• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

  • About
  • Publications
    • Endorsements
  • Audio/Video
  • Categories
    • Exegesis
    • Biblical Theology
    • Historical Theology
    • Systematic Theology
    • Practical Theology
    • Other
  • Contact

politics

Politics, Conscience, and the Church: The Why, What, and How of Political Disagreement (And a Test Case)

September 9, 2024 by Andy Naselli

New article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Politics, Conscience, and the Church: The Why, What, and How of Political Disagreement.” Christ Over All, 9 September 2024.

It updates an article I coauthored with Jonathan Leeman four years ago by tweaking it throughout and by adding a new section at the end: “Test Case: May Christians in America Vote for a Pro-choice Candidate?”

Updates:

  1. Kevin McClure reads the article aloud for the Christ Over All podcast—with an introduction by David Schrock (52 minutes).
  2. On 9/23/2024, Christ Over All released a 61-minute podcast episode in which I discuss this article with David Schrock and Steve Wellum.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: politics

Twelve Reflections on Twelve Interviews on Christian Nationalism

November 27, 2023 by Andy Naselli

David Schrock—along with either Trent Hunter, Brad Green, or Steve Wellum—recently conducted twelve interviews about Christian nationalism for Christ Over All. I copied the transcripts of those twelve interviews into a Word document, and that document is 200 pages single-spaced. That’s a lot to sort through. After listening to the twelve interviews and reading the transcripts, I offer the following twelve reflections or observations in this article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Twelve Reflections on Twelve Interviews on Christian Nationalism.” Christ Over All, 27 November 2023.

Here are the twelve headings:

  • Reflection 1. The interviewees are basically within views 4 and 5 in my taxonomy of political theology.
  • Reflection 2. The interviewees disagree on whether it would be good to have a Christian government.
  • Reflection 3. The interviewees agree that America had a Christian founding.
  • Reflection 4. The interviewees know what time it is.
  • Reflection 5. The interviewees agree that a Christian culture in a society is good.
  • Reflection 6. The interviewees basically agree on the strategy of what faithful Christians should do right now.
  • Reflection 7. The interviewees disagree on how to talk about the Ten Commandments with reference to political theology.
  • Reflection 8. The interviewees disagree on how to define “good” and “bad” in Romans 13:3.
  • Reflection 9. The interviewees disagree on whether the label “Christian nationalism” is helpful.
  • Reflection 10. The interviewees who fit within view 5 do not put most of the load-bearing weight for their view on postmillennialism or theonomy.
  • Reflection 11. The interviewees disagree on whether some nations (other than Israel under the Mosaic covenant) may be in a covenant with God.
  • Reflection 12. The interviewees all interacted as Christian gentlemen and modeled how to discuss political theology.

You may listen to Kevin McClure read my article on the Christ Over All podcast here. (For block quotes, the podcast features audio clips from the original interviews.)

Update on 12/4/2023: Christ Over All released a 68-minute podcast episode in which I discuss this article with David Schrock and Steve Wellum.

Related: Andrew David Naselli, “What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government,” Christ Over All, 10 November 2023.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: politics

What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government

November 10, 2023 by Andy Naselli

Christ Over All has been consistently publishing outstanding articles and interviews.

The theme for October was “‘Just One More Thing’: Getting the Facts on Christian Nationalism(s).”

The theme for November is “Toward Biblical Nationhood: A Baptist View of Church and State.” David Schrock introduces it at the end his article “October Intermission: From Christian Nationalism(s) to Biblical Nationhood.”

I am planning to contribute two articles this month. Later this month I plan to reflect on the interviews on Christian nationalism. But first I am attempting to add some clarity by framing a debated topic with this new article:

Andrew David Naselli. “What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government.” Christ Over All, 10 November 2023.

*43-minute audio version (minus footnotes—read by Kevin McClure)

Here’s the outline for the article:

Part 1. Starting with Definitions: Religion, Politics, and Political Theology

Part 2. Seven Views on Religion and Government

    • Introductory Qualification
    • View 1. Secular Suppression: The secular government suppresses religion.
    • View 2. Religious Separation: Religion must radically separate from the government.
    • View 3. Religious Neutrality: The government must be religiously neutral.
    • View 4. Religious Influence: The government should not promote only one particular religion, yet religion may influence the government within limited parameters.
    • View 5. Christian Government: The government and religion overlap.
    • View 6. Religion over Government: Religion governs the government and directs the government to enforce religion.
    • View 7. Government over Religion: The government governs and enforces religion.

