Choosing to live out Jesus’ Red Letters doesn’t just inform what we DO, but also forms WHO WE ARE.
Many printed and online versions of the New Testament feature the words of Jesus in red. Those of us who identify ourselves as Red Letter Christians come from a diverse range of backgrounds and church affiliations but are unified by this commitment:
We want to be people who take Jesus’ words seriously in our personal devotion, in our communities and in UK public life. We believe there is an opportunity to present a Jesus-centred spirituality among those who share our commitment to stand for justice, peace and equity, but may never have heard this Gospel.
JESUS IS THE LENS THROUGH WHICH WE VIEW THE WORLD
What happens if the teaching and life of Jesus is the “spirit level” by which we measure everything else we learn from scripture, experience and tradition? What if we take seriously that Jesus Christ is the Word – the fullest revelation of who God is – and use his life and teaching to decide what is important? We are committed to seeking a Christ-centred way to engage biblical and doctrinal interpretation and recognise that we’ll get better at making these calls as we walk closely with Jesus. We may never agree about some things, but we will disagree in love, resting in our shared commitment to follow Jesus’ words and way.
JESUS’ WORDS CHALLENGE THE WAY WE ACTUALLY LIVE
At our first leaders’ retreat we talked about the words of Jesus which had formed us: The Beatitudes reversing the norms of privilege; Matthew 25:31-46’s call to see Jesus in the disguise of the outcast; The call in Mark 1:15 to repent and affiliate with the Empire of Jesus – an allegiance which will -at times- bring us into conflict with worldly powers (even ones in the church) and offers us righteousness through faithful trust in God who is for us and loves us.
These words have changed our lives. We believe Jesus came to start a world-changing movement that is for the whole of life, not just church on a Sunday.
JESUS’ WORDS PUSH US TOWARD LIVING IN DIVERSE COMMUNITY
The Gospels of Jesus were given to a new and growing community that were compelled to live out their faith authentically and powerfully. They came from backgrounds that were diverse economically and culturally and it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
We are inclusive, committed to amplifying diverse voices, especially those from the margins. By learning to reverse our culture’s individualism we hope to discern Jesus’ red letters together, listening to each other and adapting practices to attend to God’s voice in our neighbourhoods. This means we reflect on our actions and commit to learn together, not in order to win arguments or even have complete agreement with one another, but to grow in character and to live and serve more fully and freely.