Faithful Politics, Miranda Zapor Cruz. IVP Academic/Missio Alliance (ISBN: 9781514007495) 2024.

Summary: Ten ways of approaching the relationship between pursuing God’s kingdom and engaging in politics.

What does it mean to be a Christian citizen? Is it possible to participate in politics while remaining faithful to pursuing God’s kingdom? And to what degree ought one try to realize the vision and values of God’s kingdom in the laws, policies, and practices of one’s country? These are some of the questions Miranda Zapor Cruz unpacks in Faithful Politics. However, if you are looking for the approach to Christian politics or a recommendation on choosing between political parties, you won’t find that here.

In all, the author considers ten approaches Christians have taken toward political engagement. Before considering these, she makes a clear distinction between the United States and the kingdom of God. Specifically, she argues one cannot conflate kingdom and country. Then she observes how Christians have always understood themselves as dual citizens, although what that meant in the first century under imperial Rome is very different from our geopolitical context. Finally, she argues that clearly recognizing these distinctions and having a clear vision of the kingdom allows us to be “salty” Christians in society.

With this in mind, she turns to different approaches Christians have taken to politics. First she considers separatist approaches that keep kingdom out of country. She distinguishes between isolationist separatism and prophetic separatism. One just keeps its distance while the other keeps distance but also speaks truth to political reality. Churches (like mine) in the Anabaptist tradition have taken this approach. The next approaches keep country out of the kingdom. This includes the Baptist separation of church and state and the two kingdoms separation of Martin Luther. Both have helped frame the historic separation of church and state in the United States.

Then we turn to the approach of “Bringing kingdom into the Country” reflected in the nineteenth century social gospel approach. This approach sought through social and moral reform to transform the country into a Christian society, an approach reflected in the civil rights movement. One thing I missed in her treatment, which includes direct action, is the role of non-violent civil disobedience. Discussion of the question of when Christians should resist unjust laws would have been helpful. Next, the author outlines two Calvinist approaches to “Keeping the Country Under the Kingdom.” One is the principled pluralist approach emphasizing God’s sovereignty over different spheres of life. The other is the direct Christian influence approach, which seeks to bring the country in line with certain Christian values and convictions.

For each of the above approaches, the author outlines strengths and shortcomings for each approach. Her next two chapters considers approaches contemporary Christians have adopted she argues are incompatible with Christian faith. The first of these is dominionism both in its Christian Reconstruction and New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) forms. She critiques the biblicism of Christian Reconstruction and the gnostic and Montanist tendencies of NAR. She notes how both apply messianic language to earthly political figures. Finally, she notes the unhealthy fruit of these movements including vigilantism and political violence.

Turning to Christian nationalism, she notes its “closed American exceptionalism,” its equation of America with Christian nationhood, and the privileging of Christianity above other beliefs. Very simply, one cannot be a faithful citizen of the Kingdom of God that breaks down every dividing boundary and be a Christian nationalist. And like Reconstruction and NAR, the endemic physical and rhetorical violence of Christian nationalism is incompatible with the way of Christ.

Cruz concludes that Christian political engagement at its best draws on the first eight approaches at their best. That is, it is salty, prophetic, separationist, social and principled pluralist. Above all, it centers faithfulness to Christ. I appreciate the historical treatment of different traditions, particularly because many Christians are unaware of the good political thought of those who have gone before them. And I appreciate her efforts to synthesize the best of these different approaches and to learn from them all. Still, I wonder if this would have been a different book if written post-January 20, 2025. Cruz notes the differences of political engagement with imperial Rome from our present day. I cannot help but wonder if there is less of a difference, and whether there might be more to learn from the first Christians.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.