"Growing up in a Pentecostal church, I attended many revivals where the Good News of what Jesus has done and continues to do for us was shared and lost souls were saved. But Red Letter Christians' 'revival' offers more condemnation than the hope of Jesus." -- IRD's Chelsen Vicari
Contact: Chelsen Vicari, Institute on Religion and Democracy,
202-682-4131, 540-239-2170 cell, cvicari@theird.org
LYNCHBURG, Va., April 7, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Evangelical Left activist Shane Claiborne of Red Letter Christians and other Religious Left activists have gathered in Lynchburg, Virginia for a two-day "revival" denouncing "Christian nationalism" and "unrestrained military," amid various other liberal social concerns.
Opening plenary speakers included North Carolina liberal activist Rev. Dr. William Barber II, Tulsa-based Evangelical pastor and author Jonathan Martin, Religious Left fixture Tony Campolo, LGBTQ advocate Brandan Robertson, and former Sojourners-affiliated activist and author Lisa Sharon Harper, among others.
The impetus for the Lynchburg "revival" was sparked several months ago by Claiborne's public criticism of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr.'s support of the Trump Administration.
IRD Evangelical Action Director Chelsen Vicari is attending the Red Letter Revival. Vicari commented:
"Growing up in a Pentecostal church, I attended many revivals where the Good News of what Jesus has done and continues to do for us was shared and lost souls were saved. But Red Letter Christians' 'revival' offers more condemnation than the hope of Jesus.
"I've listened as speaker after speaker conflated conservative Evangelicals with white supremacists and nationalists, while condemning American exceptionalism, war, and violence. So far, less time has been devoted to God's goodness and mercy, confession, forgiveness, and redemption.
"As the wife of a veteran, I found it especially difficult to listen to one speaker tell service men and women that he is 'not grateful for your service' and stated 'fallen soldiers are victims, not heroes.' Instead of offering tangible national security measures, the speaker suggested we 'fight evil with poetry.' This speaker received a standing ovation.
"Multiple speakers likened silence and inaction to collaboration with evil. I await an outcry and call to action on behalf of persecuted Christians overseas and innocent unborn life from the Lynchburg 'revivalists.'"
