God and Politics

by Mark Dever

In a society where religion is increasingly private, and faith is OK as long as it’s not shared, many would seek to keep God out of their politics. But is that right, and is it biblical?

This is an important topic to consider, not just for those working in government, but for all of us as we seek to be responsible citizens in a fallen world.

Mark Dever unpacks what the Bible has to say on this topic, and teaches how we can ‘Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s’ without compromising on what we believe. We’ll see that our duty to God is comprehensive and that there isn’t an area of life that we can separate from His influence. This little book won’t take long to read, but its impact could last a lifetime.

Genres: Politics, Christian, Cultural, Christian Living, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity

Paperback

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

Mark E. Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate pastor of Eden Baptist Church.

In an effort to build biblically faithful churches in America, Dr. Dever serves as the executive director for 9Marks (formerly The Center for Church Reform, CCR) in Washington, D.C. 9Marks encourages pastors of local churches look to the Bible for instruction on how to organize and lead their churches. Dr. Dever also teaches periodically at various conferences, speaking everywhere from South Africa to Brazil to the United Kingdom to Alabama. Feeling a deep burden for student ministry, Dr. Dever often addresses student ministry groups at campuses throughout the country. He has also taught at a number of seminaries, including Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. Dr. Dever’s scholarly interests include Puritanism and ecclesiology.

Dr. Dever currently serves as a trustee of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; he also serves as a member of the board, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Forum for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. From 1995 until 2001, he served on the steering committee for Founders Ministries, a pastoral movement for biblical teaching and healthy church life within the Southern Baptist Convention. As Guest Senate Chaplain for two weeks in 1995, Dr. Dever opened the daily sessions of the United States Senate in prayer. He is a member of the American Society of Church History and the Tyndale Fellowship. He also held the J.B. Lightfoot Scholarship at Cambridge University from 1989 to 1991.

Reviews

[Josh Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that Dever includes a plea for the reader to "repent of their sins and turn and trust in Christ alone for salvation" as he writes about God & politics.

He follows up with the following paragraph:

"That is what you should do today if you have not already done so. That is how you respond to this command to give to God what is God's. Pay your taxes but even more, trust in Christ. That is the point of this verse. Trust in the one who can exonerate you and reconcile you to God."

I would definitely recommend this book as a giveaway to both believers and unbelievers.

[Barnabas Piper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like the introduction to a longer work. It posed questions and laid a groundwork, but it did not really answer the questions. It was very foundational in its engagement with scripture and politics, which was helpful and true, but not deeply substantial.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just read the chapters in Trusting God by Jerry Bridges for our relationship with politics. This was a quick read and probably great for a quick handout but I didn’t feel challenged by this.

[Paul Froehlich · Rating 2 out of 5]

The American Revolution was contrary to the Bible. That’s the clear implication of Mark Dever’s booklet. According to Dever’s interpretation of Scripture, Christians have an obligation to support whatever government exists. Christians should be good citizens, he writes, paying their taxes and praying for people in power.

He arrives at this conclusion because he won’t grapple with Romans 13 where Paul claims all authority is established by God. “They are God’s servants…therefore it is necessary to submit to the authorities. For rulers hold no harm for those who do what is right.”

It is clearly mistaken to assert that those who do what is right have nothing to fear from some regimes. The targets of persecution, ethnic cleansing or genocide aren’t singled out because of personal wrongdoing. Instead, they suffer because they are a different race or ethnicity from those in control. Yet neither Paul nor Dever make any distinctions in this regard.

It ought to grate on Christian ears to hear that Stalin, Hitler and Mao were all “God’s servants” to whom their subjects should submit. Dever allows that Christians can commit “civil disobedience” when government orders people to disobey God. But civil disobedience works much better in a democratic republic, where citizens have rights, than in totalitarian regimes, where disobedience lands believers in the gulag or concentration camp.

Fighting for independence is going beyond civil disobedience. That suggests that Americans who fought for their independence acted contrary to God’s word. Likewise, all colonial peoples should obey their masters. Mandela and his followers were wrong to use violence to resist apartheid.

I think Dever is wrong in his Biblical analysis. Other parts of the Bible indicate that God supports overthrowing certain governments. For example, God ordered that the cities in the Promised Land be conquered and their kings and inhabitants slaughtered. Apparently Canaanite kings didn’t qualify as servants of God. King Saul started out as God’s servant, but had a falling out when he didn’t kill the captive king of a conquered people.

