Politics is concerned with citizenship and the administration of justice--how communities are formed and governed. The role of Christians in the political process is hotly contested, but as citizens, Francis Beckwith argues, Christians have a rich heritage of sophisticated thought, as well as a genuine responsibility, to contribute to the shaping of public policy. In particular, Beckwith addresses the contention that Christians, or indeed religious citizens of any faith, should set aside their beliefs before they enter the public square. What role should religious citizens take in a liberal democracy? What is the proper separation of church and state? What place should be made for natural rights and the moral law within a secular state? This cogent introduction to political thought surveys political science, politics and government while making the case for how statecraft may genuinely contribute to soulcraft. Politics for Christians is part of The Christian Worldview Integration Series.
Politics for Christians
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By A. Morgan
Format:Paperback
Beckwith describes his book as an introduction to politics - an introduction that should inspire continued study for the Christian. Beckwith looks at politics through the lense of liberal democracy. Although Liberal Democracy has been absent for most of Christian History, it has been embraced enthusiastically by Christians in the modern era for four major reasons: (1) it affords Christians the liberty to worship, (2) it protects the people's power to hold the government accountable, (3) it allows citizens to participate by voting, forming political parties, running for office and / or campaigning for causes and candidates, (4) it seems consistent with and supported by a Christian understanding of the human person as well as the natural law and natural rights tradition that spring from that understanding.
In other words, liberal democracy seems to enhance many of the ideals the Christian faith does.
Beckwith takes care to define liberal democracy, liberal referring to the liberties or freedoms the government is supposed to guarantee, and democracy covering both a government that is accountable to the people, and has a developed civil society.
The question Beckwith seeks to answer is what does it mean to be a Christian citizen in a liberal democracy, and how should we interact with politics in relation to our faith. Beckwith's plea is not necessarily that ALL Christians should become involved politically, but that ALL Christians should be politically AWARE. They should understand the effects of legislation that is passed by governments and make measured responses to any injustice or hindrance such legislation may make, especially upon the gospel. Beckwith writes: The scriptures seem to teach that people have an obligation to understand the nature of their government and its laws, and employ that knowledge so that the gospel is not disadvantaged by the state.
One interesting example that Beckwith sites is a 2003 ruling in Massachusetts which required the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Catholic Charities which were at that time helping families to adopt children were told that they could no longer exclude same-sex couples for consideration. Of course, the Catholic Charities were not prepared to abide by this ruling. The sad consequences was that these worthy charities withdrew from offering children for adoption. This ruling, while seemingly removing discrimination for one group, now discriminates against another group - a group whose outstanding record in placing children in good homes.
It is examples like this that Beckwith argues should inspire Christians to resist such intrusion by the state on the churches moral theology.
Beckwith has a wonderful discussion on how the apostle Paul used political knowledge and status for himself and the gospel.
Another very interesting discussion is who should Christians vote for. What if a Mormon gets into the general election? Beckwith, somewhat provocatively writes, One mistake is to be inordinately concerned with a candidates creedal allegiance to a particular faith, which may cloud people's judgment and cause them to ignore or down play the point of politics - to do justice and advance the common good.
Insightfully, Beckwith provides us with two mistakes the we as Christians involved with politics must be careful to avoid. The first is the Kennedy Mistake. In 1960 Kennedy, in response to concerns about his Catholicism seemingly dismissed his beliefs as almost irrelevant or inconsequential to any decisions he would make as president. The second mistake is the confessional mistake. This is when a candidate believes that his creedal belief or theological confession are the BEST standard by which to judge the suitability of his candidacy.
For Beckwith we need to hold a balance in respect to politics. Politics is not everything, but neither is it nothing. It has its place. That is why Christians need to be informed of the laws and statutes of our land and discerning as to when they need to or should get involved.
I think this is a valuable book for those seriously interested in politics. It has some wonderful insights, simply lays out the various areas of study in politics and succinctly discusses the major issues. Finally, it points you to further study.
Recommended.
In other words, liberal democracy seems to enhance many of the ideals the Christian faith does.
Beckwith takes care to define liberal democracy, liberal referring to the liberties or freedoms the government is supposed to guarantee, and democracy covering both a government that is accountable to the people, and has a developed civil society.
The question Beckwith seeks to answer is what does it mean to be a Christian citizen in a liberal democracy, and how should we interact with politics in relation to our faith. Beckwith's plea is not necessarily that ALL Christians should become involved politically, but that ALL Christians should be politically AWARE. They should understand the effects of legislation that is passed by governments and make measured responses to any injustice or hindrance such legislation may make, especially upon the gospel. Beckwith writes: The scriptures seem to teach that people have an obligation to understand the nature of their government and its laws, and employ that knowledge so that the gospel is not disadvantaged by the state.
One interesting example that Beckwith sites is a 2003 ruling in Massachusetts which required the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Catholic Charities which were at that time helping families to adopt children were told that they could no longer exclude same-sex couples for consideration. Of course, the Catholic Charities were not prepared to abide by this ruling. The sad consequences was that these worthy charities withdrew from offering children for adoption. This ruling, while seemingly removing discrimination for one group, now discriminates against another group - a group whose outstanding record in placing children in good homes.
