"When leading evangelicals say terrible things about Islam, evil things about Islam, terrible things about Muhammad, they ought to be ashamed of themselves"
About this Quote
Campolo’s sentence swings less like a theological argument than a rebuke delivered from inside the house. By naming “leading evangelicals,” he targets status and influence, not random hotheads. The point isn’t that prejudice exists; it’s that it’s being laundered through authority, broadcast as piety, and treated as a legitimate extension of Christian witness.
The triple repetition - “terrible… evil… terrible” - does two jobs. It mimics the breathless escalation of outrage culture while also refusing to dignify the claims with a point-by-point refutation. He isn’t debating Islam; he’s judging the moral character of the speech itself. Notice the shift from Islam (a religion) to Muhammad (a person, revered by Muslims): Campolo recognizes that the rhetoric often moves from critique to desecration, from disagreement to humiliation. That move is the tell.
“Ought to be ashamed of themselves” is old-school pastoral language, but it’s also strategic. Shame is communal; it implies standards the speaker and the audience are supposed to share. Campolo is invoking a specifically Christian ethic - restraint, humility, love of neighbor - and implying that anti-Muslim vitriol isn’t just politically ugly, it’s spiritually disqualifying.
The context is post-9/11 American evangelical politics, where Islam is frequently cast as civilizational threat and where culture-war incentives reward bluntness. Campolo’s intent is to sever that feedback loop: to deny religious cover to cruelty, and to remind evangelicals that you don’t get to call it “truth-telling” when it’s really contempt with a microphone.
The triple repetition - “terrible… evil… terrible” - does two jobs. It mimics the breathless escalation of outrage culture while also refusing to dignify the claims with a point-by-point refutation. He isn’t debating Islam; he’s judging the moral character of the speech itself. Notice the shift from Islam (a religion) to Muhammad (a person, revered by Muslims): Campolo recognizes that the rhetoric often moves from critique to desecration, from disagreement to humiliation. That move is the tell.
“Ought to be ashamed of themselves” is old-school pastoral language, but it’s also strategic. Shame is communal; it implies standards the speaker and the audience are supposed to share. Campolo is invoking a specifically Christian ethic - restraint, humility, love of neighbor - and implying that anti-Muslim vitriol isn’t just politically ugly, it’s spiritually disqualifying.
The context is post-9/11 American evangelical politics, where Islam is frequently cast as civilizational threat and where culture-war incentives reward bluntness. Campolo’s intent is to sever that feedback loop: to deny religious cover to cruelty, and to remind evangelicals that you don’t get to call it “truth-telling” when it’s really contempt with a microphone.
Quote Details
| Topic | Respect |
|---|
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