How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age

by Jonathan Leeman

How can the church move forward in unity amid such political strife and cultural contention? As Christians, we’ve felt pushed to the outskirts of national public life, yet even within our congregations we are divided about how to respond. Some want to strengthen the evangelical voting bloc. Others focus on social justice causes, and still others would abandon the public square altogether. What do we do when brothers and sisters in Christ sit next to each other in the pews but feel divided and angry? Is there a way forward? In How the Nations Rage , political theology scholar and pastor Jonathan Leeman challenges Christians from across the spectrum to hit the restart button by When we identify with Christ more than a political party or social grouping, we can return to the church’s unchanging political to become the salt and light Jesus calls us to be and offer the hope of his kingdom to the nations.

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

251 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

JONATHAN LEEMAN is the editorial director of 9Marks, which involves him in editing the 9Marks series of books as well as the 9Marks Journal. He has written a number of books on the church, including Reverberation, and he teaches theology at several seminaries. Jonathan lives with his wife and four daughters in a suburb of Washington, DC and serves as an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.9Marks.org.

Reviews

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clear, balanced, flat-footed proposal. Consistently Christian in every way. If it were in the hands of every member of every evangelical church in America, nothing but good would come of it.

[Noel Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lack of gospel precision has led us to equate co-belligerents in political causes with joint-heirs of the gospel. That idea has had serious consequences. Not everyone who is pro-life is a believer. Not everyone who voted for Hillary is an unbeliever. 'Co-belligerent' and 'Joint-heir' are NOT synonyms.

Finally, a book I can whole-heartedly recommend on how to engage. While Leeman doesn't explicitly make the co-belligerent vs. joint-heir argument, he does say this:
"But notice the stakes here: unless you are ready to deny or remove church membership to someone for his or her party membership, a pastor or church generally should not endorse or denounce one party or another or candidates from said party. When a church does, it effectively ties the name of Jesus to that party and subverts the mission of the church to being a branch of that party. Non-Christians will begin to view that church as a lobbying wing of a party and Christians as political operatives for that party. Talk about undermining the Gospel!" (149)

Leeman, who holds a doctorate in political theology and is an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, writes the first book on God and politics that I didn't find either wooden or flimsy. By explaining the way God covenantally relates to both the believer and the unbeliever, he offers solid wisdom for where to go from here. And it is now on my required reading list for my kids' government credit.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Across my lifetime, I have been pretty messed up by politics within the church. I've been in churches where the American flag is at the front and patriotic songs are sung during worship and sermons told me to vote Republican or else stand in God's judgment. I've gone to the exact opposite extreme in which I no longer salute the flag and feel like a little crazy anarchist when anyone would ask my political thoughts during the 2016 election. I live in a slight anxiety of condemnation from people who find out my political views are left-leaning.

This book was a breath of fresh air to my politically panicky self.

It discussed how churches are to be embassies of the kingdom of heaven, and how the ideals of justice and mercy should be first played out within the local church. It spoke to how both sides of the political spectrum can have good qualities, but that whenever these qualities replace a focus on God, they become idols. It spoke of how, whatever your political leaning, a follower of Christ must seek the Spirit's guidance to discern which vote is best or what actions should be taken to "love your neighbor, share the gospel, and do justice".

Probably my biggest take away was the call to live graciously with others in your local church, even if they hold diametrically opposing political views. In the embassy of heaven, we are all seeking to serve the King and to live life with a view of eternity and a high view of God.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book for thinking through the Christian's relationship with politics. Would recommend for really anyone living in the U.S.

“There is more political power in the gospel and in being the church than there is in electing a president, installing a Supreme Court justice, or even changing a constitution.”

"Governments serve gods. This is true of every government in every place ever since God gave governments to the world. The judge judging, the voter voting, the president presiding, all of them work for their gods. No citizen or officeholder is religiously indifferent or neutral."

“Before and after America, there was and will be the church. The nation is an experiment. The church is a certainty.”