It is examples like this that Beckwith argues should inspire Christians to resist such intrusion by the state on the churches moral theology.
Beckwith has a wonderful discussion on how the apostle Paul used political knowledge and status for himself and the gospel.
Another very interesting discussion is who should Christians vote for. What if a Mormon gets into the general election? Beckwith, somewhat provocatively writes, One mistake is to be inordinately concerned with a candidates creedal allegiance to a particular faith, which may cloud people's judgment and cause them to ignore or down play the point of politics - to do justice and advance the common good.
Insightfully, Beckwith provides us with two mistakes the we as Christians involved with politics must be careful to avoid. The first is the Kennedy Mistake. In 1960 Kennedy, in response to concerns about his Catholicism seemingly dismissed his beliefs as almost irrelevant or inconsequential to any decisions he would make as president. The second mistake is the confessional mistake. This is when a candidate believes that his creedal belief or theological confession are the BEST standard by which to judge the suitability of his candidacy.
For Beckwith we need to hold a balance in respect to politics. Politics is not everything, but neither is it nothing. It has its place. That is why Christians need to be informed of the laws and statutes of our land and discerning as to when they need to or should get involved.
I think this is a valuable book for those seriously interested in politics. It has some wonderful insights, simply lays out the various areas of study in politics and succinctly discusses the major issues. Finally, it points you to further study.
Recommended.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
It has been stated often, in fact so often that it seems like a truism now, that one should not discuss religion and politics in a polite society. Or something to that effect. Each one of those two topics is known to rise a lot of passion and conviction, to the point that any form of good-faith exchange of respectful opinions is automatically precluded. In that context discussing religiously-inspired politics or the politics of religion would seem to be topics particularly froth with a potential for conflict. However, insofar as we want our political arrangements to reflect some higher ideals and not be just a least possible evil arrived at through opportunistic machinations, we owe it to ourselves and everyone else who depends on our judgements to be thoroughly informed about the internal consistency and integrity of those ideals. Chief among these ideals are those that derive from the religious convictions. This book is written for Christians, primarily in the United States, who take their religion seriously and who want to be thoughtful participants in the political process as well as faithful to their own Christian convictions.
Every few years, especially in the election years, there are many books that aim to inform Christians about their duty and responsibility in the exercise of their civic duties. Most of these books are well written and give the potential voters a good overview of some key issues of relevance to Christians and what an appropriate Christian attitude towards them ought to be. Francis Beckwith "Politics for Christians" aims to go deeper than any other book in this genre that I had read. Beckwith is a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University, and holds a graduate degree in Law. His extensive research and writings in theology, philosophy, and law make him one of the most qualified and authoritative voices on matters that pertain to the intersection of religion and politics.
This book is a subtle and careful analysis of the way that Christians ought to root their political preferences in their Christian faith. The arguments are subtle, well thought out and engaging. They are based on Beckwith's extensive knowledge of theological, legal and political material to which they pertain. They also require an involved reader - someone who is willing to read carefully and attentively and invest enough time in order to appreciate all the ramifications of the points that are bing made. If you have the inclination to go through all the insightful points and arguments that Beckwith makes in this book, you'll come away that much more enriched and well grounded in your Christian faith as it pertains to the political process. And as the subtitle of the book implies, by building a better state you may actually build up a better soul.
Every few years, especially in the election years, there are many books that aim to inform Christians about their duty and responsibility in the exercise of their civic duties. Most of these books are well written and give the potential voters a good overview of some key issues of relevance to Christians and what an appropriate Christian attitude towards them ought to be. Francis Beckwith "Politics for Christians" aims to go deeper than any other book in this genre that I had read. Beckwith is a professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University, and holds a graduate degree in Law. His extensive research and writings in theology, philosophy, and law make him one of the most qualified and authoritative voices on matters that pertain to the intersection of religion and politics.
This book is a subtle and careful analysis of the way that Christians ought to root their political preferences in their Christian faith. The arguments are subtle, well thought out and engaging. They are based on Beckwith's extensive knowledge of theological, legal and political material to which they pertain. They also require an involved reader - someone who is willing to read carefully and attentively and invest enough time in order to appreciate all the ramifications of the points that are bing made. If you have the inclination to go through all the insightful points and arguments that Beckwith makes in this book, you'll come away that much more enriched and well grounded in your Christian faith as it pertains to the political process. And as the subtitle of the book implies, by building a better state you may actually build up a better soul.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Tim H.
Format:Paperback
Politics has always been something that I never really took an interest in. But since bioethics, one of my main interests, is often intertwined with political and jurisprudential issues, I figured that it was about time that I started studying it. Until recently, my main source of political knowledge came from television news stations such as CNN, Fox, and NBC. I happened to stumble upon Francis Beckwith's new book while searching for an introduction to politics from a Christian perspective.
As it turns out, politics is a general term that covers a large number of various sub-disciplines. These include political theory (The study of the nature of government), comparative politics (The study of other political systems), political economy (The study of how politics and the economy relate to each other), and public law (The study of how different entities relate to each other). Chapter one deals with these various divisions within politics.
