How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age

How can the church move forward in unity amid such political strife and cultural contention?

As Christians, we've felt pushed to the outskirts of national public life, yet even within our congregations we are divided about how to respond. Some want to strengthen the evangelical voting bloc. Others focus on social justice causes, and still others would abandon the public square altogether. What do we do when brothers and sisters in Christ sit next to each other in the pews but feel divided and angry? Is there a way forward?

In How the Nations Rage, political theology scholar and pastor Jonathan Leeman challenges Christians from across the spectrum to hit the restart button by

• shifting our focus from redeeming the nation to living as a nation already redeemed
• rejecting the false allure of building heaven on earth while living faithfully as citizens of a heavenly kingdom
• letting Jesus' teaching shape our public engagement as we love our neighbors and seek justice

When we identify with Christ more than a political party or social grouping, we can return to the church's unchanging political task: to become the salt and light Jesus calls us to be and offer the hope of his kingdom to the nations.

Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director at 9Marks, a ministry that helps church leaders build healthy churches. He teaches theology at several seminaries and has written a number of books on the church. He is also a research fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He has degrees in political science and English, a master of science in political theory, a master of divinity, and a doctorate in political theology. Jonathan served for years as an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, but has since left to plant a nearby church. He lives in the DC area with his wife and four daughters.