TONY CAMPOLO: A DANGEROUS MAN
TONY CAMPOLO: A DANGEROUS MAN
The following report is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 9, Issue 4, 1992. David W. Cloud. All rights reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, Bible Baptist Church, 1219 N. Harns Road, Oak Harbor, Washington 98277. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0.
by David W. Cloud
In January, Pastor Jeff Hallmark and I attended Missionsfest ‘92 in Vancouver, British Columbia, as observers to give this report. This is the largest missions gathering in Canada and has been held annually for five years. Hundreds of missions and evangelistic organizations were represented and had displays at the conference. There were also separate meetings for youth. The crowds were large. Conference leaders expected 25,000 to visit the exhibits and to attend meetings during the three days.
Though the participants represented a wide variety of belief and practice, most came under the evangelical label. There were Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Anglicans, Lutherans, to name a few. I did not see any Catholic groups, though some of the people we talked to at the booths were strongly sympathetic toward Catholicism. John Wimber’s radical charismatic Vineyard movement was represented by a booth at Missionsfest ‘92.
To give an idea of the variety of participants, we will list some of the groups which had booths at Missionsfest: The Evangelical Alliance Mission, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, Bernice Gerard Ministries, Every Home for Christ, Mennonite Central Committee, General Conference Mennonite Church, Gospel Recordings, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches, Salvation Army, Operation Mobilization, Youth With a Mission, Frontiers, Focus on the Family, Teen Missions Canada, Blessings for Obedience Radio, Banner of Truth, Christian Research Institute, Persecuted Church Fellowship, MacGregor Ministries, Lutheran Bible Translators, Regent College (home of J.I. Packer), Women’s Aglow, OMS International, Send International, Center for World Mission, Christian Business Men’s Committee, Youth for Christ, WEC International, Scripture Gift Mission, and World Vision.
The main reason I attended this meeting was to hear Tony Campolo. He has become tremendously popular in ecumenical circles, and I wanted to hear him firsthand. He spoke on Friday evening to a standing-room-only crowd, and he literally brought the people to their feet. The man is a very effective speaker, which of course makes him all the more dangerous.
Entertainment
Campolo is a master entertainer. No doubt about it. Of course, that is the kind of speaker who is popular in this confused, carnal hour. Campolo is dynamic, interesting, and personable. He appeals to the young and to the old. He can make you laugh, and he can make you cry. He is full of zeal. He can move people. But Campolo is a dangerous man.
Campolo is dangerous because of his ecumenism
He began his talk by noting how incredible and wonderful it was that so many different kinds of Christians had come together for the meeting. He mentioned Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Mennonites. Then he cracked the first of what was to be a flood of jokes. He mentioned that he is a Baptist, and he said, “Of course, you don’t have to be a Baptist to go to heaven, but why take a chance.”
As Campolo stood before this mixed multitude he did not have one word of warning about the false teaching represented by the various groups that were present. He did say, “If your theology is not right you will be messed up and not be able to follow Jesus adequately.” But he did not explain what he meant, and of course he gave no examples of being “messed up theologically.” Thus, while he mentioned in passing the importance of sound doctrine, he made no application of this truth. His appeal was for those present to give themselves to world missions, and he made no exceptions for those who hold to false doctrine.
Not only did Campolo approach this conference in a compromising ecumenical spirit, he did not even clarify the Gospel. He mentioned the Gospel; he referred to the Gospel. But he did not explain what the Gospel is. He did not preach the Gospel. He talked about “giving your life to Jesus Christ,” but that is not the Gospel. He spoke of the necessity of winning people to Jesus Christ, and he said that “missions starts with the declaration that Jesus Christ must be the Lord of your life.” But that is not the Gospel. That kind of language is interpreted many different ways by the various denominations. Campolo said, “I believe in heaven, and I believe in hell.” But that is not the Gospel. He mentioned the cross, but the cross must be explained. Especially is this true in this hour of doctrinal confusion. Even Rome mentions the cross, but Rome, of course, does not preach the biblical gospel.
All of this is not surprising in light of the ecumenism of the conference. If Campolo had preached a clear Gospel, he would have caused problems for some of the participants. He would have caused divisions. He could not preach against baptismal regeneration, because this is held by many of the Lutherans and Anglicans who were present. He could not preach against the heresy of losing salvation, because this was held by many of the Pentecostals present. Thus ecumenists do not make things like this clear. They speak in generalities and inferences, not in plain doctrinal Bible language.
Ecumenism has long been Campolo’s methodology. He is an American Baptist preacher who teaches sociology at the American Baptist Eastern College. The American Baptist Convention is the most liberal group of Baptists in the United States and is a member body of the World Council of Churches. Bible-believing Baptist churches long ago separated from this modernistic group.
