Clinton's spiritual adviser to speak in Salisbury (From Salisbury Journal)

Clinton's spiritual adviser to speak in Salisbury

8:52am Tuesday 16th October 2012 in News By Corey Ross

AN author, speaker and former spiritual adviser to Bill Clinton will be entertaining an audience in Salisbury on Friday.

Dr Tony Campolo is a professor of sociology and an associate pastor at a church in West Philadelphia, but spends most of his time travelling around the world speaking at events.

He is a media commentator on religious, social and political matters, has written 39 books and founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), which creates, nurtures and supports programmes for at-risk children in America.

Dr Campolo was a spiritual adviser to Bill Clinton for seven years after the president heard him speaking and invited him to breakfast at the White House.

He said: “For the next seven years, every month I would go down and talk with him about policies from a biblical perspective. After the Monica Lewinsky scandal things changed, I was more of a pastoral counsellor rather than an adviser.”

The Salisbury event, which is at St Paul’s Church Centre and is sold out, is part of a UK tour with award-winning worship leader and songwriter Graham Kendrick.

Dr Campolo will be encouraging the audience to rethink their attitude towards consumerism, justice and poverty. He said Christians in the US, and some in Britain, have decaffeinated their religion.

“It tastes like the real thing, but it doesn’t keep them awake at night,” he said.

The event is hosted by Compassion, an international child development charity that Dr Campolo is very passionate about supporting.

“We want to secure sponsors for children in Third World countries that will enable a child to be educated, fed and nurtured.

“We’re presenting a programme which we hope will be entertaining, informative and inspiring.”