This week we revisit the archives for a sermon from Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner. She unpacks the greatest commandment in Matthew 22, confronts the political divisions fracturing the modern church, and challenges us to step outside the church walls to bring tangible mercy, unity, and justice to our communities.

---

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

Connect with Dr. Skinner

• Dr. Skinner on Instagram
• Dr. Skinner on Facebook

Shane examines the U.S. death penalty as both a failed experiment and a theological crisis. Drawing on the harrowing executions of Krista Pike and Byron Black, he challenges Christians to confront their role in sustaining capital punishment—arguing that true justice and mercy require abolishing the "machinery of death" once and for all.

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

Get involved and support the work of Death Penalty Action

Originally recorded and published on the RLC Blog on July 3, 2021.

One-hundred and seventy-four years ago, abolitionist, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass gave a speech to the 600 members of the Rochester Ladies Anti-Slavery Society entitled “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” On July 3, 2021, Christian leaders from around the country gathered virtually with Red Letter Christians to read this powerful piece together.

Read along here:

----

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

We speak with longtime Red Letter Christian supporter and author Terry Webb about her 94 years of life, how she's grown her faith, and her new book, "Christian Citizenship Endangered in America.” A response to Trumpism and the rise of Christian nationalism shaping U.S. policy.

Connect with Terry

• Terry on LinkedIn
• email:authorterrywebb@gmail.com
• Terry on X: @TrustingTerry
• Terry on Instagram:
• Terry’s site
• Terry’s Substack
• Terry on Facebook

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

This week, we talk to Scotty Utz from RAWtools South and discuss transforming firearms into garden tools and designing faith-informed, survivor-centered rituals around gun destruction. We cover RAWTools' efforts to promote nonviolence through certification programs and their Gun Violence Awareness Month events, including the Blacksmith-a-Marathon, which honors all victims of gun violence.

Connect with Scotty

• Scotty’s site
• RAWTool South
• RAWTools South IG

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

Shane reflects on 50 years of the modern U.S. death penalty, tracing his journey from defender to opponent on moral and Christian grounds. Exposing its roots in poverty, racial bias, and historical lynching, he highlights abolitionist activism—from prayer vigils to powerful stories of exonerees and former wardens haunted by botched executions.

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

Shane announces the National Peacemaker Association (NPA), a global movement uniting activists against war, gun violence, and state-sanctioned violence. From building out nonviolence certifications and political accountability to the Peacemaker Pledge, discover how NPA is organizing for peace.

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

Shane Claiborne hosts a special Red Letter Christians morning prayer episode featuring leaders from the newly launched National Peacemaker Association. Timed with the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the episode pairs Scripture, prayer, and worship with urgent calls to nonviolence. Guest leaders—including Rev. Jack Sullivan Jr. and Rev. Sharon Risher—share powerful personal testimonies on gun violence prevention, conscientious objection, and the NPA Peacemaker Pledge, inspiring listeners to pair active faith with peacemaking.

Connect with RLC

• Help sustain the work of RLC: www.redletterchristians.org/donate/
• To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org
• Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians
• Instagram: @RedLetterXians
• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne