What does "Red-Letter" Christian Mean?
Red-Letter Christians believe that Evangelicalism has been exploited by both right-wing and left-wing political movements, and they endeavor to create an Evangelical movement that focuses on the teachings of Jesus Christ, particularly in regard to social issues. "Red-Letter" refers to New Testament verses printed in red letters to emphasize the actual words that Jesus spoke without the use of quotations .
They believe Christians should be promoting biblical values such as peace, building strong families, the elimination of poverty, and other important social justice issues.
They believe Christians should be promoting biblical values such as peace, building strong families, the elimination of poverty, and other important social justice issues.
The social issues valued by Red-Letter Christians include taking care of the poor, spreading the Gospel and loving one's enemies. They believe that these are the issues that Jesus spoke of directly, and therefore these issues should be political priorities.
--Source: Wikipedia
The message of those red-lettered Bible verses is radical, to say the least. If you don’t believe me, just take a few minutes to read Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In it, Jesus calls us away from the consumerist values that dominate contemporary America. Instead, he calls us to meet the needs of the poor. He also calls us to be merciful, which has strong implications in terms of war and capital punishment. After all, when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, he probably means we shouldn’t kill them.
Gandhi once said that everybody in the world knows what Jesus teaches in those red lettered verses — except Christians. Today, lots of people share that same kind of disappointment with the American church. We want to change that. Applying the teachings of Jesus to our lives in such complicated times is difficult, but that is what Red Letter Christians is all about
----Tony Campolo
So, who came up with the idea for a Red Letter Bible anyway?
Louis Klopsch was born March 7, 1852 in Germany. In 1853 his mother died. The next year his father, Osmar Klopsch MD, brought him to the United States. Louis studied journalism at what is now Columbia University. He graduated with high honors. With the Christian Herald he rose from stock boy to editor amidst the company of some very religious publishers. By about the year 1889 he was the owner-editor of the American edition of the Christian Herald Magazine.
On June 19, 1899, the now Dr. Louis Klopsch was writing and editorial for the Christian Herald when his eyes fell upon Luke 22:20 and the words: "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Dr. Klopsch realized that these were the words of our Saviour when he instituted the Lord's Supper. reasoning that all blood was red, he asked himself, "Why not a red letter Bible with the red words to be those of our Lord?" Dr. T. Dewitt Talmadge, pastor of the Brooklyn Temple where Louis and his father worshipped, encouraged him greatly by saying, "It could do no harm, and it most certainly could do much good."
The editor besought Bible scholars in America and Europe to submit passages they regarded as spoken by Jesus Christ while on the earth (some publishers have since expanded this to include all words in red spoken by Christ). The November 1901 issue of the monthly magazine, ran a large advertisement offering a red letter Bible to the readers. The first printing of this red letter Bible numbered sixty thousand copies. They were printed on presses owned by Dr. Klopsch. The edition sold quickly. Presses were run day and night to supply the demand. The King of Sweden upon receiving a copy, sent a congratulatory cablegram to Dr. Klopsch. Nevertheles the one telegram that thrilled publisher Louis Klopsch the most was the one he received from President Theodore Roosevelt. There followed a letter on White House stationery inviting him to dine with the chief executive. He accepted.
On June 19, 1899, the now Dr. Louis Klopsch was writing and editorial for the Christian Herald when his eyes fell upon Luke 22:20 and the words: "This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Dr. Klopsch realized that these were the words of our Saviour when he instituted the Lord's Supper. reasoning that all blood was red, he asked himself, "Why not a red letter Bible with the red words to be those of our Lord?" Dr. T. Dewitt Talmadge, pastor of the Brooklyn Temple where Louis and his father worshipped, encouraged him greatly by saying, "It could do no harm, and it most certainly could do much good."
The editor besought Bible scholars in America and Europe to submit passages they regarded as spoken by Jesus Christ while on the earth (some publishers have since expanded this to include all words in red spoken by Christ). The November 1901 issue of the monthly magazine, ran a large advertisement offering a red letter Bible to the readers. The first printing of this red letter Bible numbered sixty thousand copies. They were printed on presses owned by Dr. Klopsch. The edition sold quickly. Presses were run day and night to supply the demand. The King of Sweden upon receiving a copy, sent a congratulatory cablegram to Dr. Klopsch. Nevertheles the one telegram that thrilled publisher Louis Klopsch the most was the one he received from President Theodore Roosevelt. There followed a letter on White House stationery inviting him to dine with the chief executive. He accepted.
Klopsch also pioneered American overseas charities in a massive fashion, raising more than three million dollars through his newspaper. He aided famine victims in many places such as Sweden and Japan. Still his legacy of the red-letter Bible is his silent, largely uncredited monument.
When the Red Letter Bible became a reality Klopsch wrote:
- “Modern Christianity is striving zealously to draw nearer to the great Founder of the Faith. Setting aside mere human doctrines and theories regarding Him, it presses close to the Divine Presence, to gather from His own lips the definition of His mission to the world and His own revelation of the Father… The Red Letter Bible has been prepared and issued in the full conviction that it will meet the needs of the student, the worker, and the searchers after truth everywhere.”
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