Partly Right: Learning from the Critics of Christianity

by Tony Campolo, Mark McGarry (Designed by)

Marx…Kierkegaard…Nietzsche…Freud…If we do not learn from them, it may be at our own peril. In Partly Right, Dr. Campolo explores the background and claims of the major critics of bourgeois Christianity from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Stepping into the roles of these intellectuals, he argues their points, their views, and their complaints about the middle-class societies spawned by Protestantism. Campolo clearly and rationally shows both pros and cons of the critic's theories. As Christians, we should be aware not only of their misconceptions, but also of their truths. Campolo says, "Middle-class Christianity shows no signs of dying. This book is designed to analyze the criticisms of its enemies, test their validity, and explain why bourgeois religion has survived them.". A Tony Campolo Classic!

Genres: Christianity, Philosophy, Religion, Christian Living, Christian

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Anthony Campolo was an American sociologist, Baptist pastor, author, public speaker, and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Campolo was known as one of the most influential leaders in the evangelical left and was a major proponent of progressive thought and reform within the evangelical community. He also became a leader of the Red-Letter Christian movement, which aims to put emphasis on the teachings of Jesus. Campolo was a popular commentator on religious, political, and social issues, and had been a guest on programs such as The Colbert Report, The Charlie Rose Show, Larry King Live, Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect and The Hour.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I had had this book when I went to college. I think I would have been a lot less confused! I went to a liberal arts college that loved all things liberal, I studied Marx, Neitzhe, Freud and came out confused, there seemed to be two choiced, either Christianity was a load of bunk or I had to reject what these thinkers were saying (this was partly the result of my youth, and partly the bias of my professors).

Campolo comes into this and says (as the title does) that these critics of Christianity were on to something, and it behooves us to pay attention to them. He breaks down the critique as an attack from above (neitzhe, freud, existentialism) and below (marx, socialism/communism). And he focuses on the critique these thinkers offer to the Western middle class church.

Though the book was talking about issues relevant in the 1980s to the contemporary church, I was surprised at how little had changed. The one big difference being the fall of communism around the world; otherwise many of the same issues are alive and well.

If I have time, I will write a more full review breaking down each section. For now I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a primer in though thought and paradigms of these thinkers and a thoughtful evangelical Christian interaction with their material. I know it was eye-opening for me!

[Noah Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, don’t have time for clear analysis. This would probably have been a 4/5 if not dated—it’s from the 80s. It was interesting in some ways BECAUSE it was dated; his survey of the political and religious landscape was interesting. (Apparently Campolo served as Clinton’s spiritual advisor, which isn’t a great look for him, but Samuel was David and Saul’s spiritual advisor.) Overall, I’d say the relevant challenges are not as different today as I would have expected. Campolo was considered a progressive Christian then and still would be now, but he probably couldn’t be bullish on the Church in the progressive movement today. Anyway, I read this because it claimed to do something I hope to do someday—take all the “scariest” thinkers and make them less scary to, and even appreciated by, Christians. He covers Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, and some others. He seems to understand them well enough for this kind of book. But I often felt like he too quickly moved towards a moderate position between two extreme views, like Marxist and laissez-faire economics. Even when my own ideas are moderate, it always feel a little cheap to say “ah, the ideal is somewhere in between these two obviously bad things.” That kind of view has to be worked out pretty thoroughly to not feel like a wave of the hand. And he covers lots of important and interesting stuff in 200 pages. Also, Campolo’s theological emphasis learned a little more Tillich than I was comfortable with, but a lot was implicit and I didn’t find any clear denials of orthodoxy, etc. I think theology, especially academic, was just so continental and German for a long time, and that seeped into lots of writers.

Anyway, I think there are better works like this out there, like by James KA Smith, but this book would probably be of interest as a time capsule more than anything else, for anyone who wants a sense for what liberal Christians in the 80s thought about social, philosophical, and religious issues.

[Rocky Curtiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Campolo is a brilliant writer in that he takes mundane, often confusing subjects and makes them palatable to people like myself. In this book he's taken philosophies with which I had vague understanding and allowed me to get a better sense of them and how they relate to my faith. However, since the book was written in the 1980's, I would love to see another chapter on Evangelical differences in today's world.

[Joey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read if you want to learn about the philosophies of Christianity's greatest critics such as Søren Kierkegaard, Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Campolo argues that we can learn much about our own faith from their critiques. After pulling out the beneficial insights from the philosophers, Campolo demonstrates how Christianity would benefit from taking the critics seriously, and he then demonstrates where the critics fall short in their philosophies in comparison to Christ's message. This book is a good read!

[Scott Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nietzsche, Freud, Marx, and others; what do middle class American church goers have to learn from them?!

Campolo models how to engage and learn from those we disagree with. I wish more of us could break past the labels we slap on others. Labeling is useful for thinking as a starting point, but lousy for relating with real people outside our own religious bubble.

[Luke Larner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at Christianity's famous critics, what they got right and what they got wrong. Being written by Campolo it has a distinct bias towards a Liberation Theology standpoint, and therefore much of the book is spent criticising white-middle-class-christians. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Michaelpatrick Keena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sometimes Mr. Campolo is so busy identifying with non-Christians that its hard to tell the difference. His view of tolerance at times blurrs into acceptance.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great start. I was disappointed by some of his conclusions at the end of the book, however, other writers like Peter Rollins pick up where Campolo leaves off.

[Hien Nguyen, Minh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this and think that I found the right book. Tony Campolo does a great job of presenting different viewpoints, taking the base as the American middle class religion to begin with.