In short, Scripture does not speak with the single voice about authority that Dever would have us believe. God is good, so God can’t be on the side of those who persecute, repress, and murder. ###

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the best book (pamphlet?) I've ever read on politics and how we as Christians ought to be involved. Can't recommend this enough.

[Eric Durso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good expositional sermon.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Dever has served as a pastor in Washington DC For decades. There are few people who have more credibility to help us consider how a Christian should engage in politics.

Dever spends most of his slim book considering Jesus’ words “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mk 12:17). Dever masterfully explains the context of the question that led to Jesus’ response. “The Pharisees and Herodians were trying to either expose Jesus as a fraud, a presend Messiah who had no plans to deliver Judea from Roman domination, or as a revolutionary, who was opposed to the tax and therefore liable to the full weight of Roman punishment.”

Dever says that Jesus’ response “is more than just a clever reply. In this short answer, Jesus establishes a biblical theology of government.” Dever explains that the authority of governments goes all of the way back to the first chapter of the Bible where God commands Adam and Eve to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Our authority is meant to reflect God’s righteous authority.

Dever says that in Jesus’ response, Jesus is declaring that Cesar is not God, as he asserted, but God’s followers are to respect him as an authority. At the same time, Jesus calls us to humble citizenship while also reminding us that he is the only true King. We ought not look for any Christian nation on this earth, but instead to the Kingdom and the King. “Jesus wasn’t a revolutionary fundamentally against Rome. He was against the dominion of sin and death. That was the revolution he was starting.

God and Politics is only a start. There are many topics left unexplored and many conversations worth having that Dever doesn’t broach. What Dever’s book is, however, is a solid foundation for all of these conversations. I commend it to you.

For more reviews see www.thebeehive.live.

[Cassandra Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young Christian over 10 years ago, I often wondered, if Islam had a big vision of how it was to relate to the State (at least Islam in Malaysia), what about Christianity? Some churches I attended as I grew up did have a vision but over time, I found some of these visions lacking in respect of proper exegesis of the text and practical realities.

I found this book incredibly refreshing because it is faithful to the text which is the subject of this book: Mark 12: 13-17. In just over 50 short pages, Dever dives into what paying "imperial tax to Caesar" means, why it is so important that Jesus points out Caesar's face on the coin and why it is so important Jesus ends his conversation with the Pharisees and Herodians with give back "to God what is God's". I also liked that this book was born out of reflections Dever had from speaking to a Muslim man he had cultivated a close relationship with: we so often do not see the value in having close relationships with people who are different from us in respect of fundamental beliefs and how it causes us to ask difficult questions.

If you're looking for a quick, light read, I would recommend this book. If you have the energy and focus, you'd be able to finish it in one morning. This is also a good starting book if you're looking to understand at a very basic level Christianity's vision for the state.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusing on God and Government.

Unpacking 'Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' We bear God's image - we are His. Therefore give the coin to Caesar but give yourself to God.

Unsure on some of the analysis but overall a helpful read.

[Micah Lugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s good at a high level, but fails to get into specifics. I guess I shouldn’t have expected much more with such a small pamphlet.

[Leonardo Antonio · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is ok for it’s size. It is basically a sermon and an exploration of the discussion of Jesus about paying taxes.

I consider the treatment basically correct but superficial. It can be a good introduction to people with no knowledge of the Bible theology of government but nothing else.

I would have expected a better treatment from somebody like Mark Dever.

[Jonathan Downing · Rating 2 out of 5]

A helpful exposition on Jesus' teaching on rending unto Caesar what is Caesar's...but material I feel that would be better delivered in sermon form - indeed, it's written as a sermon rather than a book. But with something so brief, I suppose I can't be picky. Helpful, standard evangelical teaching pushing for an involvement but not a worshiping of government :D

[Andrew Murch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ordered this book without looking at its length. With the my reading schedule, it was a little nice to get a book in the mail that was only 57 pages. But brevity has its shortfalls as well. I really like Mark Dever as an author. This is about the 5th book of his I have read. Solid theology.

God and Politics is basically a short exposition of Mark 12 ("Render to Caesar..."). Having preached this text a few years back, I found the book to be a good review of the context and content of that passage. I think the main thing I took away from the book was the idea that authority is from God, and even pagan governments are in some ways reflective of God's authority. Since God is sovereign in all His creation, Christians are called to be the best citizens in whatever nation they live. Christianity is not a nationalistic reality, but an international people within many nations. Keeping that in mind will help Christians render to their government whatever belongs to it, while giving themselves to God.

