10 notable Christian ministry leaders, influencers who died in 2024
Tony Campolo – Nov. 19, 2024
Tony Campolo, the bestselling author, teacher and evangelist preacher known for championing a movement known as “Red Letter Christianity,” died at the age of 89.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Campolo was known for his charismatic preaching, years of work as a professor, and social activism, especially among the needy. For almost 40 years, he led a group known as the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
In 2007, Campolo helped launch a group called Red Letter Christians, which drew its name from the fact that in some published versions of the Bible Jesus’ words are in red rather than black ink.
Some critics argued that Campolo was downplaying the importance of the overall Bible and simply trying to justify various socially progressive causes that he supported.
Campolo defended the Red Letter movement in an interview with The Christian Post in 2016, saying that there was “no question that the morality prescribed by Jesus is superior to anything that was hitherto suggested by the law and the prophets.”
"I want to always add that the early Church didn't have a New Testament, but what they were able to do under the influence of the Holy Spirit is to find the message and the story of Jesus written all through the law and the prophets of the Old Testament," said Campolo.
"In short, the Scriptures that were written before the New Testament point to Jesus and they are crucially important for us to understand Jesus."
