Tony Campolo is famous – or infamous – for a statement made at a Christian college chapel service:

“The United Nations reports that over ten thousand people starve to death each day, and most of you don’t give a SH%T.  However, what is even more tragic is that most of you are more concerned about the fact that I just said “sh%t” than you are about the fact that ten thousand people are going to starve today.”

Let me ask you:

• What was your first thought when you read that quote?  Did you visualize thousands of starving people? Or were you stunned by the use of the “bad” word?
• Imagine if you had been in the congregation at your church and he made that statement. What would have struck you then?
• Can think of any better way to point out that sometimes we do not have the heart and priority of Christ? 
• Can you think of a better way to reveal our tendency toward self-righteousness and legalism?

I’ve never had the nerve to say anything like this from the pulpit. Maybe if I was a traveling speaker who didn’t have to face the same crowd again a week later I might have considered it…