You can find Campolo practically anywhere--preaching the same ecumenically-popular message: You can find him in a National Council of Churches meeting (he spoke at the NCC-sponsored “A Gathering of Christians,” May 1988, in Arlington, Texas), and you can find him at a National Association of Evangelicals meeting (Campolo spoke at NAE’s annual convention, March 1987, in Wheaton, Illinois). Any lip service Campolo gives to the importance of doctrinal correctness is negated by his constant relationship with heretics. In practice, the man has no concern for doctrinal purity.
Campolo signed an article in the liberal Sojourners magazine in May 1981, which lambasted the United States and stated that Roman Catholicism was the one bright light in the dark situation in El Salvador. “The Roman Catholic church is being converted to the poor in El Salvador.” This is a reference to the wicked liberation theology movement within Romanism, a movement which substitutes the salvation of society for the salvation of the soul. Liberation theology is Christianized Marxism, but here we find Campolo signing a statement that called it a bright light.
Campolo was on the editorial board for the production of the film Mother Teresa, which exalts the Roman Catholic nun and which contains no warning about her false gospel. Campolo often uses Mother Teresa as an example of proper Bible Christianity, though she preaches a false gospel and worships Mary.
Campolo is exceedingly dangerous because he is an ecumenist who is willing to ignore false doctrine. He is willing to work with and fellowship with error. He refuses to obey Bible separation. He refuses to lift his voice against heresy. In fact, he often pokes fun at the fundamentalist position. This is wickedness. It is impossible to please God while preaching the kind of positive ecumenical message that Campolo preaches.
Campolo is dangerous because he teaches false doctrine
In Vancouver, Campolo claimed that he was sound theologically. “I am sound, man, sound!” he exclaimed. He isn’t sound, though. The man is doctrinally confused in all sorts of areas.
Campolo was brought to a sort of theological trial in 1985 by some evangelical leaders who challenged his doctrinal position. That year he was scheduled to speak at Youth Congress ‘85, sponsored by Youth for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ, but because of the protest by Evangelical Free Church pastors in Illinois, he was dropped from the program.
The main area of concern arose from Campolo’s book A Reasonable Faith, published in 1983 by Word Publishers. In this book Campolo developed the idea that “Christ lives in all human beings, regardless of whether they are Christians.” Campolo asserted that the resurrected Jesus of history ‘actually is present’ in each person. Campolo also said, ‘Jesus is the only Savior, but not everybody who is being saved by Him is aware that He is the one who is doing the saving,’ and ‘Jesus is God because he is fully human’“ (EP News Service, Oct. 4, 1985).
The conflict was resolved by the mediation of the Christian Legal Society, and a statement was released that exonerated Campolo. Christianity Today editor Kenneth Kantzer wrote that Campolo was entirely orthodox. Campolo told Christianity Today,
“I’m worried that evangelical intellectuals will not say anything except the old phrases and the old worn out terminology ... The way evangelical Christianity is doing theology really bothers me. If everybody has to say only things that they know are safely orthodox, if we lose the capacity to be open and to share ideas that people may consider heretical, I think we will lose our creativity.”
This is a foolish statement, and for Christianity Today to leave it unchallenged is inexcusable. To call for a questioning of the “old worn out terminology,” and for theological openness to new theology is apostasy. The “old phrases” of evangelicalism are nothing more or less than the sound Bible doctrine which has been given to us by the Apostles and Prophets in Holy Scripture, and which has been held and defended by orthodox Christians through the centuries. The problem with modern evangelicalism is just this: It is departing from the old paths.
It is not surprising that new evangelical leaders such as Campus Crusade’s Bill Bright and Christianity Today’s Kenneth Kantzer exonerated Campolo. These men have so compromised the truth that they have little spiritual discernment. These are the same men who have opened their arms to charismatic error, who fellowship with the World Council of Churches and with Rome, and who recommend polluted versions such as the Living Bible. Kantzer and Christianity Today even examined heretic Robert Schuller and called him an orthodox evangelical Christian, in spite of the fact that Schuller teaches that the greatest wrong that can be done for a man is to call him a sinner!
Today’s evangelical leaders do not have the heart nor the discernment needed to protect the flock of God. They are blind guides and dumb dogs. Christianity Today’s defense of Campolo does not demonstrate his orthodoxy, it demonstrates Christianity Today’s confusion.
Campolo is confused about creation
When Campolo was examined by the evangelical leaders in 1985, they noted that “while he accepts an evolutionary view of the origin of man and the universe, he holds that this is consistent with Scripture that teaches only the fact (not the method) of Creation” (Christian News, Sept. 23, 1985). Christianity Today did not see this as a serious problem because they allow room for all sorts of doctrinal error. Actually it is a very serious matter.
