City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era [Hardcover]

Michael Gerson (Author), Peter Wehner (Author), Timothy J. Keller (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2010

An era has ended. The political movement that most galvanized evangelicals for more than a quarter-century, the Religious Right, is fading away. What lies ahead is unclear.

Into this uncertainty, former White House insiders Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner call evangelicals toward a new kind of political engagement -- a kind that is better both for the church and the country, a kind that cannot be co-opted by either political party, a kind that avoids the historic mistakes of both the Religious Right and the Religious Left.

A product of the authors' own wrestling with the complicated relationship between religion and politics, City of Man assesses the past, surveys the present, and deals with questions central to evangelicals' future political role, including:

* How can religious people exercise influence while maintaining their integrity?

* What tone should they be known for?

* How should they think about the role and purpose of government?

* Which causes and issues, both at home and abroad, ought to be a part of their agenda?

Incisive, bold, and marked equally by pragmatism and idealism, Gerson and Wehner's book charts a new political future not just for civic-minded Christians and "values voters," but for the nation as a whole.

Editorial Reviews

Review

In recent American history, the mixture of religion and politics has all too often produced inflated rhetoric, demonization of opponents, runaway hyperbole, and mindless demagoguery. This book is different. It pulls back from the heat of conflict to seek light from Scripture, Christian tradition, and a measured analysis of American political history.  Although I have voted "none of the above" in many presidential elections, I'm confident that what these veterans of the Bush White House have written will help Christian believers of any political persuasion to act more responsibly in the public square. Their discussions of the purposes of government (order, justice, virtue, and prosperity) and of the urgent need for patient persuasion in political debate are especially insightful.

Mark A. Noll
Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

In an age when many of the battles between religion and politics are nearing the boiling point, City of Man is a primer for Christians seeking to find their rightful place in the political arena. Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner issue a clarion call for active Christian involvement in the form of calculated and thoughtful engagement. Chock full of historical and theological wisdom, City of Man reminds Christians that they should care about politics and - win or lose - never give up the fights that matter most.

William J. Bennett
Washington Fellow, The Claremont Institute

A thoughtful, creative articulation of a new agenda for conservative politics by Christians. One need not agree with all the assumptions or arguments to find this book a significant contribution to Christian reflection on where our nation should go. The book offers a significant challenge to both liberals and conservatives.

Ronald J. Sider
Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy at Palmer Theological Seminary

Figuring out the appropriate relationship between politics andreligion for Christians is a daunting task. Yet Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner have succeeded brilliantly. In City of Man, they spell out a political theology for 21st century Christians that rejects the narrow thinking of the Religious Right and the creeping secularism of the Religious Left. City of Man is a two-fer. It's an enormously important book on politics and on religion.

Fred Barnes
Executive Editor, the Weekly Standard

In City of Man, two of our nation's most gifted public intellectuals address the question:  How should religious believers understand their obligations as citizens of a modern constitutional democratic republic?  Michael J. Gerson and Peter Wehner warn their fellow Christians against, on the one hand, reducing religion to politics, and, on the other, imagining that Christian faith has no relevance to our political duties.  Addressing a range of challenging and timely issues, they show how the resources of Christian faith can be marshaled to bring public policy more fully into line with the inherent dignity of human beings as creatures fashioned in the very image and likeness of God.

Robert P. George
McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton University

This is book is a wonderful gift to all of us who care deeply about Christian engagement in the political arena. Drawing on their experiences of having worked day-to-day in the inner corridors of political power during times of crisis, the authors offer us a marvelously clear and candid perspective on what it means to seek the welfare of "the City of Man," while taking with utmost seriousness our identity as citizens of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. 

Richard J. Mouw
President, Fuller Theological Seminary

Wisdom in the biblical sense is nourished at the intersection of God's character and our experience. Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner write out of both a rich experience in the national political arena and a deep immersion in biblical faith, and have given us a book of uncommon wisdom. Their reflections on how religion and politics interact in our rapidly changing culture are perceptive and challenging, combin[ing] a broad, historical understanding of the issues with a thoroughly accessible style.

Dr. Stephen A. Hayner
President, Columbia Theological Seminary

About the Author

MICHAEL GERSON, former policy advisor and chief speechwriter to President George W. Bush, writes a nationally syndicated column that appears in the Washington Post. He is the author of Heroic Conservatism.

PETER WEHNER, former deputy assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He writes widely on political, cultural, religious, and national security issues for Commentary, the Weekly Standard, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (September 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802458572
• ISBN-13: 978-0802458575
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Primer for Christian Political Activism October 2, 2010

By Daniel Darling VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Younger generations of evangelicals are wrestling with the proper way to engage in the political arena. As a one-time political activist and now a pastor, I have personally felt the tension between radical engagement and radical withdrawal. At times I have felt Christians have been too passive and at times (lately), I have felt that Christians have been far too active.

Plus, American Christians have been afforded a rare historical stewardship. Few if any civilizations have had the opportunity to shape, change, and move their government in a way that we have. But just what is the biblical blueprint for involvement?

History has shown that when the church is too cozy with political power, it has abandoned its Christian witness and influence and has at times actually been the oppressor instead of the protector of the oppressed. GK. Chesterson said, "The coziness between the church and the state is good for the state and bad for the church."

