THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY

Summary

Alberta writes about the history of the American evangelical church and it’s relationship to American politics. It’s no doubt that Alberta lives on the left end of the political spectrum, but he does a nice job of being as moderate as he can be. And as a believer himself, Alberta always writes about through the lens of scripture and the life of Jesus.

Throughout the book, Alberta highlights the fact that the evangelical church has conflated citizenship of the Kingdom and citizenship in America. And when you conflate those things, any attack on the traditional American way of life is an attack on your faith. Beyond this point, this is a life of fear, which is the opposite of how Jesus has commanded us to live.

Key Takeaways

1. Many modern evangelicals are concerned with the inundation of evil in our culture. And they want to fight against this evil. However, many have crossed a point where they are no longer fighting evil with good - they only want to fight evil-period. And this means it doesn’t matter to them how the evil is defeated - the enemy of my enemy is my friend. So we get politicians like Donald Trump who are obviously not the epitome of Christian-values, but that doesn’t matter, because he’s willing to fight evil with them, and the ends justify the means.
2. [I don’t think this is Alberta’s viewpoint, but it’s something I took away from the book]. The rise of right-wing evangelical Christianity can be viewed as a form of deconstruction. While traditional deconstruction often leads individuals away from organized religion due to perceived hypocrisy or lack of authentic faith, this alternative path draws believers towards a more politically charged version of Christianity. Many in these congregations have long harbored dissatisfaction with their original church’s stance on issues such as immigration, government assistance, or cultural events. Ultimately, they depart not because of a loss of faith, but due to a conviction that their church isn’t adequately addressing these concerns. This exodus leads them to communities that, while claiming greater biblical “authenticity”, often represent a fusion of traditional Christian teachings with right-wing, conservative political ideology.
3. As Christians, we need to show more grace to those outside the church.
4. Love your enemies until they are no longer your enemies. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross and it is what we are called to do in our lives.

Favorite Quotes

“At its root, we’re talking about idolatry. America has become an idol to some of these people,” Winans said. “If you believe that God is in covenant with America, then you believe - and I’ve heard lots of people say this explicitly - that we’re a new Israel. You believe the sorts of promises made to Israel are applicable to this country; you view America as a covenant that needs to be protected. You have to fight for America as if salvation itself hangs in the balance. At that point, you understand yourself as an American first and most fundamentally. And that is a terrible misunderstanding of who we’re called to be.” This can happen anywhere, Winans explained, but the conditions in America are especially ripe of national idolatry. “The freedoms in our Bill of Rights, we like to call them ‘God-Given’.”

- Page 28

Today’s evangelicalism preaches bitterness toward unbelievers and bottomless grace for churchgoing Christians, yet the New Testament model is exactly the opposite, stressing strict accountability for those inside the Church and abounding charity to those outside it.

- Page 213

Jesus didn’t take on flesh to play favorites with a chosen few; according to Paul, God’s love is revealed in the fact that His son died for us while we were still His enemies. This is the gospel we are to proclaim both in word and deed: To be a Christian is to sacrifice not for the benefit of those we already have around our table but for the betterment of those we have never considered to invite. It’s a funny thing about loving your enemies: Once you love them, they cease to be your enemies.

- Page 217

The pastor who finds himself offering religious justification today might find himself inventing it tomorrow. In the darkest chapters of Church history - the Crusades and Inquisition, the salve trade and sexual abuse scandals - the common denominator has been a willingness on the part of Christian authority figures to distort scripture for what they perceive to be some greater good.

- Page 231

Personal Thoughts

How this book changed my perspective

This book was really insightful for me from a history perspective. Understanding how the church got to the point it is today, why some loud voices have changed the trajectory of Christian involvement in politics, and how that has become the societal norm is a good starting point to understand how we should engage with politics in the future. The church is too quick to align to someone who is willing to say they are Christian in public without holding them to account as a fellow believer. For example, when a politician misquotes or misuses scripture to make a point, we should be calling them out on their misuse of God’s word. Instead, the church is too quick to assume it’s a good thing because, “at least they are quoting the Bible, they must be on our team”. This isn’t a win for Christians when the Word is misused.

Another thing that I appreciated about this book is the idea that we should be viewing our politics and culture through the lens of Jesus - not viewing Jesus through the lens of our politics and culture. This is all to easy to forget and the default becomes to view things through a highly political or cultural lens… it’s all around us!

This also makes me incredibly thankful for my church community and how it engages in politics with love and patience, with Jesus at the center.

Practical applications

Be patient. Seek to understand people.

Everyone is made in God’s image. Donald Trump is made in God’s image. Kamala Harris is made in God’s image. Every person is made in God’s image. Treat them like they are fellow image bearers.

Love your enemies until they are no longer your enemies.

Questions for further exploration

• What strategies can be employed to help believers view political and cultural issues through the lens of Jesus’ teachings rather than viewing Jesus through a political or cultural lens?
• What lessons can be drawn from historical instances where the church became too closely aligned with political power, and how can these inform current evangelical engagement with politics?
• In what ways can Christian leaders and congregations hold politicians accountable for misusing or misinterpreting scripture, even when those politicians claim to represent Christian values?

Connections

Related Books

1. Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein
   • This book isn’t quite on the same wavelength as Alberta, but it is a good introduction to why our societies have become so polarized around different topics (politics and otherwise) and how our engagement with social media plays a part in that. I think it’s a good read for Christians who want to dive deeper into how our engagement on the internet with each other contributes to some of what Alberta has outlined.
2. The Party Crasher by Josh Butler
   • The Party Crasher is a great introduction into how we should love our neighbor and realize that Jesus isn’t a donkey or an elephant. He is outside both political parties and loves people in both camps. We ultimately engage in politics through a two party system in America, but we need to see ourselves as a member of Christ and not a member of a political party.

Last updated: 2024-07-30