It should be obvious even to a child that the Bible teaches not only the fact of creation, but the method as well. The Bible plainly teaches that the world was created by God in six days and six nights. There is absolutely no room for any sort of evolutionary thinking here, and to allow men such as Campolo to hold such views is folly. The doctrine of special creation is the only view which reveals the nature of man as distinct from the animals and which explains the fall of man in a literal Garden of Eden.
There is such a thing as Christian liberty, but that liberty is only for those things about which the Bible does not speak. There is no liberty to hold doctrinal positions contrary to clear Scripture.
Campolo is confused about the kingdom of God
One of Campolo’s most serious errors is his confusion regarding the kingdom of God. He holds the popular “kingdom now” theology, which is sweeping through much of the evangelical/charismatic world. According to this thinking, the kingdom of God is something that is presently in this world. Campolo places the Bible promises for a future earthly kingdom into the context of this sin-cursed, apostate hour. Thus, Campolo challenges Christians to go into the world and to transform society.
In his message at Urbana ‘87, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship’s annual youth meeting, Campolo said, “This night is a historical moment. This night God wants to raise up a generation of men and women who will enter into every sector of society as agents of change, transforming the world into the kind of world he wills it to be” (Decision magazine, Mar. 1988).
This is why Campolo says “the kingdom of God is party.” That is the title of one of his books and is a theme that he brings into many of his messages. To prove this idea, Campolo quotes from the Bible’s references to such things as the Old Testament Jewish festivals and wrongly applies this to our time.
There is no hint in the New Testament that the apostles considered themselves agents of change in society. We don’t see them having a party. They gave their attention to preaching the Gospel and to building churches. They did not protest the problems of the Roman Empire. They did not get involved in starting new businesses for the poor. They looked upon this present world as one under the imminent judgment of God and they did all they could to snatch brands from the fire, to get men saved before it is too late. Yet, as we shall see, Campolo actually makes fun of this type of thinking.
Campolo claims to believe in a future earthly kingdom of God which will be established when Christ returns, but his kingdom focus is definitely upon this present time. Chapter two of his book is called “Signs of the Kingdom.” In this Campolo relates how he came up with the term “party” in relation to the kingdom of God. He first describes some popular ecumenical definitions of the kingdom of God. He mentions the Shalom concept of the World Council of Churches and the Jubilee concept of liberal social activists such as Ron Sider and John Yoder.
“During the 1950s, another biblical symbol or image came to the fore, as Christian leaders tried to find some new way to express God’s mission in the world and to explain that people like us are to have a part in it. Many main-denominational theologians, particularly those associated with the World Council of Churches, took hold of the concept of Shalom. ... Shalom was that time when the lion and the lamb would lie down together, swords would be reshaped into plowshares, and war would be no more. ... The imagery provided by the word Shalom became a motif around which church leaders organized their activities. Building houses for poor people was done to contribute to Shalom. Fighting racism, supporting the peace movement, participating in efforts to save the environment--all were done to foster Shalom.
“Over the last few years, several neo- evangelical writers have made use of still another word to give expression to what they believe to be the purpose of the Christian mission. They have used the term ‘Jubilee.’ This symbol is especially useful for those who believe that the church should have a primary commitment to meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed. Writers such as Ron Sider and John Howard Yoder have made good use of the concept of Jubilee in their writings...”
Campolo fails to inform his readers that the World Council of Churches is a hotbed of modernism, universalism, immorality, communism, and every sort of strange heretical doctrine. He also does not correct the false teachings involved in the Shalom and Jubilee concepts he mentions.
In fact, Campolo’s only criticism of Shalom and Jubilee involves the difficulty of explaining these things.
“The main problem with this image, or symbol of the Christian mission, is that Jubilee, like the concept of Shalom, requires too much explanation to hammer home its meaning to most people. ... Something that will give a more immediate picture of what God wants to do in this world is needed. I have been groping for a word or image that can do that for us. ... The word is “party.” The Kingdom of God is a party.”
It should be obvious that Campolo is focused on this world when he says the kingdom of God is a party.
Further, an entire chapter in Campolo’s book is dedicated to an attempt to prove that it is God’s will for Christians to give ten percent of their income for worldly celebrations. This is based on a faulty application of Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Israel was to bring a tithe of the harvest to Jerusalem each year for a great festival. Campolo applies this directly to the hour in which we live.
