You can feel the frenzy becoming elevated as America braces for yet another Presidential election. Partisan politics have staunchly drawn their lines in the sand, commercials are on repeat, phone and text blasts at nauseum as America will soon select its new leader. Many of the issues remain the same, the economy, abortion, a women’s right to choose, access to healthcare, creating safe and healthy communities. The list goes on. At the forefront, from a religious perspective where does the church fit in, and how does it navigate the balance between the world’s agenda and the Kingdom agenda?<\/p>\n
The intersection of church and state has been a controversial topic bolstered by the weighty opinions of supporters and opposers for centuries. Navigating this conversation and doing my best to find a kingdom perspective has admittedly been a challenge for me, but N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird’s, Jesus and the Powers is undoubtedly a help for any pastor or believer to gain firmer footing.<\/p>\n
As we look at today’s climate, these two authors lay a foundational truth for all to grasp. This is not the first time the church has been at this crossroads. A look at the early church and the Roman empire in biblical history outlines the challenges and conditions that mirror similar circumstances to our Western hemisphere. One of the challenges we attempt to maneuver through is connected to authority and how we must deal with authority and the powers that be. Citing the encounter with Pontius Pilate, Jesus acknowledges that Pilate is “in a position of divinely authorized responsibility and authority over him.” Highlighting the fact that those in authority and responsibility are to be held accountable, a second principle is also brought forth, and that is that accountability works outwards to include any who put the authority figures in the position of doing the wrong thing.[1]<\/p>\n
This principle is the lynchpin which holds together the defense for why the church must be engaged and also provides a credible defense for why the church must be front and center on the political stage. As the authors suggest, if you want to change the game you need skin the game.[2]\u00a0 The church and political activism and advocacy have long been questioned, but this reading helps underscore that Kingdom activism is the transformational tool that will affect change. Looking through the lens of a cross and kingdom centered church the Kingdom of God which includes reconciliation, forgiveness, liberation, and justice can truly manifest.[3]<\/p>\n
What I love about this reading is the fact that Christian witness is not dismissed. There is an argument made that Christian influence has its place in government. This synthesis of Christian influence and government in my view paves the way for the church to have and utilize its voice with both authority and power. I live and serve in a community where poverty abounds, crime and quality of life are deteriorating, and a lack of available resources is experienced by some, but this is not the story for all. As neighborhoods are calling for revival, renewal, and reinvestment, the government is being called to task, and politicians are being called to accountability. A popular cry that echoes from the streets is where is the church’s voice for such a time as this? A roll call will uncover some are silent, others have laryngitis, and others are bullies with bullhorns.<\/p>\n
However, many churches have opted to remain on the sidelines, using their ambiguity and silence as a form of political correctness. This has prompted critics to ask, how can the church remain asleep in an increasingly woke culture? Many are looking for the church to move from thoughts and prayers. Yes, faith without works is dead, but engaging in the work of politics has always been touchy.<\/p>\n
Wright and Bird speak to a public theology, building for a kingdom while giving space for others to be political. This, from my view, is a balancing act and no easy feat. It’s like asking most of us to engage in time management. Easier said than done! While I immensely enjoyed this reading, I would have loved to hear more practical tips on how to be politically engaging and possibly some examples of how to use our Christian influence for Kingdom results in political spaces. While there is a plethora of persons who feel as though they are politically engaging from a correct vantage point, the church could use more help in this area.<\/p>\n
While Jesus has overcome the world, the church in America is still slowly trying to come over. The rise of Christian Nationalism, racism, sexism, classism, and bigotry is at its door. Getting a world to view each other in the image of God in the middle of religious decline is a tall order, but Kingdom-minded people are continuing the fight and refusing to come up short. This reading gives clearer insight into kingdom and religious involvement between Church and State. As we brace for November, this book also gives me hope. Recognizing that Christ and his church have battled empires in the past, we can also draw upon the teachings and lessons learned from our Savior and the early church that could potentially lead us toward a brighter present and a hopeful future.<\/p>\n
[1] N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024), 42.<\/p>\n
[2] Wright and Bird, 36.<\/p>\n
[3} Wright and Bird, 100.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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