There is a sneaky good evangelistic aspect to this little book. I think it's a solid read for Christians, but also a good book to give a brief overview of God and government for anyone. It exemplifies the historic evangelical approach to God and politics.

[Casey Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read book on the subject of God and politics. It is primarily an exposition of Mark 12:13-17, but he does cover several other passages.

For the length of the book, he covers the subject well.

If you are wondering Jesus' vision for society, state and government, pick this book up. It will provide you with a good starting point.

[Huw Fulcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite politics but more about the place of government in the Christian life. Better title might have been “God and Government”. Mark reaches in some places but overall this is a great read on how we live our lives in service to God and the authorities He has placed over us. Would probably say it’s a must read with all the Brexit issues happening currently.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Dever offers a brief outline of "Jesus' vision for society, state and goverment," primarily through an exposition of Jesus' own words in Mark 12:17 - "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." In a series of short chapters, Dever shows the Christian's responsibility to be good citizens to human authorities, which reflect God's authority even though they may be deeply flawed. He describes how "our duty to earthly authority is limited, our duty to God is comprehensive." He reminds us of how Jesus was a revolutionary, but "leading a revolt against the dominion of sin and death." And he concludes that this understanding will lead us to "sufficiently respect the fallen governments of the world... give us hope to endure them and to work and hope for something infinitely better."

This is a helpful summary of Jesus' radical vision for Christian engagement in society, as we are transformed into good citizens by our recognition of something (and Someone) greater, and as we recognise the limits of political rule and action before the return of Christ. At the same time, Dever's summary left a lot of questions unanswered in terms of active engagement in politics now. Yes, we should pay taxes and, yes there is a place for civil disobedience. But otherwise, it all seemed a bit passive. How should we vote? Should we campaign on political and legal issues? How should we express disagreement with those in authority? How should we pray for unjust regimes? What would Christian involvement in government look like?

So, this was a good enough read, but only a starting point for discussion rather than a survey of all of the key issues.

[Renee Masterson Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book will not tell you for which candidate you should vote or even remotely define a political party to associate yourself. But what this book does do is remind the Christian that government—by its very nature—is good because it reflects the nature of our good God (27), but all earthly kingdoms will err, can wield authority as a weapon, and will never be our ultimate authority (40). Mark Dever uses Jesus’ words in Mark 12 as a framework for this book. This is the passage where Jesus says to ‘give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.’ This book will remind Christians of the responsibility to be good citizens of their home countries (17), but to hold that citizenship with loose hands because this is not our home (26). This book may ruffle feathers of those who tightly marry their political views with their faith, but Dever cautions against that and any utopian society of which you may dream.

The first 10 pages were a little hard for me to get into a reading flow, but I am glad I stuck with it. I especially appreciated: the thanks given to Christians working in the trenches of the political sphere; the international scope of government and God’s people; and the unwavering hope in God’s sovereignty over all things—even tyrannical governments.

Walking into the election season, this tiny pamphlet of a book at only 54 pages will provide the necessary reset your heart may need as you consider the finite nature of earthly government and your role in Jesus’ vision for society.

[Brian Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The relationship between religion and the state, between faith and government, between God and politics is very important and complex. To thoroughly navigate the issues involved in such a relationship, one would need a very large book, or series of large books. This book isn't that. It's a very small book--a booklet, really. And I believe it's based on a sermon. So, I rate the book based on what it is, not on what it is not. This is a very fine sermon on Mark 12:13-17, a brief sketch on what the New Testament says regarding the purpose of government and how Christians are to live with respect to the state. Those looking for more depth will be disappointed. But those looking for a starting point in think about these issues would do well to listen to Mark Dever, a faithful Christian who ministers in the heart of America's capital. His writing is simple, but behind his writing is decades of reflection on these issues.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, concise, helpful. Dever begins by noting that a friend once commented that the Christian faith has no vision for the state. This book is largely his response, revealing how Christianity actually has much to say.

Dever's operating thesis revolves around Jesus words in Mark 12:13-17. The well known exchange here is between Jesus and the Pharisees who came in attempt to trap him in his words about paying taxes to Caesar or not. Dever notes that there is much more than Jesus's verbal dexterity on display. "The first things we should note from this is that Christians are good citizens, or at least we should be...Even a pagan state is a legitimate state" (17-18). On the flip side, rendering to God what is his, Dever asserts, means, "Christians are finally accountable to God...Jesus' followers would obey the state but they wouldn't worship the state" (37).

