Christian Political Witness

by George Kalantzis (Editor), Gregory W. Lee (Editor)

Overview

"My kingdom is not of this world." Followers of Jesus have been struggling to understand these words ever since he first uttered them—often in sharply contradictory ways. Today the inescapably political nature of Christian witness is widely recognized. But what is the shape of this witness? What should Christian political engagement look like today? The twelve essays in this volume, originally presented at the 2013 Wheaton Theology Conference, present biblical, historical and theological proposals for thinking responsibly about the intersection of church and state in the contemporary cultural situation. Prophetic and pastoral, this book offers a fresh look at a crucial and contested dimension of the Christian life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830896202
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	03/28/2014
Series:	Wheaton Theology Conference Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service, Theodore of Mopsuestia: Commentary on the Gospel of John, coeditor with Andrew Tooley of Evangelicals and the Early Church: Recovery, Reform, Renewal, with Jeffrey P. Greenman of Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective and with D. Stephen Long of The Sovereignty of God Debate, as well a numerous articles and essays on Patristic thought. He is currently completing a project on wealth and poverty titled Crumbs From the Table: The Eucharist in the Life of the Church. Before coming to Wheaton College, Kalantzis taught seminary and doctoral students as they were preparing to engage the world and the church. He and his wife share this goal and vision with their Chicago area congregation where they serve in missions, the worship arts programs, and in adult and children's education.
"Today When You Hear His Voice": Scripture, the Covenants, and the People of God, explores the dynamics of scriptural authority in Augustine, Calvin and the epistle to the Hebrews. His next major project will focus on Augustine's understanding of ecclesial sin and its implications for church division and the church-world relationship. He and his wife live in the North Lawndale area of Chicago, where they attend Lawndale Christian Community Church.

Table of Contents

Introduction, by George Kalantzis and Gregory W. Lee

Editorial Reviews

03/10/2014
Wheaton College professors Kalantzis and Lee pose a provocative question: “Are Christians today anything more than an interest group?” In light of a 2013 Pew report showing the U.S. on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country, 12 prominent theologians respond. From the salty Stanley Hauerwas to the precise Mark Noll, each gnaws on an ancient bone: since the outlawed Jesus Movement became legitimate under Constantine, what are we to make of Christians and politics? Scot McKnight and Timothy Gombis examine the politics of Jesus and Paul. David Gushee and David Gitari outline an evangelical social tradition and a world evangelical move to social transformation. Jana Bennett asks how a theology that expects consistency in family, state, and church values can exist in a pluralistic democracy. Perhaps Kalantzis’s own essay on Christian power narratives provides the most potent answer. The early church developed a “new language about power based on the hope of resurrection,” he writes, a unique paradigm that used love and self-sacrifice to influence the world around them. Christians must take a sober look at the dangers of theocracy while simultaneously embracing a faith that requires one to bear suffering for justice. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"Prophetic and pastoral, this book offers a fresh look at a crucial and contested dimension of the Christian life."

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 69

"The long-standing partnership between InterVarsity Press and the annual Wheaton College Theology Conference continues to produce very fine fruit indeed, of which this volume of wide-ranging essays in political theology is another fine example. Readers will benefit greatly from being expertly led by historians, theologians and ethicists to reflect more deeply and critically on abiding questions of Christian political thinking as well as many pressing issues of our present moment. This is a welcome contribution to a very lively field of theological endeavor."

Philip G. Ziegler