By Colin McCartney

Today, there is a movement of Christians who seek to follow in the foot-steps of the early church. These modern-day saints call themselves 'Red Letter Christians' and . . . they have committed their lives to the counter-cultural teachings of Jesus. By submitting to the teachings of Jesus over and above everything else, Red Letter Christians naturally find themselves in opposition to the current world system.

One of the first times I heard of Red Letter Christians, I was at a three-day gathering of a small group of Christian leaders at a retreat centre just outside Philadelphia. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the meaning of the gospel and how we, as socially concerned practitioners, could be both biblically sound and relevantly challenging to our world regarding the claims of Jesus Christ. As we were discussing this topic, Jim Wallis shared his perspective on what he believes defines socially concerned Christians. Jim shared about being interviewed on a country and western radio station in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was asked about the many pressing issues facing America.

The words of Jesus

In response to the questions he faced, Wallis quoted Jesus concerning issues such as poverty and war. His use of the Gospels to respond to the problems of modern-day issues caused quite a stir as the radio listeners had only heard liberal or conservative views. Wallis' presentation of Jesus' teaching on these issues caused the disc jockey to exclaim "So you are one of those Red Letter Christians. You know, the ones who are really into those verses in the New Testament that are in bright red letters!" Jim took a good hard look at all of us seated around the table and said, "Isn't that what it means to be a Christian? Shouldn't we be the ones who obey the words of Jesus as written in the Gospels? We are to be Red Letter Christians." This spontaneous statement by a country and western DJ was a revelation for Jim Wallis, and it became a divine challenge to all of us present at the meeting.

Little did this secular DJ from Nashville know that his insightful response to Wallis' quoting of Jesus would start a movement of Christians called Red Letter Christians.

Applied to difficult issues

A growing group of Christians are using this title to identify themselves as being committed to living out, to the best of their abilities, the teachings of Jesus that are highlighted in red in certain translations of the New Testament. By calling themselves Red Letter Christians, these believers have chosen to follow Jesus over and above all cultural, religious, denominational or political loyalties. They are committed to applying the teachings of Jesus to the most difficult issues of our world and are willing to follow his lead in these areas no matter how much it might cost them. Because of their loyalty to Jesus, Red Letter Christians are deeply concerned about all life issues, including the right to life, unjustifiable militaristic actions, capital punishment and how we treat people of colour, immigrants and other marginalized people in our world today. They are distressed about the ongoing degradation of our environment and they recognize the call of Jesus on their lives to turn their backs on the consumerist values that dominate our society today, choosing instead to meet the needs of the poor as the primary responsibility for those who follow Jesus.

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New description

I have decided to no longer tell people that I am a Christian. It's not that I am embarrassed about Jesus, far from it. The truth of the matter is that I am embarrassed by Christians. By telling people that I am a Red Letter Christian I am able to distance myself from the negative portrayal that some Christians have created, so that the focus of my life is on Jesus alone. When people hear me say that I am a Red Letter Christian they inevitably ask "What does it mean to be a Red Letter Christian?" and I am able to talk about Jesus, instead of wasting time defending my faith in a debate about Christians. By calling myself a Red Letter Christian, I now have a foundation to stand upon when I share my faith-the words of Jesus Christ! And I would much rather stand on him as my rock than the reputation of Christian politicians, celebrities, church leaders or supposed Christian spokespersons.

Wrestling with the radical words

Red Letter Christians wrestle with the radical words of Jesus. We are convicted by Jesus' countercultural challenge to the problems of society. We have made a commitment to not bow down to the ways of our world. Instead, we endeavour to bow our knees only to Jesus Christ. Red Letter Christians want to live up to our God-given purposes, and so we must ask these questions: How do Jesus' red words impact our world today? What do Jesus' red words have to do with politics, war, the environment, poverty, injustice and other issues that we currently face? What is my responsibility in fulfilling Jesus' red words wherever I go?

If we don't wrestle with these questions, we will be guilty of making Jesus and his message of good news look irrelevant to a world that is starving for divine solutions to the problems facing humankind. If we don't live the red words of Jesus right now, in our lifetime and in our reality, then our Christianity is, as Marx claimed, nothing more then "the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people." Jesus wasn't an opium dealer. His message to us was never intended to stupefy us into being people who have our heads in the clouds so we are of no earthly good. He didn't preach a spirituality that separates his followers from the realities and sufferings of the world. His message wasn't just a salvation for individual souls, but he also acted on behalf of the sick, the rejected, the poor and the marginalized. This is the ever-active kingdom rule of Jesus, and it must also be the rule for our lives. To be faithful to Christ, we who claim to be his followers must commit to being Red Letter Christians.

No easy task - an adventure

Being a Red Letter Christian is no easy task. It is difficult work trying to apply the red letter words of Jesus to the many complex issues facing our world today, but I am trying my best. After all, isn't this something that true Christians should be all about? I hope you join me on the adventure. It will get messy at times, but I know that our Lord will be pleased in joining and guiding us along the way.

"The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" (John 14:26).

Colin McCartney is executive director of UrbanPromise Toronto. Excerpted from Red Letter Revolution (Castle Quay, 2009).

February 18/2010