Customer Reviews

Politics - According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am very excited about what a great resource this is. I loved Grudem's Systematic Theology for the detailed work yet well laid out approach to teaching Biblical Theology. So I was interested in this work on Politics based on what the Bible has to say hoping that it was going to be as well laid out.

I was not disappointed. Part one is a must read as it sets the foundation for what Grudem will detail throughout the rest of the book. It approaches his view of the Basic Principles of Politics as seen in scripture. He does a good job of talking about the Theocracy of the Old Testament and then how Jesus gives us a new view of Biblical thoughts regarding government.

Grudem states in the Introduction, "I support political positions in this book that would be called more 'conservative' than 'liberal.' . . . . It is important to understand that I see these positions as flowing out of the Bible's teaching rather than positions that I hold prior to, or independently of, those biblical teachings." I think it was important for him to state this fact so that we know that he may have had a different view of politics before he studied what the Bible had to say. I think he does a good job of also stating that he will take on some conservative, Republican, ideas as being wrong, because they don't square with the Bible.

After you have read Part 1 you can then start to read at random, depending on what topic is of most interest to you. The table of contents is extensive and helps you to find topics of interest to you that you can go directly to. I have read several of the topics I was interested in and found Grudem's work to be thought provoking. I have been challenged to think through my feelings about some issues not based on what makes me feel good or what I think is right but based on what Scripture has to say regarding the subject.

But again, read the foundational Part 1 before you start skipping around.

This is a good reference book that I think you will find as a great edition to any Biblical Library that you have started. It will give you good reference material as you start to dialogue with family and friends about the issues that are facing us today.

Many of the items are very timely. Those of us who claim to be Christians need to stop hiding our heads in the sand and start (or reaffirm) addressing the world of politics that we live in. This text will give you a great handle on what a Christian worldview should be in relation to the political scene of our country.

Enjoy!

I have long been a Grudem fan leaning heavily on his Systematic Theology and Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Politics According to the Bible will occupy the opposing side to Jim Wallis' God's Politics.

I am personally in agreement with the author's position regarding the role of the believer in politics and appreciated his handling of the five opposing views regarding the believer's role. My discomfort with many of his observations and conclusions stem more from his view of the broad reach for the government in the life of the citizen. At the same time, it seemed to me he gives more attention to the public statements of the political parties as opposed to their actions over the past century or so. Platform statements are for propaganda purposes. What the parties have done is the evidence of what they believe. Seems as if there is a suggestion in scripture toward that end?

Still, the book is a great resource, especially the first four chapters while his treatment of the sixty issues affords one a starting point in considering each point. Needs to be in the Christian's library

I recommend the book along with Chuck Colson's Kingdom's In Conflict, Gary DeMarr's God and Government series, Rushdoony's Law and Liberty, and Bhansen's By What Standard.

This volume is invaluable for at least two main reasons. It offers a careful and well-argued overview of the biblical view of politics and government, and it also offers detailed analysis of key political issues. And in this massive volume (well over 600 pages) a lot of solid material is presented.

Grudem admits that he leans to the conservative side of politics, but argues that he does so on the basis of what the Bible teaches, rather than as a preconceived position he holds to. But as this volume makes clear, he is not above criticising fellow conservatives when the need arises.

He also admits to not writing as a lecturer in politics, but as a New Testament professor. From a Christian point of view this is not a problem. Indeed, it seems to strengthen his hand. The volume is throughout a careful assessment of a whole range of political and social issues, but always with a view to understanding how Scripture addresses such concerns.

His opening chapters on general political principles as seen in the light of the Bible offer a number of helpful insights. He of course addresses key passages such as Romans 13:1-7, and looks at other controlling NT principles. He begins by looking at five wrong (or unbiblical) positions on government and political involvement.

These include the idea that believers have nothing to do with politics; that governments should exclude religion; and that we should view government as evil and demonic. After dealing with these positions, he seeks to lay out the biblical case for Christian social and political activity.

He argues for a properly understood separation of church and state, avoiding the errors of both a theocratic take on government, and an anarchistic approach. Believers are to be involved in government, while recognising that ultimately governments cannot save anyone.

