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Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy
 
 
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Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy [Paperback]

Steve Monsma (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 4, 2008

Do today's believers know how to be not simply good citizens butgood Christian citizens? Are they ready to respond tocontemporary public policy issues such as genocide, global AIDS,global warming, and human trafficking according to Scripture ratherthan any particular political agenda? A growing segment of themare, even if they aren't quite sure how to accomplish it. This bookis for them.

With American evangelicals having more political influence todaythan ever before, this book is especially important. The openingchapters establish the foundational biblical principles that arerelevant to our lives as Christian citizens no matter the topic.Author Steve Monsma next highlights crucial global issues in whichbelievers are called to live out their faith. Forgoing ready-madeanswers, Monsma encourages a reflective, thoroughly biblicalresponse via a lively writing style. His book will equip allbelievers to make godly, humanitarian choices rather than purelypolitical ones.

A DVD featuring a 10 minute introduction to each chapter of thisbook is available from Crossway at www.crossway.org orfrom the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politicsat www.calvin.edu/henry. Itis ideal for use in classes and discussion groups.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Steve Monsma avoids the modern-day tendency to believe that the kingdom of God will arrive on Air Force One. Instead he offers a balanced perspective on how Christians should engage in the political process. His solid biblical grounding, as well as his concrete applications of Christian principles to public policy, provides wise guidance.”
Charles W. Colson, Prison Fellowship

“Urgent, compelling, readable. An important book on a crucial topic. Monsma’s entire life—as a successful politician and a gifted professor of political science—has prepared him to write this clear, compelling book. Every Christian with any interest in politics should read it.”
Ronald J. Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action

“If you need to know in advance whether the author is a conservative or a liberal, you may not like Monsma’s approach. He asks you to set aside such simplistic labels and ask instead what the Bible says about each of a dozen key public policy issues. And then if you disagree with some of his personal conclusions—just as he expects you to—you will appreciate his candor and honesty.”
Joel Belz, Founder, World Magazine

“An important introduction to issues arising at the intersection of faith and politics, written from a disciplined Kuyperian/Calvinist theoretical stance and resulting in a nuanced centrist-evangelical perspective. This book is reader-friendly, biblical, holistic, and wise.”
David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"Steve Monsma avoids the modern-day tendency to believe that the kingdom of God will arrive on Air Force One. Instead he offers a balanced perspective on how Christians should engage in the political process. His solid biblical grounding, as well as his concrete applications of Christian principles to public policy, provides wise guidance."
Charles Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

"Urgent, compelling, readable. An important book on a crucial topic. Monsma's entire life-as a successful politician and a gifted professor of political science-has prepared him to write this clear, compelling book. Every Christian with any interest in politics should read it."
Ronald J. Sider, Evangelicals for Social Action

"If you need to know in advance whether the author is a conservative or a liberal, you may not like Monsma's approach. He asks you to set aside such simplistic labels and ask instead what the Bible says about each of a dozen key public policy issues. And then if you disagree with some of his personal conclusions-just as he expects you to-you will appreciate his candor and honesty."
Joel Belz, Founder, World Magazine

"An important introduction to issues arising at the intersection of faith and politics, written from a disciplined Kuyperian/Calvinist theoretical stance and resulting in a nuanced centrist-evangelical perspective. This book is reader-friendly, biblical, holistic, and wise."
David Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University

"Monsma is one of the most important scholars writing on church-state issues today. This latest contribution is perhaps his finest work. It brings together his wide-ranging knowledge of the history of politics and jurisprudence with a theological seriousness that is often lacking in church-state scholarship."
Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, Baylor University; author of Defending Life: A Moral and Legal Case Against Abortion Choice


Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Crossway Books (February 4, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1581349610
  • ISBN-13: 978-1581349610
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Monsma is a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and professor emeritus of political science at Pepperdine University. He has published widely in the fields of church-state relations and faith-based nonprofit organizations.

 

Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for the thoughtful, worthless for the demagogues, April 29, 2008
By 
Jason Poling (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy (Paperback)
As the political season heats up, there's no shortage of books coming out advocating particular political agendas by "baptizing" them in a whitewash of religious rhetoric. Steve Monsma's book will be useless to anybody who wants to leverage a church to promote a candidate or legislative agenda; anyone who's been around a church for long has seen this attempted, and too often carried out. The effects have been disastrous for the Kingdom and for Christ's reputation.

