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Recently, Tony Campolo invited me to become a regular contributor to at Red Letter Christians (which I accept with this piece on the church & mental illness).  Tony sums up the sites purpose:

“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.” (see full explanation here)

Given the commitment of our Little Flowers Community to do just that, especially where the Sermon on the Mount is concerned, I am thrilled to be a part of this movement in the making.  Yet, since posting at the site, I’ve received several polite, but pointed emails from people, generally asking the same thing:

Aren’t you affirming an unhealthy two-tiered reading of Scripture by identifying more with Jesus’ words than the whole of the Bible?

This is a fair question, but one for which there is a good answer.  While I don’t speak for all involved at Red Letter Christians, I think it is important for me to explain what it means for me to resonate and identify with it.

First, “red letter Christian” is not the arching term with which I define my whole faith, any more than being called a husband makes me any less a son or brother or father.  So while it reflects an important commitment, it should not be understood as an affirmation over and against other aspects of my wider faith.

Second, the concept of Red Letter Christians was obviously inspired by the Red Letter Edition of the Bible, invented by editor Louis Klopsch, in which the words of Jesus appear in red ink.  Klopsch made it abundantly clear that this innovation was not intended to elevated one part of Scripture over any other, but rather to actually allow us to focus on the fullness of what Jesus said, seeing how powerfully it reflected the truth and fulfillment of the rest of Scripture.  Tony reminds us:

“In the Red Letter Bible we do not find a hierarchy of Scripture. Rather, what we find is a way of looking and reading the text that connects what Jesus said to the black letters both before and after the gospels. Whether Christ is referring back to Leviticus or Luke in the book of Acts is building on something Christ said, the Red Letters vividly show the connection between Christ’s words and the whole of Scripture.”

Finally, and most important to me, my commitment to being a Red Letter Christian is out of the deep conviction that we have drifted away from what radical obedience to the teachings of Jesus looks like.  This is why I am drawn to people like St. Francis of Assisi who, even in the extremes of his literalist interpretations, powerfully demonstrates the impact a life can have when it is solely dedicated to being a true follower of Jesus.  This is why I am an Anabaptist in leaning, convicted that we have all too often allowed Christendom to lull us into status quo worship of Christ that demanded minimal actual obedience to His words & example.  This is why our community dedicates itself to exploring what it means to live the words of Jesus- having been especially disrupted by His stunning Sermon on the Mount.

That some might take such a commitment too far is a fair concern.  However, such concern can become just as much a hindrance when it keeps us from facing the prophetically painful questions that Jesus’ words & example confront us with.  I am humbled and excited to be a small part of a group of people committed to live out such an emphasis.