[Brian Condra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gem of a read. It is a short book (55 small pages!) that really seeks to show why Christians can be involved in government. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they should give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s. So in one sentence Jesus affirms paying taxes to a government that will ultimately crucify him, but more importantly, to give to God what is his, namely, ourselves.

Dever broadens our understanding of what it means to be a citizen within any particular political landscape. And he even, unlike what another reviewer erroneously claimed, pushes us to hold our allegiance to Christ as more authoritative than any political regime and consider not obeying the governing authorities if it is against biblical teaching.

I think this book should serve merely as a primer for posturing ourselves as Christians as we think through government and politics.

[Nate Stechschulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very quick read (an hour or less perhaps), but a helpful reminder on several notes--mainly the supreme authority of God and His glory. For Dever, the relationship between Christianity and politics is a pressing one, as he pastors Capitol Hill Baptist Church, located in Washington D.C.; thus, his perspective is well constructed chiefly by Scripture, and it is established and practiced in a political pagan context (the Untied States).

I appreciated Dever's assertion (from 1 Timothy 2:2) that Christians ought to flourish in and pray for nations where the political climate allows for "peaceful and quiet" living, where Christians can live "in all godliness and holiness." It is in these contexts, Dever (and Scripture) state, that Christians can live thorough lives which act as an evangelistic beacon to non-believers and put the glory of God on display.

[Iona Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to how to approach politics as a Christian. It is short, easy to read, and encourages the user to explore new ideas.

It is primarily an exegesis on Mark 12 "give to Caesar what is Caesar's, give to God what is God's", but ploughs into many other classic passages on politics, for example in Romans 13 and 1 Timothy 2. It delves deep into what both Jesus and Paul were saying in these passages, looking at the society and government in their time.

It talks about Christians as citizens, paying taxes, revolution and our ultimate responsibility; to give to God what is God's.

It doesn't go massively in depth, but for some one just starting to explore the subject with some good theology behind it, this book is a great start.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing overall. The best idea from the book was his overall structure, namely, breaking down the two parts to Jesus’s statement: “Give to Caesar what is Caesars (part 1, about obeying the government) and to God the things that are God’s (part 2, about God’s overall authority even in that).” This was helpful, and it is a succinct way of teaching about God and politics.

But beside that, the book was jumbled, all over the place, and didn’t really address the topic. I’d recommend many other books before this one on politics. If you know that Christians are supposed to be good citizens while also maintaining ultimately authority for God, then you can skip this.

[Mark Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dever does an excellent job of communicating the dualistic nature of Christian citizenship, both in an earthly nation and the Kingdom of God. He addresses our responsibilities and allegiances to each and how Christ built this theology is his words, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but give to God what is God's."

Quote of the book: "We resist identifying the gospel with any particular nation or any political party, and we look forward to the day when we are done with all of that and God again rules us immediately, and fallible earthly authority is no more."

[Douglas Fyfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book does what it sets out to. It feels like a sermon broken down into a bunch of super short chapters, thinking through the important but limited role of governments under God’s sovereignty. In light of recent events (this was published on 2016) I would have liked more on not worshipping the Emperor (or president, or party) and how the Christian should think about voting rather than just living under the government.

[Kyle McC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a helpful quick read on how Christians ought to think about government.
Mark Dever does a great job explaining the exchange between Jesus and Pharisees and Herodians in Mark 12:13-17. I recommend this book very light reading that will help you get you into the God and Politics discussion.

[Julia Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but super short. It really only answers the question that yes, Jesus does have a vision for his followers in society and government. One Nation Under God is a more comprehensive and detailed book that addresses current political issues and what collectively all believers are called to do no matter what kind of government they find themselves in.

[Chloë Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid truths about civil obedience and our responsibility to submit to authority but really mostly basic stuff. I was expecting more specific application, I don’t think it really addressed the title - specifically the word ‘politics’ seems misleading. A good little introductory book for anyone who hasn’t really thought about government from a Christian perspective yet though!

[Tim Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short book, a good primer on the key issues. Christians are to submit to government because it fulfils the command to subdue, even when imperfect. However, we may enact civil disobedience if it goes against the command of God. Not a lot profound but a helpful introduction.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book was very good and I think all Christians should read it! It is 55 short pages full of truth and scripture that shows how we as Christians are to address our government and how we are to look at the role of authority both here on earth and in heaven.