In another chapter of the book Campolo applies kingdom work to efforts to solve the social problems of the world. Consider this quote:
“If ghetto kids in Philadelphia have little to celebrate because they have hovels for homes and live in the midst of gang violence, then we must do something to change all of that. If blacks in South Africa have to endure humiliation because of apartheid, then apartheid must be destroyed. If the Palestinians are denied human rights and are made into aliens in the very land in which they were born, then we must protest. If Catholics in Northern Ireland are made into second-class citizens by the Protestant majority, then we must work and pray for the restructuring of the Irish social system.” (pgs. 43,44)
It is obvious that Campolo’s focus is upon something that is foreign to the Bible for this present hour. In his book Campolo also pokes fun at fundamentalists who preach doom and gloom:
“Doomsayers at one time in America seemed limited to those who preached the fundamentalist gospel. Leaning on their Scofield Bibles, these preachers of the Word predicted an increasing tendency toward sin and decadence until that day when the world would be so bad that Jesus would have to return to put a stop to it all. There seemed to be a degree of satisfaction in any news that things in this world were falling apart. As they understood it, the faster this world went down the tubes, the more the Lord’s return would be hastened.” (pgs. 132,133)
Campolo’s true attitude toward fundamental Bible-believing Christianity comes out in this statement.
Campolo is confused about a woman’s spiritual ministry
Campolo holds that women can preach. Toward the end of his message in Vancouver, Campolo said, “Are you suggesting women can preach? A lot better than most men! If they can preach in Africa, they can preach in Vancouver. That’s what I say.”
Campolo is one of the signers of a statement by Christians for Biblical Equality which affirms that “in the New Testament economy, women as well as men exercise the prophetic, priestly and royal functions,” and “in the church, public recognition is given to both women and men who exercise ministries of service and leadership” (Christian News, Apr. 16, 1990).
Campolo is dangerous because he does not preach repentance
The greatest need of the hour is genuine Bible repentance--on the part of sinners and Christians alike. God calls upon all sinners everywhere to repent. But most Gospel preaching today leaves out repentance, and Campolo commits this error. The Bible also calls upon Christians to repent when they are involved in sin and error. But Campolo, in fact, makes light of repentance and the sorrow over sin and error which true repentance brings. He said he did not want the ecumenical crowd to whom he was speaking to be sorrowful. He wanted no tears, no sadness, no sorrowing. He wanted them to dance and to have a party!
My friends, you will not find this kind of thing in the preaching of Christ and the Apostles. Sure, there is coming a day in which the people of God will have a banquet. But that is a future day, not this present hour. Christ was looking forward to that day when He said at the Last Supper, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29).
Campolo knows that the term “party” is something which refers to fleshly excitement. It is the common term for the wicked festivities of the world. “It’s party time, man!” That’s an expression we used frequently when we were lost.
But it’s not party time right now for the child of God. It’s serious time; it’s work time; it’s holiness time.
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
Campolo is dangerous because he makes light of serious things
Throughout his speech, Campolo made light of frightfully serious things. He made light of threatening people with death and hell in order to frighten them into being saved. He told of when he was a kid and was in church and the preacher tried to scare him like this. In his speech to the National Council of Churches meeting in 1988, Campolo said we should hold on to the King James Bible, because it uses “words like ‘imputed’--that’s sexy!” He keeps his crowds laughing at such things.
This was the spirit that permeated Campolo’s message. In Vancouver, Campolo said, “We’ve got enough boring people in the ministry, we need people who can dance.” He called for Christians to “create a joyful celebration for a world that doesn’t know how to celebrate anymore.” According to Campolo, “The kingdom of God is a glorious and gigantic party!”
This is all foolishness. The hour in which we live cries for seriousness, for repentance, for mourning over sin. James 4 speaks of the kind of worldliness which has permeated evangelical Christendom. Missionsfest ‘92 evidenced this worldliness on every hand. There was rock music and the Africa jungle beat everywhere. The evening youth meetings were nothing more than rock concerts. A great many of the women were dressed indecently. Only a handful of ladies wore dresses. Most had on tight pants. Some of the ushers were young women who were dressed revealingly in leotards and high boots with a jacket-like affair which came only to their buttocks. In the exhibit area there were all sorts of worldly things for sale, such as T- shirts with weird artwork and mottos.
Listen to the Apostle James:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
What does James say about the worldly crowd? Does he say, “Hey, folks, laugh and clap and shout and dance; the Kingdom of God is a party, man! Be happy” That is Campolo’s message, but James says something quite the contrary to a worldly people:
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:8-10)
The 1990s is not the time to be laughing it up, folks, in the sense that Campolo is calling for. I praise the Lord for laughter, and I’m not calling for a ban on humor or fun. But the hour is one of deep apostasy, wickedness, and shallowness, and if God had spoken at Missionsfest ‘92 I am convinced He would have preached a message along the lines of James as quoted above.
Beware of Tony Campolo. He is an enemy of Bible Christianity. The kingdom of God is not a Campolo-type of party.