We've also seen the moral vacuum left when the church withdraws into itself. Slightly more than half a century ago, the Christian witness in Germany was so weak that Hitler was largely able to co-opt the Church for his own diabolical purposes.

So what is the proper balance? How can Christians engage their world?

This week I was delighted to receive a review copy of City of Man by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner. Its part of a new series called, Cultural Renewal, by Moody Publishers. This series will be edited by Tim Keller and Collin Hansen.

If this first offering by Gerson and Wehner is any indication, this series promises to offer believers a robust, winsome, and scripturally sound basis for engagement.

City of Man is a short read, but it is well-written, thoughtful, and honest. The authors explore the depths and difficulties of civic engagement. They peruse history, flesh out the Scriptures, and ultimately provide a working outline for believers who seek to shape the world. What I most love is that it calls Christians to resolute action, but also discernment, integrity, and above all, a winsomeness that opposes policies, but not people.

In my experience with politically active Christians, I have found these traits to be largely lacking. We seem more content with filtering our worldviews through entertainment-based talk shows, ideologically-driven blogs, and snarky pundits. We're tuned in more to Rush than the book of Romans, we've got more Hannity in us than Heaven, and we're quick to generalize, stereotype, and alienate.

This book suggests Christians do not retreat, that they remain firmly active in shaping government and culture, but adjust their tone for greater effectiveness. I think this is an important book, a must-read for every believer. Here's hoping it gets wide distribution and is accepted into the mainstream of conservative Christian political activism.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars How Should Christians Engage Today's Political World? October 19, 2010

By William D. Curnutt TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Gerson and Wehner are two former White House staff members under the presidency of George W. Bush. These men were staff writers who helped to craft policy and the statements to the public about those policies. They are both conservative and they are both Evangelical Christians.

Their book is unapologetically Evangelical and Conservative. Their goal is to give Evangelical Christians a wake up call to their need to become involved in the political and moral life of the communities and the country that they live in.

In their conclusion of the book they state that they hope they have providing three broad propositions to the Evangelical Christian Community. Those are;
1. Politics is the realm of necessity
2. Politics is the realm of hope and possibility
3. Politics can be the realm of nobility

It is their premise that Christians should be decided vocal about politics and become more involved in helping form and shape the political landscape of our country.

Chapter 1 of the book takes us on an exploration of Religion and Politics and whether they are friends or enemies. I think they do a good job of addressing the Biblical aspects of why we need governments and that God is not opposed to the formation of governments. They explore also how governments ought not be formed with an absence of religious thought, but should give consideration to the moral values that religion brings to society.

Chapter 2 gives a history of the Religious Right and does a good job, I think, of showing the good and the bad inherent in what happened with the Religious Right. The movement wasn't bad, but it did birth some individuals who tended to take more pleasure in their power than what was prudent, Biblical or necessary. But the movement itself was not poor.

Chapter 3 gives their view of what "A New Approach" ought to be now that the Religious Right has had it's moment in the sun.

The final chapters are very good in regards to Human Rights, Morality and the Role and Purpose of the State. I specifically enjoyed Chapter 5. I felt it had the most nuggets of gold for what I was looking for. The following quote was my favorite from the book, "A wise government, constructed around a true view of human nature, thus creates the conditions necessary to allow the great mass of the people to live well and to flourish, the enjoy both order and liberty, to live under the protection of the state without being suffocated by it."

This book gave a good introduction to the need for us to be aware of our politic culture and able to articulate our beliefs and disagreements.

I think a good reference tool for Christians looking for a Biblical answer to the social questions and political questions we face today will be found in Wayne Grudem's book on "Politics".

But I think thoughtful Evangelicals will enjoy this book for the concepts that it promotes for us.

Enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars To engage or not to engage? June 12, 2011

By NoVAReader

Format:Hardcover

To engage or not to engage? That is the question for many Christians regarding politics. Are we to only submit to the authorities, but otherwise lead apolitical lives largely out of the public square? Or, are we to actively engage in the political process?

Gerson and Wehner, two former White House staffers, suggest the latter. In this book, they explain that it is our responsibility to engage in politics. But, then, how do we do it without compromising our integrity or without crossing the line between what is good for us personally and what is good for the Kingdom? In this short book, they give their ideas on our responsibility to engage and some approaches we might take. For example, they suggest that we maintain self-awareness, maintain a spiritual grounding, maintain perspective, maintain community and maintain a spirit of grace and reconciliation. I think we would all agree politics could use a lot more of that last one in particular.

City of Man is a short book at just 140 pages. There are six chapters and an Epilogue - Religion and Politics: Friends or Enemies, The Religious Right, A New Approach, The Morality of Human Rights, The Role and Purpose of the State, Persuasion and the Public Square. For me, by far, the most compelling chapter was The Morality of Human Rights. The authors eloquently explain that Christians have an obligation to work for and promote human rights because we are all made in the image of God and therefore have inherent worth. They point out that this concept is clearly part of America's founding documents. It is also consistent with Tim Keller's (who wrote the forward for City of Man) ideas on mercy and justice in his book, Generous Justice: How God's Grace Makes Us Just, which I also recommend.