New Book on Thinking Biblically About Politics
September 10, 2010
I just received a new book in the mail--Wayne Grudem's Politics According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture (Zondervan, 2010). The book is a massive, comprehensive, hernia-enducing 601 pages. I have not had the time yet to read all of the book, but I have spot-read about twenty percent of it (by "spot-reading" I mean the activity of reading selected sections peppered throughout the book to get a feel for the whole by sampling various parts, which I talk about in Love Your God with All Your Mind).
From what I have seen, I highly recommend that you get the book and look it over. It is not only a very good read, but it serves as a resource to which one could go when a political issue arises for which one needs a biblical perspective. The book covers an extraordinary range of topics from a general treatment of a biblical view of politics and the state to very, very specific issues (e.g. the "Fairness doctrine" and talk radio).
In my opinion, too much Evangelical writing on these matters has promoted a left-leaning political agenda, and Grudem's work is a corrective to that strong trend. In fact, he argues that when properly understood, biblical teaching on the state/politics support the Republican Party and its agenda more that the Democratic Party and its agenda (chapter 17). I find this claim courageous, refreshing, correct and rationally supported by a vast number of detailed arguments in Grudem's book. If you think that a claim like this is partisan or in some other way inappropriate, all I can say is that you should read Grudem's case for the claim.
In these troubled times, Evangelicals need to be savvy about and involved in matters political, and I can't think of a better guide for our community than Grudem's book. I highly recommend you get it!
You can read a sample of the book by clicking here.
Purchase the book at a significant discount by going here.
Very cool! I have always been apolitical yet for some unknown reason always leaning right. maybe this book will show me how my biblical world view makes it so. “curiouser and curiouser!”
Thanks for recommending this resource. I really respect you and Wayne Grudem. I must admit I find this issue somewhat confusing.
great post, thanks for sharing