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:

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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.

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• email:authorterrywebb@gmail.com
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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

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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.

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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.

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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
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• Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne
• Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne

In this solo show, Shane Claiborne marks Gun Violence Awareness Month by highlighting Raw Tools' unique mission to transform surrendered weapons into art and garden tools. Specifically, he focuses on their June blacksmith marathon—a powerful initiative memorializing the 40,000 American lives lost annually to gun violence while calling for urgent, commonsense gun reform.

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 chat with Brad Jersak, from Saint Stephen's University, about living a nonviolent, justice-seeking Christianity that resists the “takeover mentality.” Instead, it acts as the church’s prophetic conscience, echoing Dr. King’s view of laws and heart-change as parallel tracks.

More about Brad

• Brad's site
• Saint Stephen's
• Brad on IG
• Brad on Substack

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