Political Gospel

Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World

De: Patrick Schreiner

Narrado por: Patrick Schreiner

Duración: 6 h y 49 m

Resumen del Editor

Christians are constantly being accused of being too political or not political enough.

Often, the accusations are fair. Christians tend to get stuck in one of two political ditches: we either privatize our faith or make it partisan. We think religion and politics should be separate and never intermingle, or we align so tightly with a political party that we conflate the gospel with a human agenda.

In Political Gospel, Patrick Schreiner argues Christianity not only has political implications but is itself a politic. The gospel at its very core is political—Jesus declared Himself to be King. But He does not allow you to put Him in your political box.

In a supercharged political climate, Political Gospel explores what it means for Christians to have a biblical public witness by looking to Scripture, the early church, and today. Should we submit to governing authorities or subvert them? Are we to view them as agents of the dark forces or entities that promote order? In this book, we’ll see that Christians live in a paradox, and we’ll see how to follow Christ our King right into the political craziness of our day.

©2022 Patrick Schreiner (P)2022 B&H Publishing

Subversive submission

Americans usually avoid discussing religion and politics. However, these are now the hottest topics in news and social media, which is why Patrick Schreiner addresses both in his book. Although I say that in jest, the book is serious. It's almost two years old, and I wish I had read it sooner; it's vital for the church today. It's not an easy read, partly because Schreiner uses "politics" and "political" in their true sense, in contrast with how they're often used negatively today.
Schreiner defines politics as “how we partner together for the flourishing of humanity and the world," urging us to move beyond partisanship and let God speak. With this, he expands politics beyond the national level, highlighting a paradox for Christians who view themselves as part of God's Kingdom. Schreiner explains that politics is about “how we integrate our confession that Jesus is Lord with our call to love our neighbors,” extending beyond borders while remaining rooted in our communities. This concept is crucial to understanding the book.
He is a New Testament scholar writing from a Biblical perspective, exploring the church’s historical and current political involvement. He references Jesus’ teachings and Paul and Peter’s writings, discussing passages on submission to government and rendering to Caesar. He also notes the gospel’s subversive language against corrupt leaders. While he acknowledges civil disobedience when the government overreaches, he limits it to instances where we are compelled to forsake our allegiance to the King of Kings.
So, he says the gospel is political. Jesus declared Himself King and didn’t deny it before Pilate and yet he willingly took up the cross. To Scheiner, “The cross is the center of our political theology.” Therefore, we shouldn’t be less political but appropriately political, “maybe not in the way you think.” Our loyalty is to God, not to any party or leader.
Schreiner also argues against “quietism,” or privatizing our faith by separating it from national politics. He describes having a public witness without trusting political systems, tying ourselves to partisanism, or mixing the gospel with specific strategies and policies. We live in the paradox between keeping religion and politics separate and “baptizing” one party as representing our faith or aligning the gospel with nationalism or a human agenda.
The early church was subversive, but not in the usual sense. Paul took great care to prove he wasn’t trying to overthrow Caesar, even seeking a hearing before him despite being declared innocent. His subversion was in extreme submission—going beyond government demands. To Schreiner, that is Christian political involvement–subversion through submission–characterized by love for neighbors, submission to rulers, and personal sacrifice for others and the kingdom.
This stems from Jesus being Lord of all creation. Schreiner warns against putting too much faith in any candidate, party, or system, as many Christians have become overly partisan. However, he also advises against making faith purely private. Jesus focused on the poor and outcast and was harshest toward religious leaders and the powerful. Schreiner urges us to consider how Jesus and the early church engaged with Jewish leaders compared to their interactions with the Roman Empire as a guide for political engagement today.
He writes that political discipleship often means being told what to believe on specific issues like abortion, immigration, and climate change, rather than starting with foundational political theology. This is backwards; we should first reflect on scripture to shape our worldview. Many people, however, let cable news and social media shape their political beliefs.
The book's weakness lies in occasional over-interpretations, like connecting the descending dove at Jesus' baptism to Rome using birds as omens. Despite this, his warnings against both the idolatry of partisanship and the privatizing of faith are crucial. Schreiner emphasizes that true change comes only through Christ, and highlights the importance of balancing submission to authorities with recognizing Christ's ultimate authority. He reminds us that Jesus did not align with any of the sects of his day but engaged with all. We assume too much from the state by putting too much focus on it while expecting too little of Jesus’ rule over all. He reacts against the tendency to blame the media. He states, “With the rise of social media, we the people, are the media.” I think of a line from the old Pogo comic strip, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Jesus said he was building a kingdom, but was willingly crucified. The apostles planted churches as seeds of his kingdom to give a glimpse, a shadow, though imperfect, of what was to come. This paradox is that submission and radical love is the most subversive act Christians can undertake. If only we are willing to take up our cross daily and follow him. This is among the best books I've read this year.