Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
Most American Christians find their political and national identity in the nation of the United States of America. They then find their religious identity in being a Christian. From this perspective, the Christian Church is a religious institution or community. It is there to help facilitate people’s religious or spiritual experiences and to provide for … Read more
The New Testament and Politics When discussing a Biblical view of the state, it is very common for people to turn immediately to Romans 13:1-7 (“Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. . .”), as if this provides the basic and central summary of a New Testament view of politics. However, this is a mistake. … Read more
During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have enforced orders of “social distancing,” requiring people to stay home and only to interact with others if absolutely necessary, in order to help prevent the spread of the virus. As a result, many businesses and organizations have been required to close, or at least to stop … Read more
Should Christians Protest? Many Christians simply assume that it is obvious that Christians should engage in political protests or even civil disobedience if they disagree with the government’s actions. However, this is by no means self-evident. After all, we cannot judge those outside the church (I Cor 5:12), nor can we reasonably expect people who … Read more
In the first part of this series, I described and assessed four different models for how the church should relate to the political powers of this world: Christendom, Pietism, Dual Citizenship, and Natural Law. In this second part, I advocate an alternative model that bears some similarities to the Pietism and Natural Law models, while … Read more