…on political theology

-     Political theology is one place our eschatology shows its true colors.

-     It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that the FV contingent are postmillennial (in the Puritan or Princeton paradigm), while the vocal FV opponents are largely amillennial. Not to over-simplify the debate, but it does seem that there is some watershed at work here. But I don’t believe it’s eschatology, per se.

-     It seems that PT reveals this watershed. Like the evangelical world at large, the Reformed world tends to fall into one of two political camps (using Niebuhr’s categories):

           1) Christ transforming culture crowd: an assortment of Christian nationalists, PAC-supporters, and Reconstructionists who have passed their sell-by date.
           2) Christ against culture crowd: old-school pietists and younger missional Christians whose nightmares consist of a sword-wielding Constantine bearing down on doe-eyed pagans.

-      Most of the younger generation is moving away from their parents’ political activism. See this recent editorial from Christianity Today. Part of this might be nothing more than the perennial phenomenon of the younger generation trending liberal in opposition to the older generation’s middle class values. So-called missional Christians are more likely to be seen at a green peace rally (trendy politics) rather than handing out Christian Coalition candidate scorecards after Sunday worship (traditional politics).

-      Many Reformed Christians make many of the same arguments as the missional Christians (see TR king R. Scott Clark’s recommendation of CT’s editorial).

-      In so far as “Constantinianism” = contemporary Christian political activism, the missional and amillennial Christians have some very valid points. Christian politics has been frighteningly beholden to nationalism and American exceptionalism since at least 1620.

One pet peeve: the American flag in the sanctuary. Or the experience of entering a conservative church shortly after the Fourth of July to see that American décor had taken over the sanctuary.

-      At the same time, something which the missional and PACers share in common is a corrosive dualism. Despite their apparent differences, both recognize in their political views a dualism of heaven and earth, grace and nature. Both acknowledge two kingdoms. The missional Christians believe that the church’s message has been compromised by the invasion of worldly modernistic interests, e.g. middle class values, capitalism, etc.—all of which is true enough. The Christian Coalition crowd also recognizes two kingdoms, but believes that the spiritual kingdom should invade the secular kingdom and transform its power structures through political action.

Both views see two realms of power: one of nature, one of grace. That’s the problem.

-      True political theology posits that the dichotomy of nature and grace is a false one.

-      Calvin’s question applies here: which comes first, knowledge of God or knowledge of self? His answer: Yes.

-      True political theology lays out the blueprint of a city into which the kings of the nations bring their glory. True political theology explains what Christ meant by the keys of the kingdom. What does it mean to bind and to loose?

-      The first enemy that confronted Christ’s kingdom was nationalism.