Sometimes new movements begin with lots of decisions, while others have unforced rhythms, take shape and start to grow. The development of Red Letter Christians UK has been the latter.
Over the last number of years, friendships, collaborations and ‘exchange trips’ between Red Letter Christians in the US and the UK-based Urban Change Makers began to spark the vision for a UK network of Jesus and justice activists, community-based theologians and communicators. Then in December 2018, 40 of us gathered together to pray and dream together about what Red Letter Christians UK could look like.
The idea of Red Letter Christians in the US grew out of concern that Western Christianity was losing its focus on Jesus and that the term “evangelical” had ceased to mean good news, particularly in American culture. In 2007 Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo founded the movement with a shared vision to gather a network of communicators and activists to challenge the church to emulate Jesus’ love, mercy, and counter-cultural way.
Although we have been truly inspired by Tony and Shane’s prophetic call, we are not proposing to replicate what happens in America. Our calling as Red Letter Christians UK is to celebrate examples of Red Letter living, to encourage and support those already working to bring hope and justice to their communities, and to inspire a new generation of radicals who are desperate to see that a lived commitment to Jesus can really change the world around them.
We’re not interested in pulling people out of existing networks or affiliations. In fact, we want to do the opposite. We’d love to help connect and support the diverse range of people, churches and groups who live for Jesus and justice every day across the UK.