How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? (Church Questions) by Jonathan Leeman

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? (Church Questions) Reviews

• 
  Matt

  Short, simple, and likely to leave you wanting more. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive manual, though. What this timely resource does, it does so well. If you’re a pastor, read it with your fellow leaders. Give it out liberally to your members. American believers in particular need this kind of orientation as we enter a combustible 2020 election season. Satan wants to gain a foothold among the people of Christ; so let’s furnish our minds with careful categories and ready our hearts with self-denying love. This booklet will help.
• 
  David Harris

  Excellent stuff. Will be buying extras to give away.
• 
  Christian Barrett

  This is a helpful reminder that Christians are not citizens of this earth, but of heaven. Therefore, since this is the case they must seek to live in harmony one another. This means living those who may disagree with us on tertiary earthly issues that are not gospel issues. The primary goal of this book is to argue that it is not appropriate to say, “You can’t vote democrat/republic and be a Christian.” Leeman and Naselli argue this is in a beautiful manor that points to the hope in the Kingdom of Heaven and unity in the body of Christ.
• 
  Chelsey Meissner

  Tempted to buy 200 copies to put in the church foyer.
• 
  Ian Ritchie

  I listened to this book as audio on the Crossway podcast episode released Sep 1, 2020.
  
  As a Christian living in the US, I can recognize how greatly needed this book is for our current cultural moment. Leeman and Naselli call us to humility in how we interact with brothers and sisters who perceive issues of justice differently than ourselves. Without diminishing the importance of political differences, they show how such differences should be viewed in the context of a people who are united to Christ as members of his body and in submission to his kingdom. While I listened to this in 58 minutes at work and did not take notes (let alone recognize chapter divisions), there are two things which I remember standing out in my listening. I appreciated first the clarification that political differences between church members are not about *principals* of justice (i.e what scripture clearly condemns as injustice) but about how we are to use *wisdom* to apply those principals. I also appreciated the authors' distinction between "whole church issues" and matters of Christian liberty, and the distinction between "straight line" and "jagged line" issues. Overall, this is a very practical book which calls Christians to turn away from themselves and be oriented toward their brothers and sisters in love, and ultimately to their ascended Lord in faith and hope.
• 
  Josh John

  Great insight on the differences between whole-church positions and Christian-freedom positions.
  
  The purpose of the book is not to answer which political positions are correct, but rather to show a biblical response to real political disagreements in the body of the church. The book shows how we can remain firm in our positions while extending graciousness in our disagreements. Well-done.
• 
  Jessie

  Excellent little book. This is not a book that tells you who to vote for or the “correct” answers to our political dilemmas, but a guide to handling the differences in a loving and biblical way.
  
  “Too often we fail to realize how our political conversations as Christians should be different than the political conversations of non-Christians. Non-Christians can tell you exactly what they think. Christians can too, but the crucial difference is that Christians can also tell you—on some political topics—what God thinks. We have his Book. He has revealed himself. That’s amazing, isn’t it? Yet a huge danger looms. We get into a political argument in which we’re telling someone what we think. But we also have a Bible in our hands, and so we begin to blur the lines between what we think and what God thinks”
• 
  Meggie

  In these times of so much political disagreement, this was a helpful little booklet about how to relate with Christians with differing views. It begins with the root of our struggle to deal with these disagreements, then offers help on how to move forward. The authors offer a lot of practical examples and Biblical reference.
  
  This was a Crossway audiobook. I found the reader a bit monotone and uninteresting.
  
• 
  Jeff Short

  This is a helpful and needed booklet on divisive political issues in a church. Too many churches have become cultic and ingrown where there is simply no room for disagreements with the group think. Christian identity becomes entangled and confused with political parties or movements. There are hardly any categories for someone to disagree on such issues and still be deemed Christians. If every person in your church looks and thinks just like you do, is that a sign you’re Christians, or it could it reveal something else?
• 
  Samuel

  Life and politics are becoming more polarizing by the day, and often the factions work to vilify those in opposition to them. This should not be the case for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ! In this short, easy-to-read booklet, Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli seek your refocus their readers on what matters most: the gospel of Jesus. There are certain issues where all Christians need to be on the same page or they cannot coexist. However, the list of topics and issues where we can (and will) disagree grows daily, and we all need to practice discernment and Christian liberty. Never expect that you have all the information, and show gracious forbearance to your brothers and sisters in the church. Don’t let non-essential issues cloud your judgment on the things that matter most: preaching the gospel of Christ and making disciples.
• 
  Alan Rennê

  Que livreto fantástico! A preocupação dos autores não é dizer em qual partido ou candidato você deve votar, mas ensinar como devemos responder aos nossos irmãos em Cristo que possuem entendimento diferente do nosso em relação a questões políticas. Excelentes conselhos!
• 
  Steve Stanley

  It says paperback, but I listened to the audiobook version of the book.
  
  Related blog post (includes links to free audiobook, journal article, and podcast):
  
  https://andynaselli.com/politics-cons...
• 
  Josh Miller

  Loved this short, unique booklet! The authors lay out the difference between what they call whole-church issues (primary doctrines of the faith), and Christian-freedom issues (secondary issues where there is room for disagreement amongst good Christians).
  
  They then conclude the booklet with a good example of "straight-line" judgments and "jagged-line" judgments. Most importantly, the authors end with the following statement:
  
  "Your hope is not in a platform or party or kingdom now. Your hope is in the day the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Christ."
  
  The book ends with sixteen suggestions for how pastors can work for unity in politically divisive times.
• 
  Jessica Chen

  I would say the American church needs to read this. It's good reminders and perspective about what is actually the most important.
  