The following report is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 9, Issue 4, 1992. David W. Cloud. All rights reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, Bible Baptist Church, 1219 N. Harns Road, Oak Harbor, Washington 98277. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0.
by David W. Cloud
In January, Pastor Jeff Hallmark and I attended Missionsfest ‘92 in Vancouver, British Columbia, as observers to give this report. This is the largest missions gathering in Canada and has been held annually for five years. Hundreds of missions and evangelistic organizations were represented and had displays at the conference. There were also separate meetings for youth. The crowds were large. Conference leaders expected 25,000 to visit the exhibits and to attend meetings during the three days.
Though the participants represented a wide variety of belief and practice, most came under the evangelical label. There were Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Anglicans, Lutherans, to name a few. I did not see any Catholic groups, though some of the people we talked to at the booths were strongly sympathetic toward Catholicism. John Wimber’s radical charismatic Vineyard movement was represented by a booth at Missionsfest ‘92.
To give an idea of the variety of participants, we will list some of the groups which had booths at Missionsfest: The Evangelical Alliance Mission, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, Bernice Gerard Ministries, Every Home for Christ, Mennonite Central Committee, General Conference Mennonite Church, Gospel Recordings, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches, Salvation Army, Operation Mobilization, Youth With a Mission, Frontiers, Focus on the Family, Teen Missions Canada, Blessings for Obedience Radio, Banner of Truth, Christian Research Institute, Persecuted Church Fellowship, MacGregor Ministries, Lutheran Bible Translators, Regent College (home of J.I. Packer), Women’s Aglow, OMS International, Send International, Center for World Mission, Christian Business Men’s Committee, Youth for Christ, WEC International, Scripture Gift Mission, and World Vision.
The main reason I attended this meeting was to hear Tony Campolo. He has become tremendously popular in ecumenical circles, and I wanted to hear him firsthand. He spoke on Friday evening to a standing-room-only crowd, and he literally brought the people to their feet. The man is a very effective speaker, which of course makes him all the more dangerous.
Entertainment
Campolo is a master entertainer. No doubt about it. Of course, that is the kind of speaker who is popular in this confused, carnal hour. Campolo is dynamic, interesting, and personable. He appeals to the young and to the old. He can make you laugh, and he can make you cry. He is full of zeal. He can move people. But Campolo is a dangerous man.
Campolo is dangerous because of his ecumenism
He began his talk by noting how incredible and wonderful it was that so many different kinds of Christians had come together for the meeting. He mentioned Pentecostals, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Mennonites. Then he cracked the first of what was to be a flood of jokes. He mentioned that he is a Baptist, and he said, “Of course, you don’t have to be a Baptist to go to heaven, but why take a chance.”
As Campolo stood before this mixed multitude he did not have one word of warning about the false teaching represented by the various groups that were present. He did say, “If your theology is not right you will be messed up and not be able to follow Jesus adequately.” But he did not explain what he meant, and of course he gave no examples of being “messed up theologically.” Thus, while he mentioned in passing the importance of sound doctrine, he made no application of this truth. His appeal was for those present to give themselves to world missions, and he made no exceptions for those who hold to false doctrine.
Not only did Campolo approach this conference in a compromising ecumenical spirit, he did not even clarify the Gospel. He mentioned the Gospel; he referred to the Gospel. But he did not explain what the Gospel is. He did not preach the Gospel. He talked about “giving your life to Jesus Christ,” but that is not the Gospel. He spoke of the necessity of winning people to Jesus Christ, and he said that “missions starts with the declaration that Jesus Christ must be the Lord of your life.” But that is not the Gospel. That kind of language is interpreted many different ways by the various denominations. Campolo said, “I believe in heaven, and I believe in hell.” But that is not the Gospel. He mentioned the cross, but the cross must be explained. Especially is this true in this hour of doctrinal confusion. Even Rome mentions the cross, but Rome, of course, does not preach the biblical gospel.
All of this is not surprising in light of the ecumenism of the conference. If Campolo had preached a clear Gospel, he would have caused problems for some of the participants. He would have caused divisions. He could not preach against baptismal regeneration, because this is held by many of the Lutherans and Anglicans who were present. He could not preach against the heresy of losing salvation, because this was held by many of the Pentecostals present. Thus ecumenists do not make things like this clear. They speak in generalities and inferences, not in plain doctrinal Bible language.
Ecumenism has long been Campolo’s methodology. He is an American Baptist preacher who teaches sociology at the American Baptist Eastern College. The American Baptist Convention is the most liberal group of Baptists in the United States and is a member body of the World Council of Churches. Bible-believing Baptist churches long ago separated from this modernistic group.
