Red Letter Christians

Vigil Reflection at the Rededicate 250 Event

RLC Editor — Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:21 +0000

Dear Friends, On Sunday, May 17th (58th anniversary of the Catonsville Nine action), thousands of people attended Rededicate 250 on the National Mall to mark the 250th anniversary of the U.S. The prayer rally was organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership the White House launched in December. See: https://www.ncronline.org/news/2-catholic-bishops-join-dc-prayer-festival-celebrating…

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REDIRECT 250 Appeal

RLC Editor — Fri, 22 May 2026 10:30:17 +0000

I am Diana Oestreich, Red Letter Christians board member and a soldier who Jesus turned into a Peacemaker. We are raising our voices, because you Mr. President are dedicated to waging a war against the vulnerable people that Jesus is dedicated to protecting: the poor, the immigrant, and those denied their God-given right to live in Gaza and Iran. WE are REDIRECTING this Nation from the…

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Ancestors: Those Who Bless Us, Curse Us, and Hold Us, an excerpt

RLC Editor — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Aunt Viney was the first ancestor to reach out for me. She beckoned me from an old, oval frame that failed in its attempt to control her energy. I knew she was dead. She had to be. Her picture was probably the oldest thing I had seen. I was attracted by her mystery yet frightened by the chasm between us. The years and experiences that separated us surely made her unknowable to me and me…

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Why Certainty Might Be Holding Back Your Spiritual Growth

RLC Editor — Wed, 20 May 2026 10:30:08 +0000

I’m a fan of questions. And they seem to be a fan of me too because they visit me daily. I’ve drawn many cartoons on the subject of questions and their value. I even wrote a book about this called, Questions are the Answer. You should read it. Questions not only open the door for answers, they also open the door to mystery and trouble. In fact, as many of these cartoons depict…

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Leading in Justice and a Divided Church

RLC Editor — Tue, 19 May 2026 10:00:26 +0000

One of the biggest concerns I have heard from clergy and lay people is that they are afraid to speak or act on issues of justice because it will divide the church. We want there to be peace (me too). But there is no peace without justice. The prophet Jeremiah says it’s not only rulers who claim there is no war, when there clearly is war, but even prophets and priests can find themselves covering…

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The Bystander Effect in the Pew: Why Many Christians Stay Silent on Political Matters

RLC Editor — Mon, 18 May 2026 10:00:07 +0000

In 1964, Kitty Genovese was murdered outside her Queens, New York, apartment building. Initial press reports claimed that 38 witnesses watched and did nothing. Although those numbers were later disputed, the case sparked decades of psychological research into what became known as the bystander effect: the well-documented tendency for individuals to be less likely to help, intervene…

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Pastors, You Cannot Stay Silent on Civil Rights

RLC Editor — Fri, 15 May 2026 10:30:38 +0000

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Footnotes by Jemar Tisby, on May 13, 2026. Too many leaders retreat into caution and moderation. If you believe we need more moral courage in this moment, become a paid subscriber and help sustain this work. I posted a poll on my social media earlier this week asking people if their pastor had mentioned civil rights the previous…

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Shane quoted in Newsweek’s “Donald Trump’s Golden Statue: Critics’ Biblical Comparisons Explained”

RLC Editor — Thu, 14 May 2026 15:15:13 +0000

“Trump-evangelicalism is a cult. Follow Jesus. Not Trump. Don’t bow down.” – Shane Claiborne …

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It’s called “The Bible Sleight of Hand”

RLC Editor — Thu, 14 May 2026 10:30:03 +0000

“Blessed are the canaries, the ones who keep watch for harm, the ones who resist the structures at hand, the ones who risk their lives in order to find it, the men who speak up for the women, the women who speak up for the men, and the people in power who speak on half of the oppressed. Blessed are the ones brave enough to to tell their story amidst a sea of noise. Blessed are the people who…

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The Cathedral and the Palace

RLC Editor — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:00:47 +0000

Many years ago, as a wide-eyed and open-hearted student, I spent a year in France. In that long-ago era of cheap Eurail passes and Europe on $10 a Day! guidebooks, I traversed the continent, absorbing the history and culture, the art and architecture, the scenic beauty – all wildly new and wonderful to this naïve middle-class Midwest kid. As is true of most American visitors to Europe…

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