Left, Right & Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics

by Lisa Sharon Harper, D.C. Innes, Jim Wallis (Foreword)

How can two people have a common faith but different political loyalties?

How does the Christian faith shape how we should vote and participate in the political process?

In this updated edition of "Left, Right, and Christ," authors D.C. Innes and Lisa Sharon Harper discuss and explore how the Christian faith speaks directly to American politics today, but with different understanding and applications. They address questions like: Does God care about politics? Should we?Is it the government's role to take care of the sick?Do legalized abortions increase the number of abortions?Should we support people's freedom to choose a definition of marriage, even if we disagree with their choice?Does a free country mean that everyone is free to come here?Is the earth so fragile that the government should step in to protect it?

Harper and Innes craft compelling chapters on hot issue that will keep Christian Americans thinking about how to personally navigate the intersection of faith and politics.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity, Amazon, Spirituality, Faith

260 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2011

Reviews

[Malin Friess]

I bought this book on Amazon because it looked like an interesting back and forth conversation between DC Innes (professor of politics King's College Evangelical in NYC) and Lisa Harper (director of New York Faith & Justice) about a Christian Response to Health Care, Abortion, Immigration, Same Sex Marriage, War on Terrorism and Global Warming.

Innes is the Conservative and Harper is the liberal..Innes appeals often to the Truth and Law in Scripture and Personal Responsibility. Harper appeals to Grace and the attributes of the Sermon on the Mount.

I only give this book 2 starts because their was no strong engagement. Each author presented their position with no rebuttal (I've found books with counter views are more interesting when a chance for a retort is allowed). It also seemed no new ground or arguments were covered. The writing was average (I think better authors like Jim Wallis or Kevin DeYOung) would have made for a better book.

Left, Right, & Christ was a good idea, good title, but in my opinion poor execution.

[Scott]

A frustrating book... But made me think.

Lisa Liberal, though I presume is intelligent misused scripture, and seems to look down her nose from every liberal position.

DC Conservative says the only job of government is to praise good and punish evil. That seems too little for me.

I finish the book with a great desire to have a comprehensive political philosophy. Basically I want to answer the question: What is the proper role of government? Unfortunately, I don't think this will be and easy question to answer.

[Whitney]

Thoughtful essays from either end of the spectrum, I suppose.
On some issues I found DC Innes' point of view to be from a mythic 1950s-golden age ideal where everyone is in a nuclear family, straight, healthy, and Christian. Nothing to rock the proverbial boat. Which is fine to wish for, but I don't think it is realistic this side of the rapture.
On the other hand, some of Lisa Sharon Harper's essays seemed more culturally pragmatic: America is full of all different types of families, all different types of humans -- all of which are Imago Dei, the healthy and the chronically ill, and all different beliefs. The challenge is how we Christians work within that pluralistic society - respecting others while not losing ourselves.
I read this book so I could get a little more insight into the standard stances on either side of the aisle. I finished this book as I started it: "stuck in the middle", but with a new appreciation for the fact that we are best served by BOTH viewpoints challenging and balancing each other (ideally).

[Elevate Publishing]

An honest and daring conversation about the toughest political issues facing Christians today. We need to replace the shallow and polarized talking points currently overrunning the public square with thoughtful and nuanced discussion. An honest and daring conversation about the toughest political issues facing Christians today. We need to replace the shallow and polarized talking points currently overrunning the public square with thoughtful and nuanced discussion...

[Nathan Palmer]

This was an outstanding book. It's very difficult to find a balanced perspective on the way that faith influences our political opinions. Both DC Innes and Lisa Sharon Harper have compelling arguments to support their positions. I plan to revisit each chapter in an effort to come to grips with my own views on these challenging questions.

[Betty Macy]

This book is well worth your time. I found it best to read a topic and then do something else and think about it. I sometimes agreed with the right, sometimes the left. At other times I agreed with both and others neither. The Publisher says at the end of the book they hope this is a conversation starter and at that it succeeds in spades.

[Gwen]

Left Right & Christ made me think, however I found the Left side was much better argued than the Right side and that there are more persuasive arguments to be made on the Right. I also felt the Right didn't utilize Scripture as well as he could have.

I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.

[Karen Zacharias]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/karenspe...

[Angie]

Interesting points of view from both sides.

[J.M. Infusino]

I found that I was doing a lot of reading and soul searching because you have used the Bible verses to make your point. I loved it

[Rick Hogaboam]

A good back and forth between Christians, each respectively on the political right and left.