You can find Campolo practically anywhere--preaching the same ecumenically-popular message: You can find him in a National Council of Churches meeting (he spoke at the NCC-sponsored “A Gathering of Christians,” May 1988, in Arlington, Texas), and you can find him at a National Association of Evangelicals meeting (Campolo spoke at NAE’s annual convention, March 1987, in Wheaton, Illinois). Any lip service Campolo gives to the importance of doctrinal correctness is negated by his constant relationship with heretics. In practice, the man has no concern for doctrinal purity.
Campolo signed an article in the liberal Sojourners magazine in May 1981, which lambasted the United States and stated that Roman Catholicism was the one bright light in the dark situation in El Salvador. “The Roman Catholic church is being converted to the poor in El Salvador.” This is a reference to the wicked liberation theology movement within Romanism, a movement which substitutes the salvation of society for the salvation of the soul. Liberation theology is Christianized Marxism, but here we find Campolo signing a statement that called it a bright light.
Campolo was on the editorial board for the production of the film Mother Teresa, which exalts the Roman Catholic nun and which contains no warning about her false gospel. Campolo often uses Mother Teresa as an example of proper Bible Christianity, though she preaches a false gospel and worships Mary.
Campolo is exceedingly dangerous because he is an ecumenist who is willing to ignore false doctrine. He is willing to work with and fellowship with error. He refuses to obey Bible separation. He refuses to lift his voice against heresy. In fact, he often pokes fun at the fundamentalist position. This is wickedness. It is impossible to please God while preaching the kind of positive ecumenical message that Campolo preaches.
Campolo is dangerous because he teaches false doctrine
In Vancouver, Campolo claimed that he was sound theologically. “I am sound, man, sound!” he exclaimed. He isn’t sound, though. The man is doctrinally confused in all sorts of areas.
Campolo was brought to a sort of theological trial in 1985 by some evangelical leaders who challenged his doctrinal position. That year he was scheduled to speak at Youth Congress ‘85, sponsored by Youth for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ, but because of the protest by Evangelical Free Church pastors in Illinois, he was dropped from the program.
The main area of concern arose from Campolo’s book A Reasonable Faith, published in 1983 by Word Publishers. In this book Campolo developed the idea that “Christ lives in all human beings, regardless of whether they are Christians.” Campolo asserted that the resurrected Jesus of history ‘actually is present’ in each person. Campolo also said, ‘Jesus is the only Savior, but not everybody who is being saved by Him is aware that He is the one who is doing the saving,’ and ‘Jesus is God because he is fully human’“ (EP News Service, Oct. 4, 1985).
The conflict was resolved by the mediation of the Christian Legal Society, and a statement was released that exonerated Campolo. Christianity Today editor Kenneth Kantzer wrote that Campolo was entirely orthodox. Campolo told Christianity Today,
“I’m worried that evangelical intellectuals will not say anything except the old phrases and the old worn out terminology ... The way evangelical Christianity is doing theology really bothers me. If everybody has to say only things that they know are safely orthodox, if we lose the capacity to be open and to share ideas that people may consider heretical, I think we will lose our creativity.”
This is a foolish statement, and for Christianity Today to leave it unchallenged is inexcusable. To call for a questioning of the “old worn out terminology,” and for theological openness to new theology is apostasy. The “old phrases” of evangelicalism are nothing more or less than the sound Bible doctrine which has been given to us by the Apostles and Prophets in Holy Scripture, and which has been held and defended by orthodox Christians through the centuries. The problem with modern evangelicalism is just this: It is departing from the old paths.
It is not surprising that new evangelical leaders such as Campus Crusade’s Bill Bright and Christianity Today’s Kenneth Kantzer exonerated Campolo. These men have so compromised the truth that they have little spiritual discernment. These are the same men who have opened their arms to charismatic error, who fellowship with the World Council of Churches and with Rome, and who recommend polluted versions such as the Living Bible. Kantzer and Christianity Today even examined heretic Robert Schuller and called him an orthodox evangelical Christian, in spite of the fact that Schuller teaches that the greatest wrong that can be done for a man is to call him a sinner!
Today’s evangelical leaders do not have the heart nor the discernment needed to protect the flock of God. They are blind guides and dumb dogs. Christianity Today’s defense of Campolo does not demonstrate his orthodoxy, it demonstrates Christianity Today’s confusion.
Campolo is confused about creation
When Campolo was examined by the evangelical leaders in 1985, they noted that “while he accepts an evolutionary view of the origin of man and the universe, he holds that this is consistent with Scripture that teaches only the fact (not the method) of Creation” (Christian News, Sept. 23, 1985). Christianity Today did not see this as a serious problem because they allow room for all sorts of doctrinal error. Actually it is a very serious matter.