But the state is instituted by God, and has clear - but rather limited - ends. Thus Grudem argues for a restricted form of governments, recognising that neither radical libertarianism nor stifling statism is the preferred model. He argues for the importance of liberty, but notes that it is not an absolute in itself, and must be limited to some extent in a fallen world.

These first 150 pages would alone be worth the price of the book, but he gets into the real world of politics in the remainder of the volume as he looks at numerous particular issues. These include economics, the protection of life, national security, marriage and family, freedom of religion, and environmental issues.

Consider the contentious issue of same-sex marriage. Grudem argues that governments have - according to Scripture -a primary responsibility to restrain evil, bring good to society, and promote social order. When it comes to marriage, evil is restrained when sexual faithfulness between a man and a woman is legally recognised and enforced.

Marriage brings good to society in promoting social stability and the well-being of children. And social order is maintained by clearly delineating the married from the non-married. There is no right to homosexual marriage to be found in the US Constitution, and there is no violation of human rights in keeping marriage a heterosexual institution.

The law does not prohibit others from marrying, it simply states what marriage is - the union of one man and one woman. He cites various court cases in which the limiting of marriage to opposite-sex couples is not seen as engaging in sex discrimination.

Or consider the specific issue of foreign aid. What is the scriptural position on this rather complex issue? Grudem argues that good intentions need to be assessed in the light of actual outcomes. Surely any concept of Christian compassion for the poor should result in policies which actually help the poor.

He notes that over a trillion dollars in Western aid has gone to poor nations. Yet numerous studies have demonstrated that such aid has in fact often been harmful rather than helpful. Not only does it tend to result in creating a culture of dependency, but most of the money will usually go to corrupt government officials rather than those who actually need it.

Leftist Christians will argue for debt forgiveness for these countries. But a careful look at such measures shows that they tend to be counter-productive. They often result in the perpetuation of corrupt and inefficient regimes. And they encourage future reckless borrowing, since the leaders know they may well get off the hook in the future.

And as is so often the case, the poor really benefit very little from such schemes. That is because the root causes which made for such poverty in the first place are not addressed. "Forgiving debt or giving aid may meet some short-term need, but it does not change the government corruption, oppression, and destructive economic policies".

Plenty of other specific political and social issues are carefully and incisively discussed. Grudem then finishes by offering some concluding observations, including the role of the believer in the governmental process. He reminds us that while God rules over the nations, he uses his people to accomplish his ends.

He reminds us that we have a role to play to be salt and light in our communities, and that includes political and social involvement at all levels. He offers the example of Wilberforce and others as those who have made a significant difference in this world as they applied biblical truths to contemporary problems.

He closes by noting that whenever God has revived his church in the past, it resulted in not just personal renewal, but in social transformation as well. When God breaks forth in new and fresh ways, biblical principles are applied to all levels of life, from the personal to the social.

All in all this is a very important volume which not just outlines broad biblical concerns, but fleshes them out in numerous practical cases, showing how the biblical view of politics is not only relevant to modern social life, but offers plenty of constructive and workable solutions to modern problems.

Short version:
Though the author claims his views "flow from the Bible", this book has a very specific agenda and biblical verses are just stuffed into pre-made arguments.

So here goes the (very) long version:

I am not an American (although I'm living here for a couple more years), and my political views differ diametrically from Dr. Grudem's. However, my 2-star rating is due to the simple fact that the book is nothing but ideological propaganda and is extremely inconsistent in its purpose to be "comprehensive resource for understanding modern political issues in light of Scripture" (and I will address that bellow).

First about the agenda: though the author claims his political views are "flowing from the Bible", he is honest enough to declare his purpose: "voting for Republicans for state and national positions is the best way - in fact, the only way known to me - to bring about a change". And the fact that this book was released weeks before the 2010 elections was definitively NOT a coincidence.

Well, the fact is, he has the right to have his opinion. I respect that. He has the right to ask votes for his party. He has the right to thoroughly defend a very, very specific agenda. He has every right to have his opinions and enlist biblical verses that DO SUPPORT his opinions. But what annoys me as an Evangelical Christian is the distortion he makes does SO OFTEN of just throwing a verse REMOTELY related to the issue to support his own idea and imply that, if you don't agree with him, you are against the Bible (remember, the views described by him "flow from the Bible"). Just two examples:

Arguing that taxes should not be bigger for the richer, his biblical support is "you shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15). Really. Just like that.

