Red Letters, Living a Faith that Bleeds
By Tom Davis
Reviewed by John Hasler
In Tom Davis’ Red Letters, Living a Faith that Bleeds, we encounter a very down to earth and direct presentation of some of the realities in our world today. The book’s title refers to the versions of the Bible that have the words of Christ printed in red. Davis asserts that many people have ignored the simple truths embedded in some of these red printed parts of the Bible.
The book is fairly short and reads very quickly. It is much more of a call to action than a comprehensive study; but this does not mean that it lacks depth. In a few words, Davis is able to conjure up emotion, challenge, and at times conviction. He is not afraid to call things the way he sees them and is unapologetic in doing so. In the first sentence of his introduction he writes:
”The Christian church owes an apology to the almost fifty million individuals in our world currently infected with HIV/AIDS.” (pg.13)
Later in the book he writes:
”If the secular world can recognize the individual rights of street kids, orphans, widows, AIDS patients, and other marginalized members of society, how much more then should we who believe the good news Jesus Christ came to bring not only recognize these rights but fight for them?” (pg. 120)
The pattern of the book starts off by talking about some realities in our world and investigating the effects of globalization on our faith and how we see people around the world. Following that he moves into a short case study on the HIV/AIDS pandemic. With the backdrop of this tangible example Davis lays out our responsibility as Christians to act on behalf of those suffering from this disease. The scope of our responsibility is then once again broadened to other issues of health, justice and basic human welfare. Using both scripture and personal story, Davis inspires the reader to examine his or her life and calling as a Christ-follower. He also attempts to provoke a generation to think about what they are to be remembered for. He challenges the church to think about how they can act in a hurting world.
I would highly recommend this book to those that are just becoming enlightened to some of the justice issues that Davis addresses. Those who are well versed on these topics may feel less impacted by the book, however, when it comes to growing in areas of compassion, everyone can always be spurred on to more action. Red Letters can be the source to a new start for some and a refreshed commitment for others.
One final aspect of this book that I really appreciate is the fact that Davis includes a lot of hopeful outlets for action. He does not just rant and rave about the inaction of the church, but actually gives people places to start. One of these outlets is his own 5 for 50 Campaign. Toward the end of the book he outlines the simple formula of doing five things to impact the near 50 million individuals living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to that, Davis concludes the book with over ten pages of resources. Not only is it a list of organizations, but he also includes a little excerpt about what they do as well as their website. The list covers a wide spectrum of denominations and addresses several different social justice issues.
On a personal note, I was able to meet author Tom Davis recently at the Awakening Festival. A team of NCCers and I volunteered to help at the Children’s Hopechest/5 for 50 tent. It was a blessing to be able to serve and help inform individuals about orphans around the world. Tom is a great guy who has a true passion for seeing justice extended to the poor and downtrodden, especially among children.
Upon purchasing Red Letters the proceeds from the book go to help feed an orphan for a month. Now that is reason enough to pick it up. Learn more at www.cthomasdavis.com.
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