| What is the name of your creative endeavor? My latest book is entitled Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians. What is the primary purpose(s) of your work? Anxiety and fear are socially, culturally, through the roof. Many of our communities appear at a breaking point. And politics is a central player in all this fear. Christianity, in America, is also a central player in the fear, hostility, and anxiety. Christianity, I’m making the case in the book, is being used and abused by the powers that be. But worse, Christians themselves seem to have been the primary players in bastardizing Christianity, and destroying their own witness in the world. |  |
I actually think that Christianity provides a great deal of good news to the world. I’m increasingly convinced—leave it to an arrogant academic to say such a thing—but still, I’m increasingly convinced that many Christians themselves don’t understand what Christianity is. We certainly then can’t expect non-Christians to understand what Christianity is if the Christians don’t. And it’s one reason we Christians have become a bad public joke. We’ve become a scandal, but not in the New Testament sense, which saw a scandal in the message of a suffering Messiah.
Those on the left can easily poke holes in the arguments of the devotees on the right—and they have plenty of material to work with. I poke many of these holes too, in the book. And then those on the right can do the same thing to those on the left. And I poke many of those holes, as well. But the way the poking of holes and hostile debating is playing out in the public square is a fairly intoxicating brew, and not necessarily helpful in the big scheme of things. The more important question is whether we can articulate a vision that is “neither right, nor left, nor religious.” It’s whether we can articulate what I like to call a “radical conservatism” or a “liberal orthodoxy.” I think we can, and it’s what I’m trying to do in the book.
Those on the left can easily poke holes in the arguments of the devotees on the right—and they have plenty of material to work with. I poke many of these holes too, in the book. And then those on the right can do the same thing to those on the left. And I poke many of those holes, as well. But the way the poking of holes and hostile debating is playing out in the public square is a fairly intoxicating brew, and not necessarily helpful in the big scheme of things. The more important question is whether we can articulate a vision that is “neither right, nor left, nor religious.” It’s whether we can articulate what I like to call a “radical conservatism” or a “liberal orthodoxy.” I think we can, and it’s what I’m trying to do in the book.
The more important question is whether we can articulate a vision that is “neither right, nor left, nor religious.” It’s whether we can articulate what I like to call a “radical conservatism” or a “liberal orthodoxy.” I think we can, and it’s what I’m trying to do in the book. | How do you hope your work helps your audience flourish? The book provides a way out of the intractable hostility that is tearing Christian communities apart in America. It provides a different set of talking points, a different set of considerations out of which to have constructive conversations about important matters. |
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your work thus far? What are you working on now you hope to offer up soon?
I think my challenges are some of the same that many authors and artists face: self-criticism and fear, among them. But the more I’ve realized that just comes with the territory, the more I’ve learned strategies for pushing beyond those hurdles.
So far as what I’m working on now: I host and produce a variety show in Nashville called Tokens Show. We are now in our second decade of work with that project, and it’s great fun. I’d love for folks who’ve never seen our show to come join us.
Where can those new to your work find you online?
You can find out more about me at www.LeeCCamp.com. Or to find out more about Tokens Show, visit www.TokensShow.com. Socials at www.Facebook.com/leeccamp and www.Instagram.com/leeccamp.
I think my challenges are some of the same that many authors and artists face: self-criticism and fear, among them. But the more I’ve realized that just comes with the territory, the more I’ve learned strategies for pushing beyond those hurdles.
So far as what I’m working on now: I host and produce a variety show in Nashville called Tokens Show. We are now in our second decade of work with that project, and it’s great fun. I’d love for folks who’ve never seen our show to come join us.
Where can those new to your work find you online?
You can find out more about me at www.LeeCCamp.com. Or to find out more about Tokens Show, visit www.TokensShow.com. Socials at www.Facebook.com/leeccamp and www.Instagram.com/leeccamp.
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