Part 3. Seven Concluding Reflections

    • 1. My taxonomy is describing rather than evaluating.
    • 2. Trying to systematize the various views on political theology is challenging, but that should not prevent us from trying.
    • 3. There is a lot more to say.
    • 4. My taxonomy may mislead one to think that the various views on the spectrum are distinct in neat and tidy ways.
    • 5. Christians are becoming more interested in political theology because what seemed to be a neutral public square is now an increasingly polarized battleground.
    • 6. Christians should beware of prematurely separating from each other based on different political theologies.
    • 7. No civil government will be flawless until King Jesus returns.

Updates:

  1. 11/13/2023: Christ Over All released a 66-minute podcast episode in which I discuss this article with David Schrock and Steve Wellum.
  2. 11/27/2023: Christ Over All published my article “Twelve Reflections on Twelve Interviews on Christian Nationalism.”
  3. 12/4/2023: Christ Over All released a 68-minute podcast episode in which I discuss my article “Twelve Reflections on Twelve Interviews on Christian Nationalism” with David Schrock and Steve Wellum.
  4. 3/12/2025: Steve Wellum, editor of Southern Seminary’s journal, reprinted the article in an issue devoted to Christian nationalism: Naselli, Andrew David. “What Is the Spectrum of Major Views on Political Theology? A Proposed Taxonomy of Seven Views on Religion and Government.” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 28.2 (2024): 168–90.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: politics

Where Do Human Rights Come From?

October 7, 2022 by Andy Naselli

I attempt to answer that question with help from Francis Schaeffer in this short article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Chapter 2: Foundations for Faith and Morality.” Christ Over All, 7 October 2022.

The article is part of Christ Over All’s October theme: “A Christian Manifesto for the 21st Century.”

In 1981 Crossway published Francis Schaeffer’s A Christian Manifesto. In his analysis of church and culture, Schaeffer brought a word of prophetic warning to a church threatened by the rising tide of statism, or encroaching government control. Four decades later many of his concerns have been validated, and we will listen to and reflect upon this critical work.

Crossway Publishers is graciously providing a free PDF of Schaeffer’s A Christian Manifesto to readers of Christ Over All for the month of October.

Christ Over All is a new fellowship of pastor-theologians—including David Schrock, Steve Wellum, Trent Hunter, and Brad Green (good men!). More info here.

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: politics

Politics, Conscience, and the Church

April 21, 2020 by Andy Naselli

I recently teamed up with my friend Jonathan Leeman to write both a book and an article on politics, conscience, and the church:

New Book (Crossway)

Leeman, Jonathan, and Andrew David Naselli. How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? 9Marks: Church Questions. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020. (63 pp.)

[Update on 9/2/2020: The book is available for free as an audiobook.]

New Article (Themelios)

Leeman, Jonathan, and Andrew David Naselli. “Politics, Conscience, and the Church: Why Christians Passionately Disagree with One Another over Politics, Why They Must Agree to Disagree over Jagged-Line Political Issues, and How.” Themelios 45 (2020): 13–31. (PDF | Web Version)

Here’s the abstract:

Today many evangelical churches feel political tension. We recommend a way forward by answering three questions:

(1) Why do Christians passionately disagree with one another over politics? We give two reasons: (a) Christians passionately care about justice and believe that their political convictions promote justice, and (b) Christians have different degrees of wisdom for making political judgments and tend to believe that they have more wisdom than those who differ.

(2) Why must Christians agree to disagree over jagged-line political issues? After explaining straight-line vs. jagged-line political issues, we give two reasons: (a) Christians must respect fellow Christians who have differently calibrated consciences on jagged-line issues, and (b) insisting that Christians agree on jagged-line issues misrepresents Christ to non-Christians.

