God & Government (Paperback)

by Charles W. Colson (Author) "How did we get into this mess?..." (more)
Key Phrases: naked public square, little platoons, confessing church, Northern Ireland, Walla Walla, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
How should Christians live their faith in the public arena? This updated edition of Charles Colson’s blockbuster Kingdoms in Conflict includes a new foreword, new stories and recent court cases in place of older examples, and a revised opening that depicts today’s current international climate marked by terrorism and the conflict with radical Islam.

From the Back Cover
How should Christians live their faith in the public arena?
Twenty years ago, the first edition of Chuck Colson’s Kingdoms in Conflict became a bestseller, a must-read for people interested in politics and the relationship between church and state. Now, with a passion for truth and moved by the urgency of the times we live in, Colson has written God and Government, re-voicing his powerful and enduring message for our post-9/11 world.
In an era when Christianity is being attacked from every side—books being written charging Christians with being theocrats and trying to impose their views on an unwilling culture—what is the message of the Christian church? What does the Bible say, and what do we learn from history about the proper relationship between faith and culture? Appealing to scripture, reason, and history, this book tackles society’s most pressing and divisive issues. New stories and examples reflect the realities of today, from the clash with radical Islam to the deep division between “reds” and “blues.” In an era of angry finger-pointing, Colson furnishes a unique insider’s perspective that can’t be pigeonholed as either “religious right” or “religious left.”

Whatever your political or religious stance, this book will give you a different understanding of Christianity. If you're a Christian, it will help you to both examine and defend your faith. If you’ve been critical of the new religious right, you’ll be shocked at what you learn. Probing both secular and religious values, God and Government critiques each fairly, sides with neither, and offers a hopeful, fair-minded perspective that is sorely needed in today’s hyper-charged atmosphere.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; Rev Upd edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310277647
• ISBN-13: 978-0310277644
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #5 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Colson, Charles W.
  #77 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Church & State
  #81 in	Books > Nonfiction > Government > Constitutions

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Striking a thoughtful balance, July 17, 2000

By	Brad Peters (Riverside, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Kingdoms in Conflict (Paperback)

Chuck Colson brings to this book his wealth of experience, passion and intellect. Having lived his life in both "kingdoms" -- the secular state as well as in ministry -- Colson sheds much needed light and balance into the conflict between the role of the church in the world of the state.

What Colson does most strikingly in this work is call for a measured, authentic Christianity by those who most want to affect society for Christ. Is there a role for Christians in government? Colson argues yes. Is goverment the solution to the world's problems? Colson agrues no, or at least not entirely.

Intellectual, yet readable, Kingdoms in Conflict is one of the best books I've ever read. Published in the late 1980's (at the height of the Moral Majority movement) it is still highly relevant to anyone seeking a cogent analysis of American politics today and the part Christians have in it and out of it as we seek to affect our world.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elaborates on Truth, June 28, 2003

By	Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Kingdoms in Conflict (Paperback)

Colson takes a topic that has been discussed by Christians ever since the disciples questioned Jesus about it when He was in Galilee with them, i.e., the role of God's kingdom and that of man's. Colson contends that the kingdom of God is within a person. It is not an external means of control exercised by political power. In the Epilogue he cites Winston Churchill's last words, "there is no hope." But Colson counters that statement by explaining that spiritual things are not based on the circumstances of this present world.
On the other side of the coin, however, Colson presents specific examples throughout history where Christian have actively been involved in politics and government because of their belief in the eternal, unseen kingdom of God within. Having an awareness of things eternal, while contributing in this life is the balance he is seeking to describe.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Colson - Makes You Think and Not Just Feel!, October 7, 2003

By	Michael Taylor "Michael Taylor" (Indian Trail NC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Kingdoms in Conflict (Paperback)

Like Colson's other books, Kingdoms in Conflict challenges you to think deeply about what and why you believe.

The title focuses on the precarious balance Christians experience between heavy involvement and no involvement in politics. Colson's thesis seems to be that Christians need to maintain a balance - being in the world while not being of the world and Christians must be a light to the world and salt of the earth.

Colson uses the examples of Christian involvement (and lack of) in resisting Hitler, Marcos, and other brutal figures in history to illustrate the importance of Christians being involved in the political process without being consumed by the power that goes with politics.

Read and be encouraged to be rightly involved in politics while remembering that ultimately we are citizens of another kingdom to come that will last forever!