Bart Campolo

Bart Campolo is an American humanist speaker and writer. He is the son of Tony Campolo, and was a pastor before transitioning from Christianity to secular humanism.^[1] Campolo is the co-founder of Mission Year and the author of several books including Kingdom Works: True Stories of God and His People in Inner City America and Things We Wish We Had Said, which he co-wrote with his father. Campolo is known for giving impassioned speeches to young people, particularly recruiting them to be more involved in their local urban areas. Bart Campolo also was frequently cited as a figure in Progressive Christianity. He is currently the humanist chaplain at the University of Southern California.

Education

Campolo obtained a B.A. in Religious Studies from Brown University.^[2]

Controversy over alleged heresy

Bart Campolo sparked some controversy after publishing an article in The Journal of Student Ministries entitled The Limits of God's Grace. This article, which argues that God is not currently in control of the universe and will eventually utterly triumph over evil, was perceived as heretical by many in the evangelical community, most notably by Christianity Today, who drew comparisons between Campolo and Ivan Karamazov.^[3]

Transition to Humanism

He has since announced that he no longer believes in God and has transitioned to Secular humanism. He is now the Humanist chaplain at the University of Southern California.^[4][5]

Conversations with Tony Campolo

Bart has engaged in an ongoing conversation with his famous evangelical father since he announced to him that he no longer believes in God. They are co-authoring a book exploring the issues at the heart of this conversation,^[6] and a documentary film is being produced which will feature the conversations between them and tell the story of Bart's journey out of faith.^[7]

References

External links

• Bart Campolo.com
• The Walnut Hills Fellowship
• Mission Year.org
• EAPE.org