Arguing that global warming is not a real danger, he quotes Genesis 1:28 ("fill the earth and subdue it") and says that "this command seems inconsistent with a belief in a dangerous man-made global warming. Do we think God set up the earth so that we would destroy it by obeying these commands...?" (page 369). By the way, in this passage he really plays a low game, asking how can we say it is morally wrong to have people driving their fossil-fueled cars to the church...

Well, at least he was delicate enough more sensitive readers as myself to not quote any Bible verse to support the following paragraph:

"[Waterboarding] does not seem to me to be inherently morally wrong. It inflicts pain and a feeling of panic [...] When used within appropriate guidelines, it causes no permanent damage. (US interrogators were given specific limitations to prevent water from getting into the person's lungs and prevent any lasting physical damage)" (431).

A last word on his "biblical basis": for me, a very big evidence that Grudem is much more informed by his agenda than by the Bible is in the Scripture Index section. He almost does not mention prophetic books (they are less than 10% of the texts mentioned). The prophets were very intense critics of social matters, of the political order, and their tone was usually taking instance against the rich and powerful, but they have a very small place in this book.

In other occasions, he is just inconsistent. For example, speaking about government, he says that because rulers are human beings, they are sinners, and power corrupts. But speaking about the rich, the owners of corporations, there is absolutely no mention of the power that comes with money, to the corruption that comes with this kind of power, and his conclusion is that "most rich people today got their money fairly and honestly".

But in many issues he is very consistent. In a sense you don't need to read this book. What do you think his answers are to questions like affirmative action, ecological crisis, possession of guns, capital punishment, nuclear weapons, immigration, "waterboarding" (sorry, the right way of saying that is "enhanced interrogation methods"), bigger taxes for richer people, etc (not to mention REALLY big controversies as abortion and homosexuality)? What do you think it is the tone of EVERY SINGLE mention he makes to President Obama? (well, to be honest, there is ONE sentence with compliments to Obama: the President is "articulate, posed, highly intelligent, and a remarkable speaker")

So, should you buy this book? For most of the readers of this review, I say "Sure!" Because if you agree to Grudem's agenda, you will find delight in the reading and the scattered verses will give you a semi-biblically articulated excuse for how you think. And if you don't agree with that agenda, you will also have delight in masochistic moments of thinking "man, this world is gone nuts" and will have somebody to blame for that (and this is where the second star I'm giving comes from- I got SO angry with the misusage of Scriptures, and got curious to see what else he would do, so the reading was really entertaining).

Just don't buy this book if you are undecided in some matter and want something that honestly lays arguments from both sides, ACTUALLY looking to hear from Scripture. Because although there are Bible verses in many pages of this book, there is NO serious attempt to hear the prophetic call of the Bible in terms of political issues.

I was excited when this book came out, because knowing Grudem's thorough style and reputation as a trusted teacher of theology, I was sure we would be getting a book that applied the Scriptures to today's political issues.

In many places this is the case. For instance, Grudem's chapter on capitalism is terrific, advancing the idea that in a fallen world, the best among flawed systems seems to be capitalism. He offers biblical wisdom from across the Scriptures. In many cases and in many issues, this is the case.

But I must say I was highly disappointed at the partisan nature of this book. I think it slightly mars what could be a powerful resources. I wish he would not have included a chapter on the current President. I felt he injected highly personal views here. I was hoping Grudem would have simply laid out the biblical arguments on the issues and let the reader decide. I was also disappointed that Grudem seemed to inject personal opinions in areas where the Bible is unclear, specifically immigration policy and other more gray areas. The title says, Politics According to the Bible. With Grudem's considerable reputation as a stalwart of faithful evangelical theology, folks will assume that all he says here is straight from the Scriptures. In most places that is the case, but in some cases, especially at the end, you will see it is merely politics according to Grudem. I fear that those who disagree politically with the Republican Party might not consider this book because of its overt advancement of one party's agenda. That being said, it is still a worthwhile resource, something I'm glad to have in my library and something I recommend every pastor purchase.