In the following chapters, Beckwith covers the relationship between the Christian citizen and liberal democracy. In Matthew 22, Jesus instructed that because the image of Caesar was present on the coin presented to him, we have a duty to obey earthly governments. To disobey government, which is an institution established by God, thus equates to disobeying God himself. Implicit in this, however, is the other realization that because the image of God is present on us that we also have a duty to obey God. Thus, while Christians are subject to government authority, it is permissible in certain circumstances to disobey governments which are at conflict with Biblical values.
Beckwith also correctly notes that in some situations, it is permissible to support non-Christian candidates for political office (Mitt Romney, for example). Christians "must not ignore their commitment to justice and the common good when assessing such a candidate."
He notes that Aristotle's idea that "Statecraft is soulcraft" is crucial to a Christian understanding of politics. Beckwith defends what he calls a "perfectionist view of liberty and the human person," which is the idea that "liberty is not merely the right to do good and that the role of government is to advance the common good. It is called perfectionism since its defenders maintain that human beings share the same nature by which we can know what sort of goods, institutions, habits and actions help the human being fulfill his proper end or perfection." In scrutinizing the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists, the popular understanding of the separation of church and state is found lacking. Because the government's purpose is to advance the common good, it is permissible for it to endorse religious practices which aid in this task while simultaneously striking down other practices (Such as those of cults) which do not advance the common good.
Several arguments in favor of secular liberalism are also tackled and found inadequate. I found his treatment of Robert Audi's secular reason argument to be particularly helpful. The division of reasons into the categories of "secular" and "religious," of which the former is treated as fact and the latter is treated as mere subjective opinion, is illusory. "At the end of the day, a reason is weak or strong, true or false. Thus, `religious' and 'secular' are not relevant properties when assessing the quality of reasons people may offer as part of their arguments." Highlighting a point made by Thomas Aquinas, Beckwith writes that "The difference between objects of faith and objects of reason... is not in their status as objectives of knowledge, but in how the knowledge is acquired by the human mind."
Finally, Beckwith ends with a great chapter on the moral argument for the existence of God, which serves as a handy apologetic for the Christian faith. Though I do wish Beckwith could have covered more content in this relatively short book, this is an unreasonable expectation from an introductory text. Instead, Beckwith provides a helpful list of recommended books.
I strongly recommend Beckwith's book for any Christians who are interested in a solid introduction to politics.
As it turns out, politics is a general term that covers a large number of various sub-disciplines. These include political theory (The study of the nature of government), comparative politics (The study of other political systems), political economy (The study of how politics and the economy relate to each other), and public law (The study of how different entities relate to each other). Chapter one deals with these various divisions within politics.
In the following chapters, Beckwith covers the relationship between the Christian citizen and liberal democracy. In Matthew 22, Jesus instructed that because the image of Caesar was present on the coin presented to him, we have a duty to obey earthly governments. To disobey government, which is an institution established by God, thus equates to disobeying God himself. Implicit in this, however, is the other realization that because the image of God is present on us that we also have a duty to obey God. Thus, while Christians are subject to government authority, it is permissible in certain circumstances to disobey governments which are at conflict with Biblical values.
Beckwith also correctly notes that in some situations, it is permissible to support non-Christian candidates for political office (Mitt Romney, for example). Christians "must not ignore their commitment to justice and the common good when assessing such a candidate."
He notes that Aristotle's idea that "Statecraft is soulcraft" is crucial to a Christian understanding of politics. Beckwith defends what he calls a "perfectionist view of liberty and the human person," which is the idea that "liberty is not merely the right to do good and that the role of government is to advance the common good. It is called perfectionism since its defenders maintain that human beings share the same nature by which we can know what sort of goods, institutions, habits and actions help the human being fulfill his proper end or perfection." In scrutinizing the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists, the popular understanding of the separation of church and state is found lacking. Because the government's purpose is to advance the common good, it is permissible for it to endorse religious practices which aid in this task while simultaneously striking down other practices (Such as those of cults) which do not advance the common good.
Several arguments in favor of secular liberalism are also tackled and found inadequate. I found his treatment of Robert Audi's secular reason argument to be particularly helpful. The division of reasons into the categories of "secular" and "religious," of which the former is treated as fact and the latter is treated as mere subjective opinion, is illusory. "At the end of the day, a reason is weak or strong, true or false. Thus, `religious' and 'secular' are not relevant properties when assessing the quality of reasons people may offer as part of their arguments." Highlighting a point made by Thomas Aquinas, Beckwith writes that "The difference between objects of faith and objects of reason... is not in their status as objectives of knowledge, but in how the knowledge is acquired by the human mind."
Finally, Beckwith ends with a great chapter on the moral argument for the existence of God, which serves as a handy apologetic for the Christian faith. Though I do wish Beckwith could have covered more content in this relatively short book, this is an unreasonable expectation from an introductory text. Instead, Beckwith provides a helpful list of recommended books.
I strongly recommend Beckwith's book for any Christians who are interested in a solid introduction to politics.
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