Tony Campolo on Social Ministry
Referenced in: Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy / Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
Introduction
Tony Campolo (Ph. D., Temple University) is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Before his retirement, he was founder and President of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), through which he worked to create, nurture and support programs for “at-risk” children in cities across North America, and helped establish schools and universities in several developing countries.
Dr. Campolo was a media commentator on religious, social and political matters, featured frequently on national television and radio. He co-hosted his own television series, Hashing It Out, on the Odyssey Network, and hosted Across The Pond, a weekly program on the Premier Christian Radio Network in England. He was also a highly respected and sought after guest on radio stations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
At his peak, Dr. Campolo spoke about 350 different times each year around the world for a wide variety of groups including churches, colleges, youth groups and the business community. He was an ordained minister, serving American Baptist Churches in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with his last ministry as an associate pastor of the Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia. (The above adapted from Campolo’s website)
He authored 38 books on a variety of faith issues, with a special interest in social justice. Campolo expressed himself passionately and persuasively, occasionally with a prophetic, confrontational slant. Those who differed with him on the issues often experienced him as polarizing. Yet this is often the perception of authors who lift hard and deemphasized truths before their audiences. His critics regarded him as socialist/Marxist and anti-capitalist. This may be an overstatement, but has enough merit that it would not hurt to supplement Campolo with socially compassionate capitalists such as the Acton Institute.
Resources
Some of Campolo’s better volumes on social justice are listed below. Click through to the summaries.
- Tony Campolo, Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics
- Tony Campolo and Gordon Aeschliman, Everybody Wants to Change the World: Practical Ideas for Social Justice
- Tony Campolo, Choose Love Not Power: How to Right the World’s Wrongs From a Place of Weakness
- Tony Campolo and Bruce Main, Revolution and Renewal: How Churches are Saving Our Cities
- Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling, The God of Intimacy and Action
Related Areas
See Other Resource Guides on Christian Social Ministry:
- Social Ministry, Introduction
- Theological and Philosophical Foundations of Social Ministry
- Spirituality for Ministry of Social Compassion and Justice
- Strategies For Christian Social Ministry
- Perspectives and Strategies For Social Ministry Among the Urban Poor, Urban Ministry
- Christian Perspectives on Political Theory and Church-State Relations
- Christian Perspectives on Economics and Public Policy
Related Ministry Resource Guides on LifeandLeadership.com:
- Missional Perspectives 03, Missio Dei, Definitions, Contributions
- Missional Perspectives 04, Missio Dei, Observations
- Missional Perspectives 05, Missio Dei, Observations (Continued)
- Missional Church Resources, Introduction and Index
- Missional Philosophy
- Theology of Mission
- Missional Communities
- Missional Leadership / Missional Strategies
- Missional Lifestyle, Discipleship, Spirituality
- Church Leadership and Renewal, Index to Resources
- Ecclesiology
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