The Good of Politics: A Biblical, Historical, and Contemporary Introduction (Engaging Culture)

Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 9780801048814
Type: Paperback

In this addition to the acclaimed Engaging Culture series, a highly respected author and Christian thinker offers a principled, biblical perspective on engaging political culture as part of one's calling.

James Skillen believes that constructive Christian engagement depends on the belief that those made in the image of God are created not only for family life, agriculture, education, science, industry, and the arts but also for building political communities, justly ordered for the common good. He argues that God made us to be royal stewards of public governance from the outset and that the biblical story of God's creation, judgment, and redemption of all things in Jesus Christ has everything to do with politics and government.

In this irenic, nonpartisan treatment of an oft-debated topic, Skillen critically assesses current political realities and helps readers view responsibility in the political arena as a crucial dimension of the Christian faith.

About the Series
The Engaging Culture series is designed to help Christians respond with theological discernment to our contemporary culture. Each volume explores particular cultural expressions, seeking to discover God's presence in the world and to involve readers in sympathetic dialogue and active discipleship.

Contents

Introduction
Part 1: The Biblical Drama
1. God's Kingdom Coming
2. The Revealing Image
3. Citizenship in the Kingdom
Part 2: Key Historical Developments
4. Constantine, Augustine, and the Fraught Future of "Christian"
Politics
5. From Augustine to the Splintering of Christendom
6. Nations, States, and Protestant Reformers
7. From the Reformation to Contemporary Engagement
Part 3: Engaging Politics Today
8. Viewpoint as Standpoint: Where Do We Begin?
9. Engagement for What Kind of Political Community?
10. Citizenship as Vocation
11. Family, Marriage, and Education
12. Economics and the Environment
13. Politics in One World
Index

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Endorsements

"Skillen has made an important contribution to the growing body of serious evangelical political thought. This book is a masterful articulation of a profoundly Christian political philosophy--one developed in a sophisticated conversation with a broad range of the most important shapers of Western culture."

Ronald J. Sider, Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy, Palmer Seminary, Eastern University

"The Good of Politics offers needed wisdom for an age tempted to despair about the possibility of anything good coming from politics. Judiciously tacking between empirical and normative issues, Skillen draws deeply from biblical sources and major streams of the Christian tradition in the service of a distinctively positive vision of civic responsibility for our common life. This accessible text by one of the most engaged Protestant political thinkers of his generation should find an important place in colleges, seminaries, and churches."

Eric Gregory, Princeton University

"In The Good of Politics, seasoned political thinker and practitioner James Skillen presents a full and compelling articulation of the integrally Christian vision of politics he has been pioneering in the United States for more than a generation. The book contains a fresh and inspiring statement of politics as caught up in the biblical drama of creation and kingdom and a highly insightful and critical reading of the complicated and often compromised history of Christian politics in the West and beyond. It offers an illuminating account of politics as a unique vocation to pursue justice and the common good and, on top of all that, illustrates what this concretely implies for constitutional reform, citizenship, family and marriage, education, economics and the environment and global affairs. The Good of Politics is a veritable tour de force of sustained Christian reflection on complex and contested territory where contemporary Christians are in great need of more wisdom."

Jonathan Chaplin, director, Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, Cambridge, UK

"I have long believed that the dynamic, nonpartisan, and deeply Christian approach to politics embodied in the writings and witness of Jim Skillen offers an invaluable resource for our political moment. Here we have Skillen's political vision at its best. Biblically rooted and generous in spirit, he engages a staggering array of topics from the early church through today and invites us to see politics as a good and faithful endeavor that can and should promote justice for all. In this vigorous articulation of the God-given goodness of politics, Skillen's goal is to protect and promote the significance of the diverse nonpolitical responsibilities that make up most of life."

Kristen Deede Johnson, associate professor of theology and Christian formation, Western Theological Seminary

"Readers have come to appreciate the wisdom and insight that Skillen has displayed in his work over the years. This new book certainly lives up to our expectations. The Good of Politics is a biblically and historically rich primer on the political life for everyone persuaded that the claims of Christ extend to our calling as citizens."

David Koyzis, author of Political Visions and Illusions; professor of political science, Redeemer University College, Ontario