In today's world of shameful images and messages, the public at large is left shocked and confused. The church has been removed from having influence in shaping the moral character of the nation. The schools, the government all are part of a plan to dehumanize our children from being critical thinkers with an obligation to strive for the best and most ideal character. There are no role models. We have nowhere to go but down - except for those who place their lives and fortunes in the hands of God. I don't expect the majority of people to understand this commitment because their motives are mostly self-fulfilling. But there is an unspeakable internal joy, a peace, a sense of great astonishment and purpose, when you release your life to Jesus. It is a supernatural freedom that only those who have received it, get.
Why is this all being said? Because Politics According to the Bible, is a book that interests me now. 10 years ago, no way. To see great thought and research put into this book helps me to realize the power of our duty as believing citizens to live at a higher frequency. We make time to tune into hearing from God on all issues in our country, effectively tuning out anything shameful and contradictory to truth. I am grateful to have this resource and recommend it to everyone including friends and pastors.
A life left in weakness of personal opinions, is destined to be just another viewpoint. Genuine influence starts with a study of truth, then with living it out. Kudos to a great reference book.

Almost twenty years ago when I was a PhD student, our minister led a weekly study going chapter by chapter through Grudem's Systematic theology - an excellent book that was and remains deeply formative upon my Biblical and theological beliefs.

Two decades later and returning to Grudem, I am deeply disappointed. Despite its presentation, this does not read as a Biblical book that attempts to draw political ideas and principles from the lens of the Bible but actually quite the opposite: a book that appears to start with a political position and then use some Biblical verses to justify it. Nowhere is this clearer than in the Chapter on the Environment and especially the sections discussing climate change / global warming. Here Grudem draws extensively on the work of climate skeptics to produce - not unsurprisingly - a one-sided and deeply uninformed position. Where are the social justice (God's justice) arguments in favour of protecting people's livelihoods or preventing starvation in the face of changing climate patterns? Where are the theological arguments that present a much deeper and nuanced understanding, from the Bible, exposing the superficiality of the idea we "have dominion" over the Earth, at least in the way Grudem understands it. Why propagate the gossip (something the Bible is not too keen on) surrounding so-called 'Climate-gate' and not mention the extraordinary thoroughness by which the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reviews the evidence and draws conclusions even if occasionally mistakes are made (which is to be human, in a fallen world, right?). Why not be a little more self-questioning or perhaps mention that those who have done most to stir-up doubts about man-made global warming are backed by oil companies and other extractive industries, organisations that have a vested interest in undermining the science.

Sorry, what Grudem presents is not theology but ideology - a conservative manifesto. I admire him for thinking through his politics by using the Bible but a better recognition that how he has read the Bible is not objective but itself political would have made for a better and more balanced book.

I have to agree with the previous critique by Mike. At times Gruden starts with personal preferences then seeks to reinforce those preferences with biblical backing. It would have been more effective had he stated the biblical and constitutional principles first and then developed his public policy positions from that initial perspective. Considering all the vast knowledge that he has access to with regard to Reformed theology and its history of church state relations, I was hoping for a work that was more biblically presuppositional. In light of the current Calvinistic reawakening among our young people on the universities, I believe they will be looking for public policy solutions based on biblical principle.

Also, Gary North and Gary Demar have been detailing specific areas where Gruden has missed the mark in relation to economics and the limited role that government should play in its development. This is a very important issue at a time when our Marxist president is trying to increase the power of the federal government within our lives. Their critiques can be found at AmericanVision.org

However, this is a good start and I hope it helps to spark a badly needed dialogue among Christians concerning the proper role of government at this critical time in our nation's history. For those interested in further reading on this topic I highly recommend reading the God and Government series by Gary Demar. David Hall has also written "Calvin in the Public Square." R. J. Rushdoony has also written "Law and Liberty." Greg Bahnsen has also written "By This Standard." Calvinist thought is making a comeback and these are good source to discuss a biblical approach toward developing public policy in light of our Constitutional form of government.