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to review. Others have written more lengthy and detailed reviews, so I will limit comments to brief observations: (1) Leeman understands and communicates the complexity of politics for believers, especially in our day. He does not identify with any one political party but critiques both right and left for different reasons. This book helpfully avoid partisan politics. (2) I like the "not...but" structure of the chapters (Public Square: Not Neutral, but a Battleground of Gods; Bible: Not Case Law, but a Constitution; Christians: Not Cultural Warriors, but Ambassadors; etc.). (3) I appreciate the emphasis on gospel clarity and the centrality of the local church. (4) One of the most helpful features of the book are the numerous real-life illustrations of ordinary Christians making a "political" difference through engagement, love, friendship, and service in local communities. This was inspiring to read. (5) I find Leeman's humor to be cheesy and his general writing style lacking in elegance and fluidity. That made the book laborious to read. (6) That critique aside, I do think this is a book I'll recommend to others, especially fellow leaders in my church, as we try to navigate the complex and divisive political climate in which we live. Overall, I'd give the book 4 stars for content, and 3 for writing style—so, 3.5 stars.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had difficulty consistently comprehending this book. I began reading with great interest but soon became bogged down. The author's writing style just did not resonate with my logic encrusted brain. I found he was not concise and I sometimes lost track of what he was trying to communicate. For example, while writing about maintaining unity in the church when we differ on what the Bible says about an issue, he has us go off to think about the pastor's job description. (Loc 1437-1481/4319) Near the end of that section he writes, “I suspect you are beginning to feel how jumbled and complicated this topic is.” (Loc 1492/4319) Yes.

I do have some major concepts from the book. This is an era of testiness in politics. We see confusion and conflict among Christians too. Leeman's first goal for this book is for us to rethink politics from a biblical perspective. He includes other goals as well but I think his first goal is the major one.

Leeman writes that we cannot separate politics and religion. All of life is political and religious. Politics cannot be religiously neutral since every human worships God or a god. “Politics serves worship. Governments serve gods.” (Loc 660/4319) Behind every action is a worldview and behind that worldview is a god. The public square, he writes, “is a battleground of gods.” (Loc 693/4319) We can and must separate church and state, however. They “possess distinct God-given authorities with distinct jurisdictions.” (Loc 887/4319)

We might look to the Bible to inform us on political issues. Leeman writes, “...the Bible does not tell us what to do on trade policy, carbon dioxide emissions, and public education. But it does tell us that whatever we do in these domains will be measured by the principles of righteousness and justice explicitly established in the Bible.” (Loc 1525/4319) We live out those principles through our local congregation. That requires God-given wisdom. Even Leeman notes that different political viewpoints and various Christians have differing views of what justice is. (Loc 3478/4319)

Leeman writes, “...when the Bible isn't explicit and clear, let's leave room for Christian freedom.” (Loc 1709/4319) A great, even if often repeated, suggestion. Leeman notes how easy it is to misread the Bible. (Loc 1721/4319) He gives some principles on how to read the Bible politically but notes it is complicated. (Loc 1732/4319)

At one point, Leeman writes that his concern is “to help you know how to have the conversation and think through different topics for yourself.” (Loc 2074/4319) At another point, “The bottom line here is that Christians need good judgment and wisdom.” (Loc 3122/4319) But how do we really help Christians develop that good judgment and wisdom?

The topic of this book is not an easy one and I felt this book is not an easy one to read and digest. In the end, all I know for sure that this is a complex topic. Progress would require thinking through issues, something very hard to get politically adamant Christians to do.

Food for thought: “If there is hope for the nation, it's through the witness and work of churches.” (Loc 4075/4319)

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Russell Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book was a bit slow for me as Leeman establishes his view of the political landscape in America as well as in our churches. Because of the slow start I thought I would rate this book a 3, but for me the second half was excellent and I would rate a 5, therefore the 4 ranking. Overall, I would highly recommend this book. While very different than what I thought it would be, Leeman does an excellent job elevating the discussion above individual political issues (while referencing a few like abortion and welfare) to focus on the role of individual christians and the Church in todays political arena and discussion. If you are at all aware of the ugliness of today’s political environment – by either having a view or watching/reading the news – you should read this book. This book is an important read/reminder setting the baseline for political discourse for anyone engaged in any type of church leadership or teaching.

