may be doing a new thing.
LYNCHBURG REVIVAL
Catch all the sermons, worship, and teachings from our first Red Letter Revival in Lynchburg, Va. (April 6-7, 2018).
The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II brought prophetic fire to our first-ever Red Letter Revival in Lynchburg, VA. Barber is the President & Sr. Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, Pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church in North Carolina, Bishop, Visiting Professor, and author of several books.
Kaitlin Curtice blessed us like no other at the Lynchburg Revival. An enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Citizen Band Nation, Kaitlin writes and speaks about the intersection of Native American spirituality, mystic faith in everyday life, and decolonizing the church. Follow her work at kaitlincurtice.com
Carlos Rodriguez graced the stage of the #LynchburgRevival as both a preacher and an emcee. Listen to him share his passion for the Lord with humor and humility. To learn more about Carlos’ ministry, visit happysonship.com
Lisa Sharon Harper shared her fierce passion for Jesus and justice at the #LynchburgRevival. A prolific speaker, writer, and activist, Lisa is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap in our nation by convening forums and experiences that bring common understanding, common commitment, and common action toward a just world.
A passionate reminder from Brandan Robertson that God welcomes and embraces all of us —including #FaithfullyLGBT+ siblings — just as we are. A bisexual Christian author, speaker, and activist, Robertson currently serves as the Lead Pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church in San Diego, CA. Follow his work at brandanrobertson.com
Rev. Brown-Grooms prayed, sang, and preached with fire at the #LynchburgRevival. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Union Theological Seminary, Rev. Brown-Grooms believes strongly in the work of the church to create, mirror, and maintain community.
The one and only Natalie Renee Perkins touched us all at the #LynchburgRevival with her musical sermon. Take a breath and learn from this gifted writer, lecturer, preacher, chaplain, and composer.
Dr. David Anderson shares a word of remembrance and repentance. He hosts “Real Talk with Dr. David Anderson” on WAVA (105.1 FM) – the most listened to Christian Talk Station on the East Coast and the second most listened to Christian Talk Station in the U.S.
A soul-stirring conversation about the plight of undocumented immigrants, with Rev. Noel Castellanos (former CEO of the Christian Community Development Association) and Edwin Sicairos Sainz (DREAMer).
Nathanial Totten (’18), a Liberty University student, shares his journey claiming his identity as an LGBTQ child of God while speaking truth to power at Liberty. Follow his work at nathanialtotten.com
A profound reminder from poet-preacher-prophet Jonathan Martin on how the gospel gives hope to BOTH the oppressed and the oppressor. Follow his work at jonathanmartinwords.com
Dominique DuBois Gilliard brilliantly connects the dots between mass incarceration and Christianity’s role in its evolution and expansion. Follow his work at dominiquegilliard.com
“The closer we are to God, the less we want to throw stones at other people,” says RLC co-founder Shane Claiborne. Indeed, the gospel of grace and repentance offers freedom in surrender. What amazing grace! Follow Shane’s work at shaneclaiborne.com
🎵 You are good. All the time. All the time. You are good.🎵 Hear these familiar lyrics directly from the gospel singer and songwriter himself, Greg Kirkland Jr., who led us in worship at the #LynchburgRevival. Follow his work at gregkirklandjr.com
Authentic Christianity means we cannot just talk about Jesus — we must actually live like Jesus. Watch this stirring reminder from Rev. Dr. S. Todd Yeary, the Senior Pastor of Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, MD.
“Every fraction seeks to be made whole,” says Rev. Byron J. Elliott, pastor of Rivermont Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA. Listen to this instructive gospel-centered teaching on how to heal the divisions in our communities and nation.
Follow along as Nehemiah H. Brown — a pastor, gospel music singer, choral director, composer, and teacher — leads the #LynchburgRevival in singing classic spirituals, including “Wade in the Water” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.”
The one and only Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo closes the #LynchburgRevival with a call to action to faithfully commit ourselves to the kin-dom values of Jesus Christ. Learn more about Tony’s work at redletterchristians.org and tonycampolo.org