Further recommendations:
Calvin in the Public Square: Liberal Democracies, Rights and Civil Liberties (Calvin 500)The Legacy of John Calvin: His Influence on the Modern World (Calvin 500)Ruler of the NationsLaw & LibertyLaw and Revolution II: The Impact of the Protestant Reformations on the Western Legal TraditionLaw and Revolution, The Formation of the Western Legal TraditionLaw and Revolution, II: The Impact of the Protestant Reformations on the Western Legal Tradition (v. 2)Faith and Order : The Reconciliation of Law and Religion (Emory University Studies in Law and Religion)By This Standard: The Authority of God's Law Today

"And when the Gospel changes lives, it should also result in changed neighborhoods. And changed schools. And changed businesses. And changed societies. So shouldn't "the Gospel" also result in changed governments as well? Of course it should!" (47 - italics original)

Put aside the question of why Dr. Wayne Grudem, Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary, puts "the Gospel" in quotations for a moment and consider this very important question: how, precisely, does "the Gospel" work the multiples changes he claims it does? Is it not by the transforming power of the Cross of Jesus Christ?

I ask this all-important question because the fundamental flaw in his massive Politics According to the Bible is as follows: the cross is not mentioned. It is as though the death and resurrection of Jesus, the central event in human history, has nothing to do with the Bible's view of politics or the individual topics he chooses to cover. The Gospel, as he sees it, is "God's good news about all of life," the whole of God's teaching and not "not just `trust Jesus and be forgiven of your sins and grow in holiness and go to heaven.'" In Grudem's Politics God's good news is not merely the death and resurrection and its life-transforming power; the Gospel [is?] the Bible as whole.

Grudem's redefinition of the Gospel is critical for his Politics as it orients his understanding of politics and religion in the wrong direction entirely. Whereas the whole Bible leads to and from the central and climactic act in human history - the death of God and His resurrection - in a narrative manner, Grudem's Politics builds a biblical political theory devoid of narrative and empty of the cross. In other words, while the whole Bible is about the Gospel and must be read in light of the cross, in Grudem's work the whole Bible is the Gospel and the cross is not necessary for understanding the way the Christian operates in the political world. Grudem's compass, so to speak, does not point north, so his whole work sails in the wrong direction.

Dr. Grudem's politics proceeds from his "Gospel" as he leans heavily on selected Old Testament and Epistolary texts (particularly Romans 13 and Gen 9:5-6) to develop a broad framework for understanding the proper purposes of governments and the roles Christians should play vis-à-vis the government. Governments should "punish evil and encourage good," "serve the people and seek the good of the people, not the rulers," "should safeguard human liberty," and "cannot save people or fundamentally change human hearts." Christians and all "citizens should be subject to the government and obey the laws of the government (except in certain circumstances)." With a few notable exceptions, few Christians or (excepting the Biblical support Americans would find much to disagree with in all of Part 1. On the whole his foundational truths are widely-accepted maxims about good government and good citizenry.

Where is the Christian in politics? Chapter 2 answers this question most directly: there should be "significant Christian influence on government." Citing the examples of Daniel, Jeremiah, Joseph, other OT figures, John the Baptist, and Paul as examples of individuals who influenced governments for good, Grudem adds Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 in support, writing "the mere existence of specific Bible passages that teach about government is an argument for `significant Christian influence' on government." Why else would God put such verses in the Bible? Grudem asks, then answers, "in order that people with government responsibilities could know what God himself expects from them." Plus, he says, American Christians live in a democracy and thus must be able to know "exactly how the bible applies to specific political issues." (pp 61-62)

Grudem's broken hermeneutic surfaces here. Daniel, Jeremiah, Joseph, John the Baptist, Paul - certainly these men all influenced politics significantly. But why and how did they influence politics and what did their involvement have to do with God's plan for the redemption of mankind? These people were not merely examples of God's people acting as ministers of general grace to the secular world through the government. They were certainly not examples of people who "got into" politics for the sake of influencing their governments for the good. These men were involved in Government (and even suffered at the hands of government!) for the purpose of advancing God's salvation narrative. Their involvement was given by command of God for his specific purposes with results both immediate and future, known and unknown.

Take Joseph. Cited as an example of a man who had "great influence in the decisions" of his government, Grudem does not mention how Joseph's great work was brought about by God's will as part of salvation history. Scripture focuses on Joseph's character qualities, his faithfulness, and God's faithfulness to His covenant, but nowhere does the Bible cast Joseph as the ideal politician nor does Scripture talk about Joseph's life in any normative fashion.