[Matt Kottman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely timely with an election on the horizon and civil unrest rages in a divided nation. Leeman effectively digs down to the theological roots for our political engagement. He challenges our partisan devotions calling Christians to engage in politics, right justice, and love for God’s image bearers. He calls the church to live out the great commission as a force for societal good and helpful gives tools to navigate political disagreement in a winsome and robust way.

[Kyle Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard high praise for this book from multiple people for a while, and it seems to be that this is the gold standard one stop shop for anything relating politics and theology together. I think there are, like many things, deep avenues to dive down into, but for the most part Jonathan Leeman does an absolute excellent job giving a comprehensive overview of everything you might need to know when relating these two topics. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that the arguments seemed hard to follow at times, and that may just have been a lack of focus on my part.

I haven't been recommended any other books that relate politics and theology in a broad way such as Leeman does here. It seems to me that this is THEE book to read on this but would love suggestions of others.

The book that has gotten me interested in political theory and concepts that I will think about forever is Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed. I have high praise for that book and would recommend to anyone for a deeper philosophical read. I also plan to read some Tocqueville in the future so if anyone has read anything by him let me know what you thoughts were about it.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eu simplesmente odeio livros que te enganam com o título. Este livro não tem nada a ver com tratar do assunto "por que se enfurecem as nações". É um livro sobre cristandade. Sobre uma religião que costuma se autoproclamar a única religião possível do mundo e sobre um país que costuma se autoproclamar o único possível do mundo. E os outros são esquecidos. É um livro de auto-ajuda às avessas. Isso porque ele ensina cristãos que não são cristãos a serem cristãos. E estadunidenses que não são estadunidenses a serem estadunidenses. O que não é muito difícil de se encontrar por aí. Pessoas que só são religiosas e patriotas da boca pra fora, mas em suas ações são uma desgraça. Se você estava esperando que esse livro explicasse por que as nações se enfurecem, vai se enfurecer também como eu. Porque as únicas nações que esse livro trata são a cristã e a estadunidense, as únicas que parecem importar no mundo, alé, é claro, da conjunção das duas, segundo o autor do livro. Péssimo.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until recently I've preferred to avoid politics. The topic is intimidating - I feel overwhelmed by all that I don't know. How can I make informed decisions on economic policies without a degree? Also I spent a good chunk of my childhood overseas and came back with a much more global identity and an ignorance of all but the major events of the US political landscape.

I feel this tension between what we hope we can do in the world through government, while also conceding to the the reality that perfection is not something we will be able to achieve in this life. How do you hold both of these truths as you engage in politics?

This book does a terrific job of exploring that. I was encouraged on multiple fronts. I came away more determined to do my part in government-making (pursuing justice) with an open-handedness that recognizes who is ultimately in control.

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceeded my expectations; not the same-old, same-old. Explains, among other things, how we can separate church and state but not religion and politics, why the separation of church and state is rigged against formal religion, how politics starts in the church, how to discern which political issues the church should directly address, what the respective spheres of authority are for the government and the church, why the mission of the church isn't to transform the city or redeem the culture, and what exactly justice is.

[Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book that has helped me understand so much surrounding politics and government in a deeply biblical and clear way. There is both rebuke and encouragement here for Christians of all political leanings. I'm tempted to immediately reread this book as there is so much wisdom to glean.

[Kenoa Gallion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging, complex, and concise. Plenty of real life examples that make this book practical as well.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 3.5. It's helpful in several areas, but I found it too basic and its arguments sometimes weak and contradictory.

A lot of the early material in the book is review for me, but is a great starting place for anyone as they think about how to interact with our culture politically. The author argues that we all worship a god, whether it's a god with a little "g" or a god with a big "G." Despite claims to the contrary, no one is neutral in their beliefs.

He goes on to argue that "the public square is inevitably slanted toward the secularist and materialist" because their gods come in unnoticed while the God of the organized church is explicit. He writes, "the separation of the church and state applies only to those who believe in organized church; hence the separation of church and state politically rigs the system against Christians." The gods of rights, equality and freedom become like trojan horses (we bring them in but since there is no agreement on how they are defined, they run amuck). We need to particularly be careful to not idolize freedom over justice.