But for the church, the small group, the book club, the campus ministry, the thoughtful believer...those who take seriously the call to follow Christ and to do so in the context he's put us in, those who understand that as believers who are citizens in a democracy we have responsibilities as citizens of the Kingdom, those who see that Scripture has much to say about questions of political ethics and political policies, though often not the particular ones we're asking...this book will be invaluable.

In the midst of the hype -- hype which will no doubt leave many faithful believers burned out and discouraged when the ardor for the latest cause has cooled -- there must be those who test everything and hold on to the good, who recognize that not everybody claiming he's a prophet has been sent by God, who search the Scriptures carefully to see if what a particular author, activist or candidate is true. A book like this will be an invaluable guide to the kind of journey through the Bible and our history that will yield a sustainable understanding of what faithful citizenship looks like -- on issues like the environment and abortion and war, as well as on the more basic questions of what God demands of his disciples who are citizens with the ability to influence elections and policy.

Steve Monsma has brought decades of hard-won wisdom and experience as a legislator, political scientist, and faithful churchman to bear on these important questions. This book provides ample fodder for group discussion as well as personal reflection, moving briskly without glossing over complexities. The companion video and the discussion questions at the end of each chapter will catalyze group interaction even with rotating facilitators, and the text is meaty enough to serve classroom purposes as well.

As the election season heats up, God's people will increasingly feel the need for sober, thoughtful, sensitive and wise guidance on the issues of the day, and will increasingly feel that the loudest voices on each side are ill prepared to offer anything beyond red meat for their followers and red-faced denunciations of those who disagree with them. Steve Monsma's book has arrived just in time.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just In Time For the Elections...., June 6, 2008
This review is from: Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy (Paperback)
I actually took my time reading through this book. After all, it's subject content is a combination of two things that are very important to me: Christianity and politics. It was a lot to absorb but it made me realize just how robotic we have become when taking on the opinions of others.

Until now, I have not been able to put into words how I view the way these things should go hand in hand but now I don't have to because Monsma did it for me. God gave us free will. Jesus lived and died using it. Military men and women make sacrifices every day so we can keep it. So then why do we as Christians try to take that free will away from non-Christians?

We can't force them to believe as we do and why would we want to? God doesn't like that. He wants us to willingly choose to love Him and serve Him. Trying to convert people using the laws of the land isn't the change of heart God requires.

Monsma won't tell you who to vote for but he does address the questions you should ask yourself when choosing the person you will rally behind. Will they protect my rights as a Christian? Will they stand behind the constitution as it was originally intended? Will they fight for the well being of each man, woman, and child?

These are some of the major components addressed in this book but Monsma touches on many other subjects as well. He opens up with discussion about "taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ". That is his starting point.

In part one he talks about biblical principles such as Creation, Sin, and Redemption; Justice; Solidarity; and Civil Society. Each of which I found very eye opening.

Part two discusses applications of these principles to hot topics such as: Church and State; Life Issues; Poverty; Caring for God's Creation; Violations of Human Rights; Disease and Poverty in Other Countries; and War and Terrorism.

I gained a much greater insight after reading this book and have learned to look a bit deeper into the candidates and their policies. This book will be especially helpful with the upcoming election (don't get me started on that one!)

I do believe that every Christian and American citizen can benefit from this book.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Less about issues and more about how to think about issues, May 30, 2010
By 
L. Staley (Washington, DC area) - See all my reviews
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I really enoyed this book. First, he laid a bibilical foundation as background for how to think about political issues and decide for yourself the answers. Then, he gives specific examples.

I found it really refreshing to read a book that talks about how to decide issues for yourself instead of presenting a specific case. This book helped me figure out why I felt so uneasy with the leadership of many of the Christian voices in politics today. He also built a case for deciding issue by issue what you think instead of applying a litmus test to all the issues to come to a position.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
basic biblical principles, overseas relief, fellow evangelicals
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, Jesus Christ, Ten Commandments, Supreme Court, American Christians, Take Captive Every Thought, Violations of Human Rights, President George, President Bush, Saddam Hussein, Old Testament, White House, North Korea, Grand Canyon, United Nations, Terri Schiavo, Good News Club, God's Word, South Africa, Holy Spirit, World Vision, Patriot Act, King Henry, William Wilberforce, New York
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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