Red Letter Christianity

Ocean Park Association

Ocean Park, ME

July 31, 2011

Dr. Tony Campolo

Ocean Park Association

Ocean Park, ME

July 31, 2011

  1. Talks about UrbanPromise in NJ. Woman comes into the church, guy and girl sitting on the alter necking, yells that they are in a holy place, to which the boy replies, “Where can I find a place that isn’t holy?” Every place is holy ground.
  2. Joke about God getting nervous when he preaches.
  3. Probably spoken to more college students than anyone around.
  4. Freud “Religious institutions socialize people to only ask certain questions.” Students go off to college and learn to ask other questions, fall away.
  5. One question especially, how can God be good and there be so much evil?
  6. God is good but not omnipotent. Omni- words come from Greek philosophy, not the bible. Abraham Heschel. God is not in control, he withdrew his power, gave up omnipotence. Only by giving up power is there freedom.
  7. Parents know they have to give freedom.
  8. Kierkegaard: When I was a boy I always took the answers from the back of the book in math, so I never learnt to do math.
  9. Young people sick of the answers in the back of the book.
  10. OT speaks about evil powers that are at war in the world.
  11. NT, Jesus makes it clear God is not in control.
  12. John 14:30.
  13. You might not believe in Satan. If you were to go to the street of Philly, of Haiti, you would know of the demonic spirits.
  14. Jesus is the light of the world, shines in the darkness.
  15. God gave up control in order to give us freedom. He wants us to love him, which has to come freely.
  16. Philippians 2, God emptied himself of power and became man.
  17. Story about being a young pastor, boy dying from leukemia, father stops coming to church because he hated God.
  18. It is not God’s plan that anyone should suffer and experience tragedy. He is the enemy of suffering and tragedy.
  19. The problem with fundamentalists is after they prove the bible is inerrant they don’t read it.
  20. Oscar Cullman “We live between God’s D-Day and God’s V-Day.”
  21. D-Day led to V-Day. No doubt after D-Day, still suffering and tragedy. We live between the two. D-Day was Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, V-Day is the second coming. Still suffering, but no doubt about the end.
  22. God uses us as instruments to drive back the darkness.
  23. What about other religions?
  24. Hebrews 11:1-2.
  25. On a mission field, your first task is to listen, not preach.
  26. Story about the Athenian plague and unknown God.
  27. Story about Billy Graham and a monk.
  28. God has been fully revealed in Jesus.
  29. John 14:9.
  30. There is truth in other religions, but only in Jesus do we get the full picture.
  31. Jesus doesn’t come to give us a plan, he leads us day by day, moment by moment.
  32. Story about Desmond Tutu and the Anglican priest.
  33. Romans 8:28
  34. Story about William Sloane Coffin and his son’s funeral.
  35. Story about woman in Haiti who’s leg was crushed in the Earthquake.
  36. God is not the God of yesterday, He’s the God of now.
  37. Insofar as we allow God to lead us, all things in our future will take care of themselves.

Tags: Urban promise, holy ground, college students, questions, Abraham Heschel, Kierkegaard, God, control, evil, leukemia, fundamentalists, Cullman, D-Day, V-Day, Athens, Plague, Anaxagoras, Billy Graham, Desmond Tutu, William Sloane Coffin, Haiti, Earthquake, plans, worry,