While we can't separate politics and religion (as all people are religious in the sense that they all worship some sort of god), we must separate church and state. Church and state are distinct authorities with distinct jurisdictions. The Bible is the book by which all political activity will be judged (for christians and non christians). In the absence of a new heart which desires to do God's will, God establishes government for the immediate purpose of justice, peace and order so that everyone should benefit. Government cannot change hearts, which is why God has authorized them to use force. The author argues that when the government drives outside of its lanes, or requires sin inside its lanes, you have no moral obligation to obey.

While the government acts to preserve justice, at the same time, "the larger purpose is to help the church's redemptive purposes - it builds a stage for the story of redemption...States play a preservative role in and of themselves, but they exist to serve the larger redemptive purposes of salvation. " The author writes that "the work of government is a prerequisite to redemption" in that it is a platform for sustaining human life so that people may seek God. So the governments job is to preserve justice and to maintain an environment where the church can do its work.

All that being said, the author consistently emphasizes the primary role of the church. He says, "We need to invest our political hopes first and foremost in our churches" and that "real political action starts in the teaching ministry of the church." We first need to be people of righteousness and justice and then do acts consistent with those characteristics. "As christians we should be the first to stop self-justifying and first to self-indict when necessary." Being around other believers who may not come to the same conclusions we do should drive us to be more like Christ as we interact with them and our world. The author writes, "Inside the local church is where a christian politics becomes complicated, authentic, credible, not ideologically enslaved, real." We should never give the impression that whatever is happening politically is of more importance than the gospel.

I appreciated a lot of the points the author makes and his emphasis on the church.

One of the big complaints I have about the book is that it doesn't really change anything. Most christians are going to agree with his main premises while most unbelievers are not. And, at the same time, Christians are going to disagree with his sub points. It doesn't really help bridge the gap between either believers and unbelievers on the main points, or between believers and other believers on the sub points.

One of his main points is that justice is the main goal, but that wisdom has to be employed to determine how to apply biblical principles to maintain justice. Most believers would agree with that, but we are still going to come to some drastically different conclusions. Leeman acknowledges this, but it felt like he did more to describe and demonstrate the problem than to solve it. He shows that you can basically make a biblical argument for both sides of an issue so I guess there really is no solution. It was kind of frustrating for the subject matter to be so dependent on nuance. You could argue this, but then you would have to account for that, and then you would have to acknowledge the other thing and then someone else could say this and that wouldn't necessarily trump that so...you're both wrong...and you're both right. Who's more right? Whose argument is more based on scripture? The whole thing starts up again.

Leeman writes that some issues have a straight line from a biblical principle to public policy and some have a jagged line that involves stringing together multiple biblical principles to come to a conclusion. But how do you even agree on which issues have straight lines and which have jagged ones? There are Christians who believe abortion is ok (which the majority of Christians believe to be a straight line issue) and that disagreement is repeated over innumerable issues. At the end of the discussion, it seems like it's all subjective which I hate because there is absolute truth...but how do we reach it/agree on it?

So maybe it's not the author's fault that it comes across as so subjective considering the nature of the issue, but I felt at times that he was being subjective even while he was trying to give examples for demonstrating subjective vs. objective arguments. Some of his arguments seemed pretty weak and easily contradicted. Sometimes it seemed like it was just a matter of semantics.

Overall, even though a lot of this seemed like review of things I already have processed or seemed like it wasn't really conclusively solving anything, I give it lots of credit for providing a wide variety of principles by which to think about politics, government, culture and interacting with the world around us. I would consider this a primer for the Christian and politics and recommend it to any Christian who wants to think biblically about politics. It's definitely worth reading to provide a good foundation and introduce some new ways of thinking about things. At the very least, you get a great picture of how a Christian processes his responsibility in his country as a "principled pragmatist" which is helpful as we all do the same. There's a clear presentation of the gospel, too, which always earns points from me.

[K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty abysmal. His practical suggestions are nothing new and basically amount to "treat people well, obey the law, and work for change where you can". His theoretical foundations, however, are incoherent an Antinomian. He is simultaneously Biblicist in that he relies entirely on out-of-context proof texts (he thinks Biblical political theology comes down to one whole verse) and dismisses vast swaths of Biblical political material as not usable by Christians (even though it is somehow all "relevant"). His theory of religious freedom requires rulers to acknoledge God in their hearts, but not to proclaim the responsibility of government to recognize the true God publicly. In short: religious freedom destroys religious freedom (to coin his own phrase.) There is nothing of use here.

