Tony Campolo was one of a kind

He was a storyteller par excellence, but he was also a story himself. Sociologist, professor, and stirrer-upper, his presence was felt across North America, pressing Evangelicals to better understand the life and call of Jesus. While he spoke with an appeal to logic, his powerful presence grabbed hold of the heart, linking heart and mind to understand and act.

Tony was funny and unnerving. He was over the top, and yet his message was hard to resist. No one could tell a story like he could: his “facts” might make a historian’s eyes roll, but the essence and meaning of the story came through clearly.

Two personal recollections of Tony illustrate his nature and his impact.

One spring, both of us were speakers at Spring Harvest, the UK’s annual Christian festival. It was cold and wet, and the campground was soggy. When we could, we escaped by train to spend the day elsewhere. I watched him masterfully engaging in conversations with strangers, showing interest and understanding, and always with a touch of humor and a soft edge of the love of Jesus. His public rhetoric of seeing people in God’s image matched how he lived, front and center, as he took into conversations those he had never met and were unlikely to meet again. He remarkably moved into serious issues of life, what they liked, what they had in common, and when appropriate a note of faith, and introduction to Jesus often ending with a loving embrace. It was a lesson in being life-giving even in public settings.

While I was serving as president of Tyndale University, we arranged for Tony to come to a series of meetings across southern Ontario. But just before he came, he got a call: “Tony, this is Bill Clinton, and I need you to do the opening prayer at the launch of my library at Little Rock, Arkansas next Thursday.” Tony explained that he was speaking in Ontario and could not come. Within 20 minutes he got another call: “Tony, this is President George Bush, and I need you next Thursday at noon in Little Rock.” Quite surprised by this follow-up call, Tony again said he had an engagement in Ontario. The response: “Give me the closest airport to your Wednesday night engagement, and a jet will be there waiting at 10:00 that night.” We finished the evening meeting in Kitchener and drove to Hamilton, where a jet was waiting to take Tony to the Clinton library opening the next day. His authenticity linked him with those on thrones and those walking pedestrian pathways.

Many more stories will be told about Tony. He was fearless, provocative, and not afraid to take the risk of being controversial or wrong. But his deep affection for Jesus and his empathy for those in need were unmistakable. He infuriated some along the way, but for many of us, he was a compelling reminder of what it means to follow Jesus. Tony Campolo was a great gift to all of us.

Brian C. Stiller
Global Ambassador, World Evangelical Alliance
November 2024