It should be obvious even to a child that the Bible teaches not only the fact of creation, but the method as well. The Bible plainly teaches that the world was created by God in six days and six nights. There is absolutely no room for any sort of evolutionary thinking here, and to allow men such as Campolo to hold such views is folly. The doctrine of special creation is the only view which reveals the nature of man as distinct from the animals and which explains the fall of man in a literal Garden of Eden.
There is such a thing as Christian liberty, but that liberty is only for those things about which the Bible does not speak. There is no liberty to hold doctrinal positions contrary to clear Scripture.
Campolo is confused about the kingdom of God
One of Campolo’s most serious errors is his confusion regarding the kingdom of God. He holds the popular “kingdom now” theology, which is sweeping through much of the evangelical/charismatic world. According to this thinking, the kingdom of God is something that is presently in this world. Campolo places the Bible promises for a future earthly kingdom into the context of this sin-cursed, apostate hour. Thus, Campolo challenges Christians to go into the world and to transform society.
In his message at Urbana ‘87, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship’s annual youth meeting, Campolo said, “This night is a historical moment. This night God wants to raise up a generation of men and women who will enter into every sector of society as agents of change, transforming the world into the kind of world he wills it to be” (Decision magazine, Mar. 1988).
This is why Campolo says “the kingdom of God is party.” That is the title of one of his books and is a theme that he brings into many of his messages. To prove this idea, Campolo quotes from the Bible’s references to such things as the Old Testament Jewish festivals and wrongly applies this to our time.
There is no hint in the New Testament that the apostles considered themselves agents of change in society. We don’t see them having a party. They gave their attention to preaching the Gospel and to building churches. They did not protest the problems of the Roman Empire. They did not get involved in starting new businesses for the poor. They looked upon this present world as one under the imminent judgment of God and they did all they could to snatch brands from the fire, to get men saved before it is too late. Yet, as we shall see, Campolo actually makes fun of this type of thinking.
Campolo claims to believe in a future earthly kingdom of God which will be established when Christ returns, but his kingdom focus is definitely upon this present time. Chapter two of his book is called “Signs of the Kingdom.” In this Campolo relates how he came up with the term “party” in relation to the kingdom of God. He first describes some popular ecumenical definitions of the kingdom of God. He mentions the Shalom concept of the World Council of Churches and the Jubilee concept of liberal social activists such as Ron Sider and John Yoder.
“During the 1950s, another biblical symbol or image came to the fore, as Christian leaders tried to find some new way to express God’s mission in the world and to explain that people like us are to have a part in it. Many main-denominational theologians, particularly those associated with the World Council of Churches, took hold of the concept of Shalom. ... Shalom was that time when the lion and the lamb would lie down together, swords would be reshaped into plowshares, and war would be no more. ... The imagery provided by the word Shalom became a motif around which church leaders organized their activities. Building houses for poor people was done to contribute to Shalom. Fighting racism, supporting the peace movement, participating in efforts to save the environment--all were done to foster Shalom.
“Over the last few years, several neo- evangelical writers have made use of still another word to give expression to what they believe to be the purpose of the Christian mission. They have used the term ‘Jubilee.’ This symbol is especially useful for those who believe that the church should have a primary commitment to meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed. Writers such as Ron Sider and John Howard Yoder have made good use of the concept of Jubilee in their writings...”
Campolo fails to inform his readers that the World Council of Churches is a hotbed of modernism, universalism, immorality, communism, and every sort of strange heretical doctrine. He also does not correct the false teachings involved in the Shalom and Jubilee concepts he mentions.
In fact, Campolo’s only criticism of Shalom and Jubilee involves the difficulty of explaining these things.
“The main problem with this image, or symbol of the Christian mission, is that Jubilee, like the concept of Shalom, requires too much explanation to hammer home its meaning to most people. ... Something that will give a more immediate picture of what God wants to do in this world is needed. I have been groping for a word or image that can do that for us. ... The word is “party.” The Kingdom of God is a party.”
It should be obvious that Campolo is focused on this world when he says the kingdom of God is a party.
Further, an entire chapter in Campolo’s book is dedicated to an attempt to prove that it is God’s will for Christians to give ten percent of their income for worldly celebrations. This is based on a faulty application of Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Israel was to bring a tithe of the harvest to Jerusalem each year for a great festival. Campolo applies this directly to the hour in which we live.
