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April 7, 2018 Contact: Chelsen Vicari office: 202-682-4131 cell: 540-239-2170 e-mail: cvicari@TheIRD.org
Lynchburg, VA—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.
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.’”
Comment by Stuart Sherman on April 7, 2018 at 11:14 am
The “Revivalists” speaking out against abortion? Never gonna happen!! The Left will not give that up.
Comment by Josh on April 7, 2018 at 12:07 pm
So . . . what did Shane say?
I hope that there is more coming than this brief write-up. As far as saying that fallen soldiers are victims instead of heroes, that is not a bad thing. If you think that some of the “wars” and conflicts fought recently (or in the past) were only motivated by a desire to “defend” the country, then . . . you’re pretty naive.
My brother-in-law served during the Iraqi invasion and the stress and fallout that serving there had on his family was heartbreaking. And what was the purpose of all that? What about the Halliburton scandal?
I am sure that I would disagree with a lot of what was said at this “revival” but I am glad that we have the freedom of speech to say such things. You need to be more fair in your reporting. What did you agree with? Why did you agree with it? You were offended by some of the speech because of your husband is a military officer . . . that’s understandable. But was there any truth to what was said. Hopefully, a more nuanced report will be given.
Comment by cynthia curran on April 27, 2018 at 9:45 pm
A lot of the evangelical left are antabapist.
Comment by al on April 7, 2018 at 12:17 pm
“Revival?”
Claiborne should have invited someone like Paul Washer.
Comment by Wiley S. Drake on April 8, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Praying for you Folks
Comment by Wiley S. Drake on April 8, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Praying for you
Comment by Dan on April 9, 2018 at 9:37 am
This wasn’t a revival, it was a publicity stunt. I drove past Liberty University on Saturday afternoon and saw nothing, except the building cranes that accompany the boom in building new facilities for Liberty’s rapid expansion. I checked the Lynchburg News and Advance web site expecting this story to be top news. Flash — it was not. The story was relegated to bottom right on the main page, and even that was only a link to another page where I found out that the great mass of people gathered at the E. C. Glass high school auditorium numbered an unimpressive 150.
Like I said, merely a publicity stunt to try and make it look like something bigger. Instead of the Red Letter Revival maybe they should call it the puffer revival or puffed up revival.
Comment by Art on April 11, 2018 at 6:11 pm
Good to know
Comment by Garry Hogue on April 14, 2018 at 7:37 am
Thank you for attending the event and keeping us informed. Jeremiah 29:5-7 is probably lost on a crowd like that.
Comment by Diane Scarritt on May 26, 2018 at 5:55 pm
I think I understand that you embrace values of social justice and equality. I live on the West Coast and attend a church that is open to many ways of being Christian. While I would not consider myself a Red Letter Christian, there is more that unites us than that divides us. My ancestors are from the area around Roanoke and practice a faith called Old German Baptist. I was brought up in a United Methodist church that preached “Death of God Theology” in the sense that activism in the community speaks louder than words. I consider my career as a social worker an integral part of my faith. These are difficult times. Blessings to those who practice the teachings of the Gospel.