Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: NavPress
Publish Date: September 6, 2022
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1641584130
ISBN-13: 978-1641584135
Kingdom and Country is an unflinching, courageous work. In confronting the beast that is Christian nationalism, the authors do so with great wisdom, honesty, and humility. Drawing on crucial concepts like the nature of allegiance, the myths of our country’s origin, and the importance of the pulpit in national and Kingdom life, this book will be a great source of wisdom and a companion on the journey to faithful witness and Kingdom living.
— Lisa Rodriguez-Watson
National Director of Missio Alliance
We love God. We love our country. What does it look like to love each properly and well?
National tensions are at a record high. People on all points in the political spectrum care deeply about their country, although they differ wildly in their opinions about what it looks like to serve that country well. As Christians, we love God and seek to follow him. At the same time, nothing shapes us and tugs at our loyalties quite like the place we live. And of course we are regularly encouraged to pledge our allegiance to our countryor particular understandings of it. Who wins when the priorities of God and our country clash?
In Kingdom and Country, a collection of leading Christian thinkers and practitioners take a holistic approach to considering the questions of patriotism, nationalism, and where our ultimate loyalties must lie. Contributors include Alejandro Mandes, Juliet Liu, Ryan Tafilowski, Derek Vreeland, Rod Wilson, Michelle Reyes, Amanda Smith, Karen Wilk, Sean Palmer, and Tina Boesch
Kingdom and Country is the second in a series of Kingdom Conversations, books that bring together trusted Christian voices to address some of the most urgent and perplexing challenges of our time in timeless and redemptive ways.
Editor
Angie Ward
Angie Ward is a leadership teacher and writer with over 30 years of ministry experience in church, parachurch, nonprofit, and educational contexts. She is an award-winning contributor to Christianity Today leadership publications and a highly regarded teacher and speaker. A sportswriter in a previous life, Angie and her husband live in Denver, where she serves as Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Denver Seminary.
Endorsements
Kingdom and Country is an unflinching, courageous work. In confronting the beast that is Christian nationalism, the authors do so with great wisdom, honesty, and humility. Drawing on crucial concepts like the nature of allegiance, the myths of our country’s origin, and the importance of the pulpit in national and Kingdom life, this book will be a great source of wisdom and a companion on the journey to faithful witness and Kingdom living.
— Lisa Rodriguez-Watson
National Director of Missio Alliance
While many seek to collapse Kingdom and Country into one or remove concern for country from those dedicated to Kingdom, this new work edited by Angie Ward seeks to clarify what is at stake in the discourse today about Christian nationalism. In this integrative work, authors take theological frameworks as the foundation for practical engagement in our world. Is polarization our fundamental problem, or is it injustice? We are divided, yes, but is all division unfaithful? And how do we discern what makes for peace? What is needed to reclaim our Christian identity and vocation from nationalistic narratives in order to bear witness to God’s Kingdom in a country coming apart at the seams? Kingdom and Country calls and equips the church to discern well how to embody a redemptive presence in the places where rectification and reconciliation are needed most.
— Rev. Matt Tebbe
Co-Founder of Gravity Leadership
Angie Ward has assembled a group of diverse, experienced, and influential contributors who articulate the central issues in our nation’s divides. Many Christians today have forgotten that this world is not our home. We have placed our hope not in Jesus but in politics, powers, and principalities. As you read this book, you will be reminded and challenged that we live not just for this temporal reality; we live purposefully now to advance the Kingdom of God.
— Matthew D. Kim
Professor of preaching and practical theology at
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
This may be the most critical conversation for the American church right now. Unflinching and full of love, Dr. Ward and her team address the elephants in our room with wisdom, nuance, and much-needed biblical truth. Every pastor should read this book!
— Rob Brendle
Author of In the Meantime: The Practice of Proactive Waiting