Compassion (&) Conviction

The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement

by Justin Giboney, Michael R Wear, and Chris Butler
Foreword by Barbara Williams-Skinner

Social Justice

Hardback

$24.99

Length: 160 pages
Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 in
Published: July 21, 2020
Imprint: IVP
ISBN: 9780830848102

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Christian Book Award® program
Outreach Resource of the Year

Have you ever felt too progressive for conservatives, but too conservative for progressives?

Too often, political questions areframed in impossible ways for the faithful Christian: we're forced to choose between social justice and biblical values, between supporting women and opposing abortion. As a result, it's easy for Christians to grow disillusioned with civic engagement or fall back into tribal extremes. This state of affairs has damaged Christian public witness and divided the church.

The authors of this book represent the AND Campaign, which exists to educate and organize Christians for faithful civic andcultural engagement. They insist that not only are we called to love our neighbors through the political process but also that doing so requires us to transcend the binary way the debates are usually framed. In simple, understandable language, theylay out the biblical case for political engagement and help Christians navigate the complex world of politics with integrity, from political messaging and the politics of race to protests, advocacy, and more. The book includes a study guide for classroom use and group discussion.

When we understand our civic engagement as a way to obey Christ's call to love our neighbor, we see that it is possible to engage the political process with both love and truth—compassion and conviction.

REVIEWS

"I love the (&) Campaign because they are trying to raise the voice of Jesus in a world that is often us versus them, red versus blue, elephant versus donkey. In a time marked by division, this timely book raises an urgent question, What does the Bible say? I believe that faith can and should impact our cultural and civic engagement. I pray that you are informed and challenged by the thoughts and exercises in Compassion (&) Conviction. We need this message now more than ever."

Nick Hall, founder and chief communicator for PULSE, author of Reset

"At a time when America's body of Christ is as divided as our nation itself, the AND Campaign has presented a much-needed model for those who aspire to stay true to biblical principles—all of them!—in their civic engagement. Free of partisanship and cultural bias, this book provides a framework that, if adhered to, could lead to unity, healing, and perhaps even revival. Just in the nick of time, the AND Campaign has given us a gem, a light, a guide for how Bible believers can accurately represent Christ in a public square so desperately in need of our true and faithful witness."

Chris Broussard, broadcaster for FOX Sports, founder and president of the K.I.N.G. Movement

"The book, Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement is a much-needed text that skillfully guides believers on how to exercise their civic duties without compromise. The authors assert that people of faith have a moral obligation to demonstrate love for our neighbors by weighing in on political matters, yet we should also respect and work constructively with nonbelievers. If ever there was a time for people of faith to love others while standing up for what is right, that time is now. This book offers a framework and guidance on how to civically live out your faith."

John K. Jenkins Sr., pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland

"Compassion (&) Conviction is an outstanding tool in sharing the consistent, courageous, and faith-filled message of the AND Campaign. At a time when too many Christians let their politics shape their faith, this book is an example of faith shaping politics. You don't have to agree with every word in this book, but we should be grateful for the biblical principles and moral analysis that make this resource so timely and challenging. Justin Giboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler offer a path to faithful citizenship in tough times."

John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University

"Empowering. Practical. Enlightening. Convicting. Finally here's a resource for Christians to understand their civil duty in voting and how they should engage in political affairs. We've gone far too long without a professionally detailed resourcethat answers our specific controversies such as our involvement as Christians in politics, our engagement in social justice without compromising our faith, and our dedication to justice. This book isn't just an explanation of our Christian duty in the public space; it's an invitation to actively engage in politics and civics as informed believers. This resource must be taught, used, and circulated locally and abroad. Our republic depends on it."

Cornelius Lindsey, lead pastor of the Gathering Oasis Church, Atlanta

"The partisanship, point-scoring, bickering, and pettiness that mark Christians' engagement with politics often belies the message of hope offered in Jesus. If we, as a church, do not learn how to seek the good of our neighbor and the broader world without being beholden to a particular political party, we will, however inadvertently, preach a false gospel in our actions and public life. Because of this, reconstructing a political theology that is wise, humane, just, and deeply biblical is the most urgent calling facing the church in America today. The AND Campaign is a leader in this vital work of reconstruction, casting an alternative vision for a politics rooted in faith, hope, and love. In this book, Giboney, Wear, and Butler providebasic tutoring in civics, Scripture, race, justice, and political engagement that will help us, as a church, find a more faithful and truthful way of walking as Christians in this world of political turmoil. I want every church in America to give an ear to these men as they help us walk the way of Jesus as a community and a political people."

Tish Harrison Warren, author of Liturgy of the Ordinary

"Compassion (&) Conviction provides a reconciliatory prescription for a political environment infected by discord, animus, and extremism. This book stands as a clarion call for a movement founded on the principle that every human being carries the image of God and driven by a passion to do justice and change the world. This is not just a must-read, this is a must-do!"

Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, lead pastor of New Season Christian Worship Center, Sacramento, California

"People commonly lament our age's political division and tribalism. Some have lived at the poles of political discourse, and they've forgotten their way back to a commonly shared center. Finding our way back to one another can only happen if we learn not to bifurcate our politics. We need a movement to reunite ourselves, reunite with our neighbors, and reunite political ideals that never should have been divided in the first place. That reunion will feel like a strange new land for many us, so we need guides, pathways, tools, and discipline for talking and working together for the common good. You hold in your hands a creative struggle for wholeness, just the kind of help we need in our age."

Thabiti M. Anyabwile, pastor of Anacostia River Church, Washington, DC

Foreword by Barbara Williams-Skinner
Preface

1. Christians (&) Politics
2. Church (&) State
3. Compassion (&) Conviction
4. Partnerships (&) Partisanship
5. Messaging (&) Rhetoric
6. Politics (&) Race
7. Advocacy (&) Protest
8. Civility (&) Political Culture
A Closing Exhortation

Discussion Questions (&) Exercises
Notes

What Hath Justice to Do with Righteousness?

Ten Movements of the Jesus Way

Authentic Communication

Knowing Christianity

Culture Care

God and Molecules

Love All Our Neighbors

Socially Awkward Evangelism

Christ and Covenant in Global Politics

In the Beginning We Create

ABOUT Justin Giboney

Justin E. Giboney (JD, Vanderbilt University) is the cofounder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization focused on raising civic literacy, promoting civic pluralism, and equipping Christians to engage politics with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. An ordained minister, attorney, and political strategist, Giboney has been featured in publications such as the New York Times and Christianity Today and is the coauthor of the book Compassion (&) Conviction. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and three sons.

ABOUT Michael Wear

Michael Wear is chief strategist of the AND Campaign and founder of Public Square Strategies LLC. He is the author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America.

ABOUT Chris Butler

Chris Butler is the senior leader of the Chicago Embassy Church Network and has been involved in several efforts to improve educational equity in Chicago. He serves as the founder and executive director of Parent Power Chicago as well as the founder of the Chicago Peace Campaign, which organizes churches and other faith-based institutions to build peacemaking networks in local communities.

Compassion (&) Conviction

The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement