{"id":10278,"date":"2016-09-20T19:48:23","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T00:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=10278"},"modified":"2016-09-20T19:48:23","modified_gmt":"2016-09-21T00:48:23","slug":"book-review-god-and-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=10278","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: God and Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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God and Politics<\/a><\/em> by Mark Dever<\/a>\u00a0is a quick read. \u00a0It’s a small book that I picked up a few weeks ago at the ERLC National Conference in Nashville. \u00a0I have a lot of respect for Dever and the work that he does through Capitol Hill Baptist Church that is having a huge impact for the sake of the gospel in DC…which ultimately ripples throughout our country. \u00a0The goal of this book is not to point you to a particular candidate or party…but instead to point you to what the Bible teaches about authority and those in leadership over us.<\/p>\n

I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…<\/p>\n

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  • Too many readers admire Jesus\u2019 rhetorical dexterity and miss what it is that He is actually teaching. \u00a0This is more than just a clever reply (Mark 12:17). \u00a0In this short answer, Jesus establishes a biblical theology of government, and He applies it to the new phase in history of God\u2019s people that He was beginning.<\/li>\n
  • Authority by its very nature reflects God.<\/li>\n
  • Submission to Authority-“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.\u201d\u00a01 Peter 2:13-17<\/li>\n
  • What you do in your job is in part reflecting God\u2019s own authority, as you keep order and peace and work for justice in our society. \u00a0Thank you for the way you work to help display God\u2019s glory. \u00a0You are doing God\u2019s work.<\/li>\n
  • We should pray for those who are in authority over us. \u00a0That is how we give to Caesar what is Caesar\u2019s, by working to improve life in our neighborhood and our district as God gives us opportunity, to preach and to display his gospel in our living. \u00a0It is in our nature as Christians to be good citizens, but no earthly kingdom is to be identified as uniquely God\u2019s people.<\/li>\n
  • We are not dependent on just governments for the gospel going forward.<\/li>\n
  • \u201cAll religions lead to God, no question about that. \u00a0All empty out there right in front of the judgement seat of God. \u00a0But there is only one religion that has a Savior. \u00a0Jesus Christ is the Savior you need.\u201d \u00a0Vijay Menon<\/li>\n
  • Your work is important because of your relationship to God, because of what God calls you to do, not because of your earthly boss. \u00a0Your earthly boss is passing and temporary, but there is a heavy master who sees how you work and what you do and it is to Him that you are to do everything that you do. \u00a0For His sake and for His glory and for His honor. \u00a0We should certainly take from Jesus\u2019 second phrase here \u201cGive to God what is God\u2019s\u201d a reminder we should obey God rather than any boss we may ever have that would tell us to do something wrong.<\/li>\n
  • Though our duty to earthly authority is limited, our duty to God is comprehensive.<\/li>\n
  • We are His. \u00a0Therefor you give that coin back to Caesar but you give yourself to God. \u00a0Any obligation we have to the state, is a part of our larger responsibility to God with our whole lives because we are part of His creation and we will be judged by Him, not least because we Christians have been created again by Him and bought back with a price.<\/li>\n
  • Parents, when you use authority in your children\u2019s lives you are teaching them what God is like.<\/li>\n
  • \u201cRemember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. \u00a0Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.\u201d \u00a0Hebrews 13:7<\/li>\n
  • Our duty to God is comprehensive. \u00a0Give to God what is God\u2019s and everything is God\u2019s. \u00a0Give who you are to Him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        God and Politics by Mark Dever\u00a0is a quick read. \u00a0It’s a small book that I picked up a few weeks ago at the ERLC National Conference in Nashville. \u00a0I have a lot of respect for Dever and the work that he does through Capitol Hill Baptist Church that is having a huge impact […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,25,16,28,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-education","category-family","category-integrity","category-leadership"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}