Tony Campolo, founder of the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, discussed accomplishing social change with the Elon community Wednesday night in McCrary Theater.

Campolo’s talk was featured as this year’s H. Shelton Smith Lecture, which invites speakers to Elon to discuss the role of religion in society.

Campolo’s lecture began with an explanation of the “inverse relationship” between love and power.

“You must relinquish power in order to exercise love,” he said.

Campolo said he believes that God chooses to love his people, and in doing so releases his control over the world.

“In order to express his love, God gave up his power,” Campolo said.

Campolo pointed to this religious anecdote as an example that nations, religious groups and individuals should all seek to sacrifice power for love as well.

Although Campolo said exertion of power is often viewed as the way to create change in the world, Campolo said he believes that power often does more harm than good by corrupting those who wield it.

Campolo said he was troubled by the recent Evangelical Christian movement to pass Proposition 8 in California, which revoked the right of homosexuals to marry. Though the Evangelicals demonstrated great political power, it came at the high cost of turning many members of the gay community against Christianity, he said.

During his lecture, Campolo offered an alternative to power that he said is the best way to inspire social change: authority.

“The world changes, and the world responds to authority,” he said.

Authority must be earned by self-sacrifice and demonstration of love, Campolo said. He sited Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa and leaders of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, as examples of authoritative figures.

Campolo also expressed the belief that it is important for power to be relinquished in the lives of individuals.

All Christians are “Christian to a point,” he said, referring to what he said is the tendency of Christians to only adopt the religious customs and traditions that are easily suited to their lifestyles.

It is important for individuals to act as “a suffering servant,” in order to live kind, loving lives, Campolo said.

Towards the end of his lecture, Campolo clarified his opinion about power by saying that the concept itself is not naturally a bad thing.

“It’s how we use power in the world," he said. "Do we come to coerce, or do we come to persuade (others in our society)?”