(3) How must Christians who disagree over jagged-line political issues agree to disagree? We explain three ways: (a) acknowledge leeway on jagged-line political issues; (b) unite to accomplish the mission Christ gave the church; and (c) prioritize loving others over convincing them that your convictions about jagged-line political issues are right.

How the Book and Article Compare

The message is basically the same in the book and article, but we target different audiences. In the little book we target laypeople, and in the more academic article, we target church leaders. (The book contains no footnotes.)

3 Recent Presentations

I recently presented the gist of our work in three settings:

1. Bob Jones University Seminary (November 12, 2019)

I addressed this topic for the annual Stewart Custer Lecture Series: Part 1 | Part 2.

Sam Horn interviewed me about it (5.5 minutes):

2. Bethlehem College & Seminary Chapel (February 12, 2020)

3. Thabiti Anyabwile’s Just Gospel Conference in Alexandria, Virginia (March 6, 2020)

In the final video above, Thabiti’s introduction starts about 7 minutes in. About 49 minutes in (at the end of my talk), Thabiti joins me on stage for about 11 minutes to dialogue. He is a gracious man.

I spoke on Day 2 of 3 at the Just Gospel Conference. On Day 1 and at the beginning of Day 2, I got the sense that many of the Christians attending this conference were more left-leaning politically than I am. Rather than mask any differences or throw out red meat, I decided to try to love my brothers and sisters by uncomfortably addressing a controversial topic—political parties in America—in order to encourage some hard conversations. The controversial content I added is not in the book or article. It illustrates how I am wrestling with political issues in my American context this election season. Here’s that section from my manuscript: [Read more…] about Politics, Conscience, and the Church

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: conscience, Jonathan Leeman, politics

Now What? Four Helpful Articles on President Trump

November 9, 2016 by Andy Naselli

Like most people who were following the presidential election, I was shocked that Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I watched The New York Times “Live Presidential Forecast.” Here’s how much the “chance of winning presidency” shifted last night from about 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. (I took this screenshot at 10:27 p.m. CT.)

nyt

Wow. [Read more…] about Now What? Four Helpful Articles on President Trump

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: politics

Glorifying God amid Election Angst

October 20, 2016 by Andy Naselli

Earlier this week I participated in a panel with some of my colleagues on glorifying God amid election angst:

Brian Tabb (@BJTabb) moderated, and the other panelists were Joe Rigney (@joe_rigney) and Rick Segal (@ThatRickSegal).

Follow-up thoughts: [Read more…] about Glorifying God amid Election Angst

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: Brian Tabb, Joe Rigney, politics

Can You Vote for Donald Trump with a Clear Conscience?

April 5, 2016 by Andy Naselli

trumpIf Donald Trump is the Republican nominee for President of the United States, can you vote for him with a clear conscience? This election cycle may force conservatives—especially religious, social conservatives—to answer that question.

Here’s how I am currently thinking through that question as an evangelical theology professor who just coauthored a book on the conscience and the Christian. To answer the question, you first need to consider three other questions. [Read more…] about Can You Vote for Donald Trump with a Clear Conscience?

Filed Under: Practical Theology Tagged With: conscience, politics

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe via Email

God's Will and Making Decisions

How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers

Predestination: An Introduction

Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament

Tracing the Argument of 1 Corinthians: A Phrase Diagram

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1433580349/?tag=andynaselli-20

Tracing the Argument of Romans: A Phrase Diagram of the Greatest Letter Ever Written

The Serpent Slayer and the Scroll of Riddles: The Kambur Chronicles

The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer

40 Questions about Biblical Theology

1 Corinthians in Romans–Galatians (ESV Expository Commentary)

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11

That Little Voice in Your Head: Learning about Your Conscience

How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps from Exegesis to Theology

No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It's Harmful

Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ

NIV Zondervan Study Bible

Perspectives on the Extent of the Atonement

From Typology to Doxology: Paul’s Use of Isaiah and Job in Romans 11:34–35

Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism

Let God and Let God? A Survey and Analysis of Keswick Theology

Introducing the New Testament: A Short Guide to Its History and Message

See more of my publications.

The New Logos

Copyright © 2025 · Infinity Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...