Christian Political Witness, Edited by George Kalantzis and Gregory W. Lee alt

Christian Political Witness

Wheaton Theology Conference Series

Edited by George Kalantzis and Gregory W. Lee

Christian Political Witness
ebook
  • Length: 240 pages
  • Published: February 28, 2014
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • Item Code: 9620
  • ISBN: 9780830896202

*affiliate partner

"My kingdom is not of this world." Followers of Jesus have been struggling to understand these words ever since he first uttered them—often in sharply contradictory ways. Today the inescapably political nature of Christian witness is widely recognized. But what is the shape of this witness? What should Christian political engagement look like today?

The twelve essays in this volume, originally presented at the 2013 Wheaton Theology Conference, present biblical, historical and theological proposals for thinking responsibly about the intersection of church and state in the contemporary cultural situation. Prophetic and pastoral, this book offers a fresh look at a crucial and contested dimension of the Christian life.

Contributors include:

  • Stanley Hauerwas
  • Mark Noll
  • Scot McKnight
  • Timothy G. Gombis
  • George Kalantzis
  • Jana Marguerite Bennett
  • William T. Cavanaugh
  • Peter J. Leithart
  • Daniel M. Bell Jr.
  • Jennifer M. McBride
  • David P. Gushee
  • Bishop David Gitari

"The long-standing partnership between InterVarsity Press and the annual Wheaton College Theology Conference continues to produce very fine fruit indeed, of which this volume of wide-ranging essays in political theology is another fine example. Readers will benefit greatly from being expertly led by historians, theologians and ethicists to reflect more deeply and critically on abiding questions of Christian political thinking as well as many pressing issues of our present moment. This is a welcome contribution to a very lively field of theological endeavor."

Philip G. Ziegler, University of Aberdeen

"Wheaton College professors Kalantzis and Lee pose a provocative question: 'Are Christians today anything more than an interest group?' In light of a 2013 Pew report showing the U.S. on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country, twelve prominent theologians respond. From the salty Stanley Hauerwas to the precise Mark Noll, each gnaws on an ancient bone: since the outlawed Jesus Movement became legitimate under Constantine, what are we to make of Christians and politics?"

Publishers Weekly, March 10, 2014

"Prophetic and pastoral, this book offers a fresh look at a crucial and contested dimension of the Christian life."

Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 69, no. 4
More

CONTENTS

Introduction, by George Kalantzis and Gregory W. Lee
1 Church Matters, by Stanley Hauerwas
2 The Peril and Potential of Scripture in Christian Political Witness, by Mark Noll
3 Extra ecclesiam nullum regnum: The Politics of Jesus, by Scot McKnight
4 The Political Vision of the Apostle to the Nations, by Timothy G. Gombis
5 A Witness to the Nations: Early Christianity and Narratives of Power, by George Kalantzis
6 Not So Private: A Political Theology of Church and Family, by Jana Marguerite Bennett
7 Are Corporations People? The Corporate Form and the Body of Christ, by William T. Cavanaugh
8 Violence, by Peter J. Leithart
9 Just War as Christian Politics, by Daniel M. Bell Jr.
10 Repentance as Political Witness, by Jennifer M. McBride
11 Christian Political Witness: Key Current Debates, by David P. Gushee
12 Christian Political Witness: You Are in the World but Not of It, by David Gitari

Contributors
Subject Index
Name Index
Scripture Index

More

You May Also Like

George Kalantzis

George Kalantzis (PhD, Northwestern University) is professor of theology and director of The Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies at Wheaton College. He is the author of Caesar and the Lamb: Early Christian Attitudes on War and Military Service and Theodore of Mopsuestia: Commentary on the Gospel of John, and he is the coeditor of Evangelicals and the Early Church: Recovery, Reform, Renewal; Life in the Spirit: Spiritual Formation in Theological Perspective; Christian Political Witness; and The Sovereignty of God Debate.

Gregory W. Lee

Gregory W. Lee (PhD, Duke University) is assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College. His academic interests focus on the appropriation of early Christian writers for contemporary theological reflection. His forthcoming book, "Today When You Hear His Voice": Scripture, the Covenants, and the People of God, explores the dynamics of scriptural authority in Augustine, Calvin, and the epistle to the Hebrews. His next major project will focus on Augustine's understanding of ecclesial sin and its implications for church division and the church-world relationship. He and his wife live in the North Lawndale area of Chicago, where they attend Lawndale Christian Community Church.