The same analysis could be given to any other Biblical figure who significantly influenced politics. God directs the most positive political involvement in the Old Testament. Of those who inherited the throne, the best kings were not masters of policy but pious men who implored their people to worship God. Most of those who seek political power outside of God's direct will do so out of evil intentions with evil results. Indeed, in all of Scripture one cannot find a single person who sought political influence in any form for any reason whose actions resulted in more worship for God. Instead, God chose the godly and un-godly alike to pursue his will through the powers that be, often without their own knowledge. When seeking examples of Godly self-motivated politicians, do not turn to the Bible. In the Scriptures, "significant influence" in politics only comes about by the will of God in history.

Grudem writes that he is speaking to those Christians who are, by virtue of employment or citizenship in a democracy, part of government by default. All Americans are necessarily political because they have a vote, the argument goes, and thus they should know "exactly how the teachings of the Bible apply to various specific situations in life, and that should certainly include instructions about some policy matters in government and politics." He is asking the question: if we in government or we in a democracy are by nature in "politics," how should we then live?

Beginning in Part 2 Grudem answers this question by analyzing specific issues in politics, almost always aligning with Republican policy positions and criticizing Democratic policies. His step-by-step approach is not novel, as most of his scriptural and non-scriptural support for his positions is borrowed from prior conservative sources like Chuck Colson, the Heritage Foundation, various Catholic authors, and other evangelicals. In scope his work is ambitious and should ignite debate in several of his categories. Unfortunately as a straight read the work becomes rather pedantic and quite preachy as Grudem often spends as much space criticizing President Obama as he does presenting the biblical case for his position.

Grudem also tries to do too much when he delves into policy decisions that require a level understanding exceeding that of the average reader or even a well-read theologian like himself, as when he tries to answer the question "what is the best cure for recessions?" He delivers an absurdly short, five page answer to a question that has not been empirically answered among professional economists. It is misleading to even suggest that Scripture answers this question in any prescriptive manner and even to this moderate conservative his answer is unacceptably naïve and partisan. I doubt Dr. Grudem would welcome criticism on his Systematic Theology from economists. Decisions like the multi-billion dollar bailout are highly complex calls that cannot be made by armchair economists.

Perhaps the most egregious misuse of Scripture to support a conservative policy lies in Chapter 9 in economics. Israel had a flat tax, he argues, as "a `tithe' was exactly 10%. This system, therefore, was like a `flat tax' because everyone paid the same percentage. There was no increase in the amount that had to be given by the wealthy and no decrease for those where were poor." Thus, Grudem says, he "can see no justification in the Bible for a `progressive' tax rate." Instead, such patterns run contrary to the "explicit patterns of taxes and tithes found in the Bible." Similarly Grudem uses Old Testament scriptures to contradict an inheritance tax.

Problems with this use of Scripture to support a flat tax are almost too numerous to count. Here is a small list:
1. The total tithe paid each year was not 10%. Given the various years it was paid, Rushdoony estimates that the tithe came out to 15% per year.
2. The tithe was not for the civil government but the priests and Levites. Even the tax cited by Grudem is "atonement money" used for the service of the tent of meeting. (Ex 30:11-16)
3. Provision is made in Leviticus 5 for a kind of progressive sacrifice based on what the giver could "afford." Reasonably this word "afford" would mean the amount of money that could be offered after normal expenses (such as food, clothing, and shelter) were discounted. Thus the rich gave lambs while the poor gave a small grain offering.
4. Capital was never accumulated but was instead returned to the original owner every 7 years (the year of jubilee), presumably by threat of civil force or God's punishment. Thus the wealthiest Israelites would end up losing the largest percentage of their land when they returned it to the original owner.
5. Economic opportunity was to abound in Israel such that no man should be without the ability to provide for himself and his family. God's blessing was manifested economically. Under the theocracy the poor were poor because they were lazy.

Grudem's hermeneutic of picking and choosing examples from Scripture to support his policies resembles conservative political rhetoric more than proper Biblical interpretation. If we were to take Grudem's method and apply it to other economic questions and you arrive at some interesting conclusions:
1. The tithe cannot be returned - thus, there is no justification for tax returns.
2. Jesus called on the Pharisees to tithe their whole being - conscripted government service should be the norm.
3. Slavery was never explicitly outlawed in Scripture - you would have to look elsewhere to find support for its abolition.

