Tony Campolo spoke to students at Nyack College yesterday. The message was vintage Campolo: Value-challenging, convicting and entertaining. He took on holiday consumerism, apathy toward those suffering around the world, etc. Like I said – vintage Campolo.
It’s definitely worth downloading and adding to your iPod playlist!
Shane Bertou 
Best line in a sermon ever! 😆
I meant to give you a heads-up yesterday when we posted this. I still need to listen to it.
You mean an “A-list” evangelical spoke for free during chapel and you didn’t go? Tisk. Tisk.
He’s not really on my radar, but I guess I would have gone if I weren’t currently knee-deep in development on Nyack.edu 2008.
Blah, blah, new website’s are alot of work, blah, blah…
Oh, I never told you. Cheryl and I stopped by your office a few weeks back to say “hello.” It was late in the afternoon on a Friday so, obviously, you weren’t there.
I wanted to show you this record her brother found at a thrift store. It was put out by the college music department and the Word recording company. I’m guessing mid-60s. Possibly even pre-Beatles invasion.
I thought a scan of the cover artwork and some audio samples might be some fun online bonus conent. One for the archives or something.
Sounds groovy (literally! jokes!). I actually have a couple of old records like that from the Nyack Music Department. Some late-sixties Koponen/Howe action.
…Ewww.
Oh, and sorry I missed you two. Please do check in whenever you’re around.
I didn’t actually have any disturbing images in my head until the “Ewww.” Thanks for nothin’ pal!
Just doing my part as an online ambassador for Nyack College!
vintage Tony must have also come with sprays of spit. any umbrillas in the audience??
Hey – I have a wordpress account now for some more academic ramblings.
FYI – Your link appears to play back a sped-up version of the lecture. Maybe it’s my PC, but you might want to check it.
As for the Campolo speech, two thoughts:
1) I found it ironic that he begins by distancing himself from certain elements of his Baptist background, but by the end he sounds very much like a mainline Baptist. I can’t put my finger on it, but that’s the feeling I get.
2) Aside from that it was a good, solid sermon. (I don’t see why he’s world-famous, though.)
Yes, I have the chipmunk version as well.
Regarding hearing the “Chipmunks” on the playback module. Don’t adjust your set, that’s a “me” problem. Apparently mp3s need to be coded at 44.1 (eh, huh?) for them to play back properly. I’ve had this issue from time to time, I’m going to have to explore an easy fix for when this comes up in the future.
Campolo is “famous” for a number of reasons. For one, he’s a liberal Evangelical. Up until maybe three or four years ago that was the stuff of leprechans and unicorns. That afforded him a ton of opportunities to be in the public arena.
He’s written a ton of books and is the founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. He has also help found several schools and universities.
He was Clinton’s spiritual advisor during the Lewinsky scandal.
He has a quote that has pretty much become the stuff of Christian folklore by this point. It’s all over the web, but no one really gets the quote right or can provide any information on where, when, or to who the sermon the quote was taken from was given.
To paraphrase…
“While you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of causes related to malnutrition and starvation. Most of you don’t give a shit. In fact, most of you are more offended that I just said ‘shit’ than you are that 30,000 children died.”
I think everyone will enjoy the clip of Tony on Eastern University’s website at http://www.eastern.edu/change. His perspective on urban economic development has formed the foundation of the urban studies program at the School for Social Change.
Shane –
That makes sense. I guess I’ve just been in liberal and social justice circles for so long now that it hardly seems surprising. But I guess in the Evangelical circles it still is.