Tony Campolo, an American Baptist minister and sociologist who spent decades trying to convince evangelicals and other Christians that their faith should motivate them to address social ills like poverty and racism, has died.
He was 89.
A native of Philadelphia, Campolo was known for his charismatic preaching and sense of humor, which made him a popular speaker at college campuses, churches and Christian conferences — and equally at home giving an altar call or social commentary.
“Putting religion and politics together is like mixing ice cream with horse manure,” he told the comedian and television host Stephen Colbert in 2006. “It doesn’t hurt the horse manure; it ruins the ice cream. And I think that this merger of church and state has done great harm to religion.”
The author of 35 books, Campolo held degrees from Eastern University, Palmer Theological Seminary and Temple University. He taught sociology first at the University of Pennsylvania and then for decades at Eastern Christian College, where he was named professor emeritus. He also served as an associate pastor at Mount Carmel Baptist, a predominantly Black church in Philadelphia, and in 2019 was named a co-pastor of St. John’s Baptist.
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Donate $75 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you can elect to receive the “Reimagine Church” 2-Book Bundle including ‘Invisible Jesus’ by Scot McKnight & Tommy Phillips and ‘Need to Know’ edited by Danielle Strickland. To donate, click here.
Starting in the 1980s, with books such as “It’s Friday but Sunday’s Comin’,” “A Reasonable Faith,” “Who Switched the Price Tags” and “The Kingdom of God Is a Party,” Campolo showed a knack for reaching young people with the Christian gospel and then inspiring them to go out and work to change the world. In the process, he often challenged the religious right.
In 1985, he lost a speaking gig at Youth Congress, a national event in Washington, D.C., after critics complained his book “A Reasonable Faith” was heretical. A panel of evangelical theologians then “determined that Tony Campolo cannot rightly be called a heretic,” according to Christianity Today.
He eventually became a spiritual adviser to then-President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Campolo also founded a nonprofit called the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, which worked in several countries, including Haiti, from the early 1970s to 2014.
Ryan Burge, a former American Baptist pastor and an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, said Campolo carried forward the legacy of the social gospel.
“Tony Campolo was one of the most talented and sought-after preachers in the United States for several decades. He was able to speak to audiences from all corners of American Christianity — reminding them of the radical grace and forgiveness that is found in the Gospel,” Burge said.
The child of Italian American immigrants, Campolo said his belief that Christianity could change lives in this world — as well as saving people’s souls — grew out of his childhood.
In a 2016 online interview, he told the story of how a Baptist mission changed the course of his family’s life.
“My father couldn’t find a job and they were totally impoverished, and a Baptist mission in South Philadelphia reached out to them, got my father a job, got them a place to stay, put their feet on solid ground and really saved them from despair and destitution,” he recalled. “People often ask me: ‘Where did you get your social consciousness? Where did you get your commitment to the poor, before it was ever fashionable?’ My mother and father saw in the way they were treated by a group of Baptists that this is what Christianity is about. It’s not about getting a ticket to heaven, it’s about becoming an instrument of God to transform this world.”
In 2007, Campolo, along with author and activist Shane Claiborne, founded Red Letter Christians, a challenge to the conservative evangelical voting bloc. The name came from the practice of Bible publishers printing the words of Jesus in red ink — and highlighted the social and ethical teachings of Jesus. In 2012, Campolo was given a lifetime award from the National Youth Workers Convention for his work inspiring young people.
“As a result of Tony’s life of ministry and leadership he has left a legacy of encouragement and hope to youth workers and students everywhere,” the award read, according to an official bio of Campolo.
Campolo suffered a stoke in 2020, which partially paralyzed his left side. He suffered a previous stroke in 2002.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has influenced evangelicalism more than Tony Campolo in the last 50 years,” Claiborne said at the time.
Campolo is survived by his wife, Peggy; his son, Bart; and daughter, Lisa.
Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service.
English 
Spanish
7 Responses
O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that your servant Tony, being raised with Christ, may know the strength of his presence and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP 2019)
I remember hearing some of Campolo’s talks to youth when I was in middle school. I remember them as encouraging and joyful.
Back in the 80s, I saw his series “Who Switched The Price Tags?” in my church youth group. His presentation style was strong but he never seemed shrill. He made you think. I will remember Rev. Campolo as thoughtful, original, bold and effective.
Yes, my memories of his ministry during my younger days are quite positive too. Valued that he pointed out that love for Jesus the gift giver, was more important than preoccupation with any gifts.
Also liked how he emphasised that critical thinking wasn’t a contradiction to faith and that calling truth to power was a significant aspect of loving the powerless and less fortunate.
I can only trust that his last years were ones of faith in God, hence assurance, and respect for others.
“Who Switched the Price Tags?” literally changed the direction of my life. I’m forever grateful.
While in his later years he seemed to be playing with the definition of sin a little too much for comfort, I always appreciated his efforts to always present his opinions without being argumentative, and with genuine respect listen and respond to those (both in and out of the church) who disagreed with him.
I heard Dr Campolo speak twice and got to meet and talk personally with him once. A truly humble and insightful ambassador for the Christian faith. His wife is a beautiful person as well.
A real loss for the church universal, and the loss of a prophetic and much needed voice for American white evangelicalism. I always appreciated what he had to say and preach and teach. He was the real deal. May he rest in the peace and presence of Jesus.
I was once a red-letter Christian. I often wondered why I and every other Christian I came across did not follow the words of Jesus especially when it came to giving away everything and plucking out our eyeballs. For so many years, I mistakenly tried to rationalize it with the age-old contention that Jesus was only speaking figuratively when it comes to certain things (that we do not follow) and literally when it comes to things that we do choose to follow. What hypocrisy. My eyes were finally opened by Matthew 15:24 and 10:5-6. Jesus’ teaching during his earthly ministry (as reflected in the red letters of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were for Israel only, not Gentiles during the age of grace. Many of his teachings were for Israel during the time of Jacob’s trouble and following after his second coming. With the postponement of his earthly kingdom following the stoning of Stephen, Jesus revealed his grace and the mysteries he has hid since before the world began to the apostle Paul. It is in the epistles of Paul that we find Jesus’ instructions for us today during the present dispensation of grace. The red letters in the four gospels are for a different people at a different time. Unfortunately, red-letter Christians have been duped.