Biography
The Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania and founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. He speaks extensively on college and university campuses and makes frequent appearances on television programs like CNN News, Nightline, and Crossfire. Tony is an outspoken advocate for justice and equality, especially for children who are "at risk." [Biographical information is correct as of the broadcast date noted above.]

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"Becoming What God Intended You to Be" 
At Eastern University, where I taught for so many years, I would constantly encounter students who would ask a simple question: How can I know what God wants me to do with my life? What a question! But I could never answer the question because I'm not sure that Jesus wants us to look that far ahead. I'm convinced that what Jesus calls us to do is to solve this problem: What should I be doing today? He says quite pointedly, "Take no thought for tomorrow what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Are you going to do what God wants you to do today? That's the ultimate question. Everyday you should get up and say, "This is the day that the Lord has made. What does God want me to do? What does God want me to achieve this day?"

I have a friend whose name is Mike Yaconelli. He had a deacon in his church who didn't "deak!" You know what that's like. He just didn't do what he was supposed to do as a deacon. One day he said to the deacon, "I have a group of young people that go to the old folks home and put on a worship service once a month. Would you drive them to the old folks home and at least do that?" The deacon agreed.

The first Sunday the deacon was at the old folks home, he was in the back with his arms folded as the kids were doing their thing up front. All of a sudden, someone was tugging at his arm. He looked down and here was this old man in a wheelchair. He took hold of the old man's hand and the old man held his hand all during the service. The next month that was repeated. The man in the wheelchair came and held the hand of the deacon. The next month, the next month, and the next month. Then the old man wasn't there. The deacon inquired and he was told, "Oh, he's down the hall, right hand side, third door. He's dying. He's unconscious, but if you want to go down and pray over his body that's alright."

The deacon went and there were tubes and wires hanging out all over the place. The deacon took the man's hand and prayed that God would receive the man, that God would bring this man from this life into the next and give him eternal blessings. As soon as he finished the prayer, the old man squeezed the deacon's hand and the deacon knew that he had been heard. He was so moved by this that tears began to run down his cheeks. He stumbled out of the room and as he did so he bumped into a woman. She said, "He's been waiting for you. He said that he didn't want to die until he had the chance to hold the hand of Jesus one more time."

The deacon was amazed at this. He said, "What do you mean?"

She said, "Well, my father would say that once a month Jesus came to this place. ‘He would take my hand and he would hold my hand for a whole hour. I don't want to die until I have the chance to hold the hand of Jesus one more time.'"

People, I don't know what you think the calling of God is, but I'll tell you it is this: the calling of God is to do what Jesus would do if Jesus were in your place. It's to be Jesus for people who are in need. It's to be Jesus for people who hurt. It's to be Jesus for people who are lonely. The way you do that is by doing three things.

First of all, you've got to believe in people. Sometimes students come to me at Eastern University and say, "I don't believe in God any more." My immediate response is, "That's ok. God still believes in you!" God does believe in each of us and we are called upon to believe in other people even as God does: to believe in their potential, to believe in their possibilities, to see in every human being inclinations to greatness. Do you believe in people? Parents, do you believe in your children? Children, do you believe in your parents? Do you believe in the church? But you say, they fail us! Yes, and in the midst of the failure there is still the possibility for greatness and success. Jesus could look at people and believe in them.

One time I was talking on social problems and I said, "Can you imagine what Jesus would say to a prostitute?" One of my students said, "Jesus never met a prostitute!" I flipped open the Bible and immediately showed him where Jesus did meet prostitutes and what he said to them. The student looked back with a smile and said, "Doctor, when Jesus met a prostitute, do you think he saw a prostitute?" I was stymied. Indeed, when Jesus looked at a person he always saw the person in terms of what that person could be, what that person could become. He believed in people. If you're going to be Jesus for others you've got to believe in people.

The second thing is that you have to show forgiveness to people. Jesus was a forgiver and we are asked to forgive others even as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven us. I have a friend, Chuck Colsen. He was at a prison with a group putting on a service for prisoners. When the group was leaving the prison, there was one man missing. He went back with the warden to find the man. Lo and behold, the man that was missing was in a cell, on his knees with a prisoner. Chuck said, "I scolded the man and said, ‘You're ruining our good graces here! Please come out of there. What's going on?'" The man rose to his feet and said, "I'm Judge Brewer. This is a man that I condemned to death. We need some time to forgive each other." Jesus taught forgiveness.

The last thing I hold before you is this: Jesus really called us to exercise unrestrained love, unconditional love. Have you got it? To be Jesus for people you've got to believe in them, you've got to forgive them, and you have to show them unconditional love.

A friend of mine who's a university pastor said there was a young woman in his office one day, crying her eyes out. She was a lesbian and she had been outed. The word was getting around the campus and she knew it was only a short period of time before the word would get back to her father who was a Baptist preacher and a very stern man. She knew that when her father found out, her father would reject her. My friend said to her, "Let me save you the trouble. Sit right there while I call your father."