  However, the second half felt repetitive. I'd also say nuance was given to some issues that in my opinion are less debatable and not enough nuance given to more debatable issues. But that is partly the point of the book - being able to disagree. I also feel like near the end the book sometimes reduced things to "issues" and "political matters" to talk about rather than realities deeply impacting people. But it's a short little book so I understand if they didn't talk with as much nuance as they could've!
• 
  Hannah

  Informative.
  
  This booklet diagnoses the problem, then concisely outlines several recommendations.
  
  The Bible does not provide Christians with ‘straight-line’ positions on most political issues. Therefore, many of our political views are in the domain of Christian freedom, informed by our conscience, biblical principles, and knowledge available to all through common grace.
  
  I especially appreciated the recommendations in the conclusion; humbly listen to and pray for those you disagree with, and meditate on eternity and the final judgement. Timeless advice for a turbulent era.
• 
  Tanner Keen

  A helpful 60 page booklet from 9Marks that Christians especially passionate about politics ought to read. The over-arching theme of the book is that followers of Jesus should remember the purpose of the Church and distinguish between issues that are explicitly biblical and those which require applied wisdom and consciences. Would take maybe an hour to read straight through. Recommend.
• 
  Ivan

  Timely.
• 
  Sam Knecht

  A wonderful resource to put in the hands of church members, either in an election year or any time national politics is discipling members more than their church.
• 
  millie

  brief, clear, and leaves you with many things to consider as you lovingly engage those in your own church who may think differently than you do on the topic of politics. listened to the free audiobook on spotify!
• 
  Bill

  I listened to the full audiobook on the Crossway Podcast:
  https://www.crossway.org/articles/fre...
• 
  Patience

  Leeman and Naselli offer helpful insight and practical wisdom for contexts in which politics has become too elevated in the church and the intensity of disagreement has reached a fever pitch. Their straight-line versus jagged-line distinction is really good and offers some helpful categories. However, at times they border on dismissive. Without establishing why politics matter, the emphasis seems to be on loving church members with different politics by recognizing that politics aren't that big of a deal. And it's true, politics are not the gospel and we should never pretend that they are. We do need to be wise in recognizing that not all political questions are straight-line issues, but we must love church members with different politics *because* the issues that we are wrestling through are a big deal, not because they are insignificant. Granted, it's difficult to do a deep-dive in less than 70 pages, but there were a few spots where they needed to slow down and capture more of the complexity of what goes on in political disagreements in order to address them well.
• 
  Joshua Lister

  Kind of confusing and not very helpful. This issue is obviously complex and some of the generic advice in this booklet is okay. For instance, not every disagreement should result in a divorce. Pastors are not forced to make everything they preach and think a church membership fellowship issue. Church members don't need to divide over every disagreement. Yes, that is all true. But, there are egregious category errors in this book, which confuses the good advice.
  
  For instance, the authors appeal to our unity in "a new nation...held together by neither sword nor family but only by Word and Spirit." These things are not opposed to each other. The Word and Spirit save and preserve generations of people. That means families. Christ's Kingdom also includes our rulers, who do not wield the sword in vain. The Word and Spirit preserve families and ensure that rulers wield their sword justly. This in turn preserves nations.
  
  A lot more can be said, but I think the last sentence highlights the problem well. "Your hope is in the day the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our Christ (Rev. 11:15)". I would invite the authors to stop living pre-ascension. Jesus has authority over heaven and earth now and we're declaring that to the nations.
• 
  Lindsay Dyer

  Excellent and timely.
• 
  Chris

  This is a super short book I wish I read before the 2020 election season. In a lot of ways, it echoes the logic and biblical reasoning presented in Andy Naseli's book on Conscience (which I HIGHLY recommend).
  
  In short, Leeman and Naseli urge church members to stop making secondary political issues into primary political issues. There are certain unarguable points in the Christian faith, and then we get into gray areas. If the church body can come together, reasonably discuss, and prefer Jesus over preference, it's a win-win for the church, AND for those outside of it. One, because we are unified, and two, because those who don't know the gospel won't be confused when Christians fight and quibble over politics.
  
  I think the biggest hoop to jump through is recognizing the things we personally hold true as things Jesus cares about, might not be so, and it's a substantial claim to say "Jesus would care about this too." Pick your issue: climate change, birth control, immigration, etc. It's a minefield, but we must be unified.
• 
  Joey

  There is some good wisdom here to help us understand:
  
  1. Why we care about politics, and why it is important.
  2. How we can discern what is important from what is essential for Christian unity.
  
  I do have some reservations about how polarized the parties have become, especially since the Democratic Party has identified itself as the party of abortion (murder), and sexual deviancy. I have a hard time understanding how a Christian can support such a party. But the book is helpful in bringing an opportunity for reflection on what are the hard lines, and what are not. It is helpful in encouraging me to re-evaluate what are those lines, and how I know what they are.
• 
  Brice Karickhoff

  Useful, thoughtful, readable, and short! A good read indeed! The only dagger is that I think both authors were of a very similar theological and political background. When I saw it was two authors I really hoped two people with diverse opinions would collaborate on the topic of unity.
  
  I especially appreciated the section about how we apply wisdom, and developing sympathy by understanding how someone else might apply the same wisdom differently.
  
  I’m glad I read this, and it’s an important time to lean into unity and discernment. Would probably suggest Finding the Right Hills to Die On personally, but that’s just me!
• 
  WH

  I listened to this audiobook for free (can be streamed or downloaded here:
  https://www.crossway.org/articles/fre...). Very short, so the discussion is by necessity a bit shallow. I think the authors have basically assumed that all Christians should or will be engaged in politics to some degree. They don't seem to leave open the possibility that a Christian can be loving while being apolitical. To me, this is unfortunate, because I personally believe that this is not only a legitimate option, but perhaps a preferred one in the current political and social climate that Americans find themselves in.