Part 2 suffers because Grudem's broken compass led him into murky hermeneutical waters. Grudem asks questions of duty (deontology) with respect to politics when the Bible first asks and answers questions related to character (virtue) in all circumstances of life. In other words, Grudem wants to know "which policy is correct" while the Bible first informs the Christian of the kind of person he is to be in all circumstances before even addressing questions of specific moral decisions. And when the Bible does address specific moral questions the answers must be read within their narrative contexts. Old Testament legal proscriptions and judgments cannot be read directly into non-theocratic contexts. Similarly, moral judgments rendered by New Testament authors were always given in the context of reproof - correcting the error of the church to which the letter was written - and not as direct universal laws.

Grudem's Politics According to the Bible will serve as a reference book for Biblical texts supporting conservative policies for those who already agree with Grudem but holds little value as a persuasive text. Even as a supporting document for conservatism, moreover, the book suffers as the biblical examples Grudem uses are often used out of context or in rather oblique ways. Ultimately I gained little from the many hours it took to sift through this long book.

If I had to use one word to describe Wayne Grudem's Politics According to the Bible, I would choose "resource" because that's really what it is. In much the same way that I can pick up his Systematic Theology text, find the pages where a particular issue is discussed, and quickly gain an good overview of the theological debate, I can now use Politics as a reference guide to lots of different political issues.

In the second paragraph of the preface, Grudem gives up any illusion that this book will seek any kind of middle ground: "I support political positions in this book that would be called more 'conservative' than 'liberal.' That is because of my conclusions about the Bible's teaching on the role of government and a biblical worldview" (13). I appreciate Grudem's honesty in saying this from the start (though I'm sure that most people who are familiar with Wayne Grudem would already have guessed his political leanings). It should be noted, though, that not everyone will automatically agree with Grudem's positions. But that's okay. Grudem himself reasons that one of the reasons we have freedom of speech is so that we might have the opportunity to persuade one another that our view on a particular issue is more sound than someone else's. What he presents in Politics is a conservative, consistent approach to understanding most of today's pressing issues through the lens of a biblical worldview. If nothing else, readers who don't agree with one or more of his positions will at least be able to see why Grudem believes the Bible and common sense lead him to believe he's right.

To my mind, one of the more controversial conclusions in this volume is that "the warnings about man-made global warming are based on poor scientific evidence and poor scientific method, are not proven by previous empirical data, conflict with the Bible's teachings about the nature of the earth and man's purpose on the earth, and propose solutions that would cripple the world's economies and bring immense harm to the poor" (383). Environmentalism, especially with regard to catastrophic global warming predictions, has become something that many evangelicals have grafted in to their list of important issues in recent years. It seems that everyone under the evangelical umbrella from Pat Robertson (who did a PSA with Al Sharpton about global warming) to Rick Warren has come out in favor of doing more to protect our planet from environmental disaster. Grudem, however, says this is unnecessary and even harmful. At one point, he even questions the net value of recycling (347-348). At first, his view sounds reckless, but after reading page after page of statistics related to waste, energy, deforestation, population estimates, and the scientific data about global warming, Grudem does seem to have a point (much of which is based on the work of Bjorn Lomborg). Theologically speaking, he asks, "Do we really think God has created the earth so that it would be destroyed by such morally right human activities, done in obedience to him? Do we really think God created the earth so that its climate system would careen off into catastrophe if carbon dioxide rose from 0.027% to 0.054% of the atmosphere...?" (369). That's a question for every reader to decide for himself, but I do think Grudem makes a compelling argument that environmental disaster may not really be nigh.

In general, I think this is a great project, but I see two problems with it. First, it's already out of date. As I read this book over the last couple of weeks, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" became history, our nation's nuclear supplies were reduced through a treaty with Russia, and the "Death Tax" came back (in part). Second, there were issues left untouched that I missed. In his section on economics, for example, I would love to have read a thoughtful, biblically-informed discussion of the role of corporations in society. To my mind, the way a nation treats corporations (should they be legal persons with rights and privileges or should corporate officers and stockholders have more responsibility for a corporation's actions?) is a hugely important issue and one that many people rarely think about. On the whole, though, I would highly recommend Politics According to the Bible for anyone who wants to think biblically about political issues.