[Matt Galyon | readsandcoffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a helpful introduction to the intersection of Christian faith and politics. As the subtitle says, the main purpose of How the Nations Rage is to help the reader rethink faith and politics in our divided age. For the Christian, Leeman emphasizes who we are (identity in Christ) before what we do. I found this to be a helpful lens to view political engagement, as determining what we do before rightly seeing who we are oftentimes leads us astray. I'd highly recommend this to believers who are seeking to be engaged in political discussion but need a starting point, as well as those who have been engaged with the political process for some time.

[Jeremy Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leeman’s book, How the Nations Rage, asserts that the governments of this world are fundamentally raging against God’s divine order based on an examination of Psalm 2. Due to this reality, Leeman insightfully admonishes and encourages Christians to exercise “politics of a new creation by offering peace and mercy.” This book is especially relevant today as we consider the deep divide in our nation over politics. This impacts not just individuals but the church as well.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pastor Leeman's book is well written and well thought through. It is obvious that he understands both politics and religion deeply. His approach to the relationship between faith and the public square is well-balanced, so much so that the book isn't one of those books that overthrows the way one looks at the issues involved. Rather it nudges one toward principles we need to be reminded of in this politically polarized time.

The best point of the book is that where we really should be living out our politics is in the church. It is there that injustices should be addressed, where the poor should receive assistance, and where most issues that government tries (and fails) to solve should be on some scale be dealt with. Our hope for change in society cannot be a political party, or a politician, or a department of government: our hope should be in Christ and His working through His people in the church. He is in some sense spouting my own libertarian beliefs, but not with that label and not to that extent. He feels that churches need to show the government the way forward in all these matters; I feel the churches and other free associations should often be doing these jobs because doing them through the state (and coercion) is wrong and also ineffective.

I feel that there is some needless worrying he does over having Biblical principles guide the government's approach to policy issues that in my opinion don't even fit the role of government. He is right to see the government's rightful task as being providing justice, order, and peace (which sets the stage for the church to address it's task of redeeming humanity.) But he goes one step further and says the government also needs to help society flourish or "be fruitful." Genesis 9 isn't necessarily speaking to government exclusively.

In trying to define justice, Leeman gets a little squishy. He tries to use the Bible to expand the concept of justice beyond the protection of life, liberty, and property. He points to what he calls structural injustices and claims that the government needs to address these. I might be persuaded that such injustices exist, but I think righting that wrong is something that the government proves very poor at doing. Voluntary cooperation, begun in Christ's church, would be better able to right these wrongs where they genuinely exist.

In speaking to how the church needs to relate to politics, he makes it clear that in our current situation it is not proper for churches or pastors to be endorsing candidates. And most issues debated in the public square do not have a direct and clear instruction from Scripture for exactly how they should be handled. This means that churches must be broad tents for brothers and sisters of different political allegiances. But churches should also be challenging each of their members to not just be satisfied with their personal political biases: each member needs to be pressed to re-evaluate his political stances and voting decisions in the light of the Bible. The book has challenged me in this way. I come from a white, conservative tradition, and there are things I will not even think to question that need to be questioned. There are wrongs that my radar doesn't detect. And it is here that I need to follow Leeman's example and be teachable and humble.

Thanks for the reminder, Pastor Leeman. I will try to listen and learn and also practice my politics by working in the church to bring about justice and peace. And I will remember that since I think most of the issues out there are not solvable by the government, I will work to be part of the solution through the local church.

[Brie Tomlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly wasn’t sure how to review this book for a little while. It was very good! Had so many great points, yet seemed a bit dense and convoluted for me at times. Towards the end, I felt like I just kinda trudged through it lol.

It def isn’t a book I typically would have picked up, but one of my friends suggested it, so I thought I’d give it a go! Personally, politics is an area I often avoid. Don’t get me wrong, I do really love listening to other people’s sides of things, but I most often avoid sharing my own opinions for the sake of keeping the peace or to avoid offending others. But this book was convicting to me for this very reason!

