New eBook!
Christ's Co-Rulers
I’m excited to announce my new book!
Christ’s Co-Rulers: Understanding Christian Political Engagement
The book is a compilation of essays I’ve written over the years, along with a number of all-new pieces on the day's most pressing matters. You can check out the table of contents below, and continue scrolling to read the Introduction.
If you’re a paying subscriber, you can download the book for no extra charge at the end of this post! If you’re not, you can become one for $8/month (less if you pay by the year), or pick up a digital copy at Amazon ($9.99) or Focus Press ($9.99).
UPDATE: Now available in paperback as well!
Introduction
“Not the elephant or the donkey, but the lamb.”
“Christ’s Kingdom doesn’t need America.”
“Too many worldly-minded Christians have made an idol out of their country and their way of life.”
“Christians and power don’t mix.”
“No matter what happens in our country and in our elections, Jesus is still on His throne.”
“No politician or party is going to save America; only Jesus can do that.”
“Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world, so the church and the country are not to mix.”
“We’re not called to win elections, we’re called to win souls.”
Every election year, these quips come spilling forth from pulpits, blogs, and podcasts. Countless, nearly identical books have been authored to decry the political division in our country and plead Christians to return their focus to the kingdom and stop getting caught up in the affairs of this world.
But that’s just the question, isn’t it: is caring about politics a diversion from kingdom work? Does a Christian have to choose? When they set it up as an either/or, to disagree makes it seem as though one has chosen politics over the kingdom. But they’ve begged the question–is political involvement unavoidably a distraction from the kingdom?
I would argue that no, it is not. Jesus’ kingdom is about His Lordship over the entire universe, including the kingdoms and rulers of this world. To be political is not to be unspiritual. Instead, it is one of many ways we can bring the spiritual rule of His kingdom to bear on earth.
They’ve not only engaged in question-begging, but they’ve created a false dichotomy. Logical fallacies abound. Notice, none of the options in their pious-sounding quips are actually binary choices. We can win souls and elections. God can care about the church and nations. We can align with a political party and trust in Jesus.
To be fair, one can become inordinately focused on or involved in politics at the expense of more pressing pursuits. If you find it is consuming all your time and attention, and that you have exponentially more time devoted to reading and listening to political content than you do Bible study and prayer, reevaluate.
But that does not mean any and all political involvement is idolatrous. Many of today’s idols are made by turning a lesser good into an ultimate good, but the danger of doing that does not make the lesser good into an evil. There is plenty of safe ground for the Christian between the two extremes of being apolitical and being politically idolatrous. We don’t have to choose between only those two options.
That is the first reason for this book: I want to assure the people in church pews that they are not being carnally-minded, selfish, or idolatrous for caring about the political well-being of their nation, state, and city.
Wanting a government that punishes the wicked (Romans 13:2-4) and rewards the good (1 Peter 2:14) does not mean you don’t care about the kingdom. Desiring peace, safety, and enough financial security that you can comfortably take care of your family, live your Christian life quietly, and help others does not make you idolatrous (1 Timothy 2:2).
Taking a side, even with a “lesser of two evils,” knowing that the outcome will materially affect your life and the lives of all those around you, doesn’t make you sinfully divisive. I’m tired of ivory tower-dwelling preachers and academics telling us we’re wrong for caring. This book is here to tell you we’re not.
The second reason is to make the case that, not only is it acceptable for a Christian to care about and engage in the political, it is a good and proper exercise of a God-given gift.
As Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), the expansion of His kingdom means bringing His blessings to bear on the nations that are being discipled (28:19). The last 2,000 years have seen the outgrowth of that authority and discipling to the point that people who often had no power and no rights now have a profound ability to affect their communities for good.
And when someone stands in an air-conditioned, gigantic, tax-exempt church building filled with comfortable seats, with freedom to worship and often with police presence out front to protect that freedom, and tells the audience that Christians should not strive to influence society, we should not hesitate to dismiss every word of their claim.
We take for granted just how much Christ’s influence on the political realm has improved the lives of billions of people, and if we continue to see a backsliding we’re going to find out just how ugly the world can get without that influence.
As an amillennialist, I believe we currently live under the worldwide reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1-6). There is no 1,000-year reign, tribulation, rapture, or any of that yet to come. The era of the church is the 1,000 year reign, and the spread of Christian influence throughout the world is one piece of evidence for that claim.
But notice an oft-overlooked factor in that reign: His saints are also ruling with Him (20:6), as promised to begin the book (1:6, 5:10). How do we rule? By faithfully proclaiming the Gospel and discipling the nations (Matthew 28:18-20). And as He promised, the kingdom that started out as small as a mustard seed or a pinch of leaven has continued to grow (Matthew 13:31-33).
It is only because we have ceased faithfully proclaiming the truth, ceased pruning the church, and ceased striving to influence the culture with Christ’s truths that culture has turned more and more from God. When those preachers assure us that America can live or die and it won’t affect the kingdom, they’re missing the fact that America’s death would be a sure sign that Christ’s co-rulers in America have let their nation down. It is up to us to resume our forward march into the world under Christ’s banner.
I do not believe political involvement is the only way we can impact the world, or even the foremost way. But it is a way we can impact the world. So, I’ve compiled this collection of essays to address the objections and correct the popular misunderstandings of the kingdom, lay out the game plan, and exhort the church to take up her task in the realm of politics.
“The Church is not, however, simply a counterculture. She has been given the subversive mission of converting whatever culture she finds herself in. She works to the end that her language, her rites, and her way of life might become formative for an entire society.
She withdraws from the world for the sake of the world. Having been drawn into the communion of the triune God, she participates also in the mission of the triune God.”
-Peter J. Leithart, Against Christianity