In another chapter of the book Campolo applies kingdom work to efforts to solve the social problems of the world. Consider this quote:
“If ghetto kids in Philadelphia have little to celebrate because they have hovels for homes and live in the midst of gang violence, then we must do something to change all of that. If blacks in South Africa have to endure humiliation because of apartheid, then apartheid must be destroyed. If the Palestinians are denied human rights and are made into aliens in the very land in which they were born, then we must protest. If Catholics in Northern Ireland are made into second-class citizens by the Protestant majority, then we must work and pray for the restructuring of the Irish social system.” (pgs. 43,44)
It is obvious that Campolo’s focus is upon something that is foreign to the Bible for this present hour. In his book Campolo also pokes fun at fundamentalists who preach doom and gloom:
“Doomsayers at one time in America seemed limited to those who preached the fundamentalist gospel. Leaning on their Scofield Bibles, these preachers of the Word predicted an increasing tendency toward sin and decadence until that day when the world would be so bad that Jesus would have to return to put a stop to it all. There seemed to be a degree of satisfaction in any news that things in this world were falling apart. As they understood it, the faster this world went down the tubes, the more the Lord’s return would be hastened.” (pgs. 132,133)
Campolo’s true attitude toward fundamental Bible-believing Christianity comes out in this statement.
Campolo is confused about a woman’s spiritual ministry
Campolo holds that women can preach. Toward the end of his message in Vancouver, Campolo said, “Are you suggesting women can preach? A lot better than most men! If they can preach in Africa, they can preach in Vancouver. That’s what I say.”
Campolo is one of the signers of a statement by Christians for Biblical Equality which affirms that “in the New Testament economy, women as well as men exercise the prophetic, priestly and royal functions,” and “in the church, public recognition is given to both women and men who exercise ministries of service and leadership” (Christian News, Apr. 16, 1990).
Campolo is dangerous because he does not preach repentance
The greatest need of the hour is genuine Bible repentance--on the part of sinners and Christians alike. God calls upon all sinners everywhere to repent. But most Gospel preaching today leaves out repentance, and Campolo commits this error. The Bible also calls upon Christians to repent when they are involved in sin and error. But Campolo, in fact, makes light of repentance and the sorrow over sin and error which true repentance brings. He said he did not want the ecumenical crowd to whom he was speaking to be sorrowful. He wanted no tears, no sadness, no sorrowing. He wanted them to dance and to have a party!
My friends, you will not find this kind of thing in the preaching of Christ and the Apostles. Sure, there is coming a day in which the people of God will have a banquet. But that is a future day, not this present hour. Christ was looking forward to that day when He said at the Last Supper, “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29).
Campolo knows that the term “party” is something which refers to fleshly excitement. It is the common term for the wicked festivities of the world. “It’s party time, man!” That’s an expression we used frequently when we were lost.
But it’s not party time right now for the child of God. It’s serious time; it’s work time; it’s holiness time.
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14).
Campolo is dangerous because he makes light of serious things
Throughout his speech, Campolo made light of frightfully serious things. He made light of threatening people with death and hell in order to frighten them into being saved. He told of when he was a kid and was in church and the preacher tried to scare him like this. In his speech to the National Council of Churches meeting in 1988, Campolo said we should hold on to the King James Bible, because it uses “words like ‘imputed’--that’s sexy!” He keeps his crowds laughing at such things.
This was the spirit that permeated Campolo’s message. In Vancouver, Campolo said, “We’ve got enough boring people in the ministry, we need people who can dance.” He called for Christians to “create a joyful celebration for a world that doesn’t know how to celebrate anymore.” According to Campolo, “The kingdom of God is a glorious and gigantic party!”
This is all foolishness. The hour in which we live cries for seriousness, for repentance, for mourning over sin. James 4 speaks of the kind of worldliness which has permeated evangelical Christendom. Missionsfest ‘92 evidenced this worldliness on every hand. There was rock music and the Africa jungle beat everywhere. The evening youth meetings were nothing more than rock concerts. A great many of the women were dressed indecently. Only a handful of ladies wore dresses. Most had on tight pants. Some of the ushers were young women who were dressed revealingly in leotards and high boots with a jacket-like affair which came only to their buttocks. In the exhibit area there were all sorts of worldly things for sale, such as T- shirts with weird artwork and mottos.
Listen to the Apostle James:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (James 4:4)
What does James say about the worldly crowd? Does he say, “Hey, folks, laugh and clap and shout and dance; the Kingdom of God is a party, man! Be happy” That is Campolo’s message, but James says something quite the contrary to a worldly people:
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” (James 4:8-10)
The 1990s is not the time to be laughing it up, folks, in the sense that Campolo is calling for. I praise the Lord for laughter, and I’m not calling for a ban on humor or fun. But the hour is one of deep apostasy, wickedness, and shallowness, and if God had spoken at Missionsfest ‘92 I am convinced He would have preached a message along the lines of James as quoted above.
Beware of Tony Campolo. He is an enemy of Bible Christianity. The kingdom of God is not a Campolo-type of party.