Jonathan Leeman had so much scripture ready to combat these very thoughts and feelings plus so much more! Leeman reminds us readers, that God created government for our good and to fulfill His perfect will. And that He calls us, as the church, to have a united front to stand up for what God deems right and just. That we should get involved, not just in our churches, but also in our local communities! So that we can love our neighbors as best as we can in the midst of hard political times and point them to the promises and hope in Christ!

My favorite quote from Leeman says, “Christians should unite around straight-line issues while leaving room for Christian freedom around jagged-line issues. Likewise, Christians should press against the culture on straight-line issues for the sake of justice and for loving our non-Christian friends and warning them of the coming judgment of God.”

Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Overall, it had a very good overarching biblical view on politics and was an encouragement and challenge to us to live a life that fights for what the Lord fights for, to inspect our hearts daily, and proclaim the gospel so that the world can know him set their hope fully in Christ!

[Annalise Nakoneczny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very difficult book to review, and I've seen a lot of readers reacting to it the same way. I was originally reading this alongside my devos and had to stop because I was starting my mornings filled with rage. On the one hand, I really appreciated this largely balanced look at faith and politics. Leeman makes a lot of statements that I agree with and statements that challenge me. I'll admit, the book made me uncomfortable, and I think it was supposed to. On the other hand, Leeman assumes that all Christians are interpreting certain issues in the same way. Also some of the theological application feels iffy to me. For example, he makes an assertion in favor of capital punishment based on a verse in Genesis, but he seems to ignore Jesus' forgiveness and grace? It was a lot.

Here's the thing: life is long and views often change. The framework and truth in this book is solid, and so much has happened in the world since it was written that I don't want to condemn the author based on this snapshot of where he's at. I'm glad I pushed through some of the discomfort I was feeling because I know I came out the other side with a better and healthier understanding of the way my faith and politics interact. But I would also encourage all readers to read this with discernment.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Joining the new-covenant community means we can be done using our various groups in the grand project of self-justification. We no longer need to prove we’re insiders to anyone, least of all to ourselves. It allows us to hold all those memberships with a loose grip. We can use them for good where we can, but let them go where we cannot. We are no longer slaves to any of our groups.”

I started to read this in anticipation of the election this year and was so incredibly blessed, encouraged, and admonished by Leeman’s call to the church in this book! I’m sure I’ll reference back to this come next election!

[Kiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a hard read for me. Not because it was technically difficult or because the writing was hard to follow. That wasn't the case at all. It was more because while for the most part I share the author's values, there are a couple of his stances that I don't agree with that pop up continuously.

In spite of this, I was still able to learn a lot and really reflect on how I viewed the world through the lens of both faith and politics. And I think this is especially relevant with the American presidential election coming up in less than a month.

[Trent Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my wonderfully tenacious book club.
The book provides a framework for thinking about politics that upholds nuance, resists over-simplification, and, most importantly, begins with the premises that “our entire lives are fundamentally political because our entire lives are measured in relation to King Jesus and his claim on our whole person.” I recommend this read, especially in a small group. We had riveting discussions week after week. And we never yelled at one another.

[Luke Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really thought-provoking and introduced a lot of ideas about how the church should play into politics. One of the key takeaways that I had that I’d like to explore further is how the church should be informing the way we view politics and the way we view social issues. The church should not bean escape from the outside world. It should be an energizer to engage the outside world.

[Heidi Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

First nonfiction I’ve ever given 5 stars on here. Not much of a nonfiction reader, I found this book easy to read and easy to understand. Enjoyed it very much and thought it was very helpful in guiding how Christians should view politics.

[DeAron Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book challenges our allegiances to political parties with the Gospel. It provides the reader with some gray areas to challenge their black and white thinking. It helps readers understand individual and structural racism. It was an enjoyable read.

[Faith Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Leeman included CRT and white privileged fallacies. This book was incredibly disappointing and disturbing, especially as I have seen it on others bookshelves. Leeman is extremely soft and unbiblical at best in this book.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a great deal of wisdom in this book.
Since I prefer reading to writing, I will offer the TGC review rather than writing my own:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/re...

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want all of my American brothers and sisters to read this book.