He picked up the phone and dialed this pastor, this minister, this Baptist preacher and said, "Your daughter is in my office. Over the last several months she has proven to be one of the loveliest, kindest, most gentle Christian on this campus. She lives out her faith." The father immediately responded with pride and said, "You're right. She's wonderful. She's glorious!" He went on and on about how wonderful his daughter was. Then my friend, the university chaplain, said, "I'm glad we agree. In the next thirty seconds I'm going to find out whether you are worthy to be called her father."

The good news is the father did prove worthy. He exercised unconditional love. He accepted his daughter and he then taught others to accept their children when their children are in such plights and difficulties. That's what it means to be an imitator of Christ. That's God's calling. We are called to imitate Jesus and in every situation we need to do that. Here is what he says about the long run of life: If you are faithful in little things, then you will be master over the great things. If you do day by day what Jesus would do if Jesus were in your place, you become Jesus for people by showing to others the Good News—the good news that they worship a God who extends to them unconditional love, a God who forgives, a God who believes in people. Do you do that?

I see people with these little pins that say: WWJD, "What Would Jesus Do?" There are those who criticize and say it's too simplistic. I don't think it is. I've read a lot of theology books, I've taken graduate courses in Christian ethics, but when it's all said and done that's the question. Whether it's a matter on the macro level of should we go to war, should we be involved in Iraq, should we be bombing Bagdad, the question is: What would Jesus do? And if it is in our everyday lives, if it's in the restaurant, if it's in the hallway at work and we bump into someone, we have to ask: How would Jesus act? What would Jesus do? What would Jesus say? That's our calling, that's our responsibility. If we live out that calling, on the greater scale it will become real to us.

As I make decisions about what I'm going to do about work, about ministries that I'm getting into or causes that I should be identified with, I do one thing more. Not only do think what would Jesus do, but I get together with some Christian friends. I hope you have some. If not, choose some and become friends with them. I meet with a group each week, if I can, and we spend a couple of hours talking and praying. Whenever I have a decision to make as to what God is calling me to do, I run it by them and ask them to pray about it and then we talk about. When we are together and of one accord, then I have a pretty good sense that I'm doing the will of God.

Day by day, do what Jesus would do. When you have to make a big decision, pray about it, call together your friends, and ask them to give their reflections. That will keep you from making egoistic decisions. They will be able to check and balance, to make sure you are doing the will of God. This is what it means to build the kingdom. The kingdom will come when his will is done on Earth as it is in heaven. Be Jesus for somebody today.

Interview with Tony Campolo
Interviewed by Floyd Brown

Floyd Brown: Tony, it's always such a privilege to have you as part of our program and, for me, to listen to your philosophy and your approach to life itself. You are so accomplished. You've done so many things. You had to start somewhere! Where did this calling start with you?

Tony Campolo: Whenever anybody asks, "How were you called into ministry?" I always say when I was a little boy my mother used to say to me, "You were brought into this world to love other people in the name of Jesus Christ, to serve other people, especially the poor and the oppressed. Do you understand that?" People ask, "How did you get called to the ministry?" And my response is that I never once was called, my mother decided! People say, "Well, parents can't decide things like that for their children." And I say, "Why not? Everybody else is telling their children what to do with their lives: the media, their peer group, the counselor at school. What is wrong with a parent standing up and saying, ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'" My calling to serve Jesus Christ came from my mother and that's a good place for it to come from. I advise all mothers and fathers to do that for their children.

Brown: Remember the athlete talking about not being a role model, that role models ought to be the mothers and fathers?

Campolo: That was Charles Barkley and he's absolutely right. I think mothers and fathers have to understand that they are the ultimate role models. I'm a sociologist. The degree to which children replicate the patterns that they've learned from their parents has everything to do with what happens in their lives. In a sense, parents become the instrument of God that call children into service to his kingdom. Every parent should see himself or herself as an instrument of God to call children into service.

Brown: What do you say to the parents that think they are guiding their children in the right direction but they don't seem to be getting through with the message?

Campolo: I think in that point they have to do this: every parent needs to take time out each day—hardly any do this and I didn't do this myself up until a couple of decades ago—to be absolutely still in the morning, to create what the Celtic Christians called a "thin place." To go off by myself and just be still and allow the spirit of God to flow into me, to allow the energy of God to flow into me and to take hold of me. After you've said all that you can say to a child maybe it's time to stop talking and maybe it's time to just get filled with the spirit each day. Just go up to that kid, put your arm around that kid, and let the spirit of God flow through you into that child. I know that sounds quite mystical and very post-modern, but I believe that God is a power, an energy force, that can flow into us and through us if we will take time to become holy as the old hymn said. When you've done your best and said this is what you ought to do with your life, let God flow through you into your child.

Brown: Let go and let God. Thank you, Tony. It's always a pleasure.