The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective

by Russell D. Moore

In this scholarly work, Russell D. Moore relates the history leading up to the new "Kingdom" consensus among evangelicals from the time theologian Carl F. H. Henry called for it fifty years ago. He examines how this consensus offers a renewed theological foundation for evangelical engagement in the social and political realms. While evangelical scholars and pastors will be interested in this sharp, insightful book, all evangelicals interested in public policy will find it useful in discovering how this new Kingdom perspective works out in the public square.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Politics, Church

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2004

About the author

Russell D. Moore is President of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention’s official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns.

Dr. Moore earned a B.S. in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He also received the M.Div. in biblical studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Ph.D. in systematic theology from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He blogs frequently at his “Moore to the Point” website, and is the author or editor of five books, including Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ, Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches, and The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective. In addition to these, Dr. Moore is also the author of dozens of academic articles and essays within the field of systematic theology and Christian ethics. He also serves as Senior Editor of Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity.

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I asked a friend who's doing his PhD in Theology and Leadership if he new of any books he could recommend on evangelical Christian engagement in society and politics. He suggested this book, and I'm so glad he did.

Moore focuses on theology and historical theological development over the last 100-150 years. Which, while be light on the socio-political engagement side at the end of each chapter, does the more important work of laying a sound theological basis for that engagement. Using Carl Henry's Uneasy Conscience from the mid-20th century as his basis, Moore examines the growing consensus between dispensational and reformed theology on the idea of the Kingdom of God - particularly framed in the idea of "already/but not yet". This principle of the Kingdom was something I first learned about in my undergrad at JBU, and is a significant concept for all evangelical Christians. Moore does a masterful job of highlighting the weakness of both traditional dispensationalism and Reformed theology and takes the reader through recent developments in both camps in their understanding of the Kingdom. Moore chooses three key areas in which the Kindgom of God as "already/but not yet" is having and should have significant impact on our theology: (1) eschatology (our understanding of the end times, and thus the implications for today), (2) soteriology (the role of Christ as savior of not only the individual, but of the whole cosmos) and (3) ecclesiology (the understanding of the Church as the community over which Christ reigns fully now, as a representation and light to the world of Christ's reign over all in the future).

I found Moore's book both incredibly insightful and helpful. He does a masterful job of carrying the reader through the changing conversations and the danger zones for theology in areas of open theism, Biblical authority and the living God. The book has re-shaped my views on the celebration of communion - it is not just remembering Christ's death for me, but it is remembering Christ's death for the whole world. That in his death, he redeemed the cosmos. It has also helped me understand the role of the Church in the world, the significance of having a sound, encompassing theology to undergird our views (something, Moore argues, the Moral Majority lacks), etc. I've been reading this over the last few weeks as a devotional book and have looked forward to my 30 min or so every morning. One thing I enjoyed as well is how he pulled in other books I've been reading: Abraham Kuyper's work on a whole-life vision of Calvinism, J. Gresham Machen's work on Christianity & Liberalism, etc. Also I was raised in a dispensational home (my dad's a DTS grad) and then sat under mostly Reformed teachers in my undergrad, so I've been greatly blessed by both views - but have sometimes struggled to know how to reconcile them. Moore, a professor at a Southern Baptist seminary, has walked me through how to do that in these three KEY areas of theology.

Word of warning, it is not an easy read. Even as a PhD student with a BA in Biblical & Theological Studies, it was a difficult read for me at times. But the patience and working through what Moore is talking about - even at times when the theological discussions seem a bit too much - is WELL worth it! It is a challenging read, but a great read for evangelical Christians. I highly recommend it!

[Etienne OMNES · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le Royaume de Christ, de Russel D. Moore est une présentation détaillée de la doctrine du Royaume de Dieu selon une perspective néo-évangélique (l'école de Carl F.H. Henry qui réforma le fondamentalisme vers plus d'interactions avec la culture).

Chaque chapitre fonctionne de la même manière: d'abord il présente la vision initiale décrite par Carl F.H. Henry dans _The Uneasy Conscience_ ensuite, Moore fait l'histoire de la doctrine dispensationaliste d'une part et réformée d'autre part et comment elles en sont arrivées chacune à rejoindre le néo-évangélisme. Ensuite, Moore fait le point sur le débat théologique, et son application politique et publique de chaque sujet.

Le chapitre 1: Une conscience troublée dans une sphère d'opinion nue, raconte pourquoi la doctrine néo-évangélique du Royaume est nécessaire aujourd'hui, au vu de l'histoire chaotique de l'engagement politique des évangéliques américains de la deuxième moitié du XXe siècle, plus prompt à s'engager qu'à dégager une véritable vision politique.

Le chapitre 2 développe l'eschatologie néo-évangélique, centrée sur le motif "déjà/pas encore, qui a dépassé les spéculations apocalyptiques propre au fondamentalisme et permis un véritable engagement culturel.

Le chapitre 3 développe la sotériologie néo-évangélique, où comment nous en sommes venu à comprendre que la Mort de Christ sauve non seulement l'âme, mais aussi notre corps et ce que nous bâtissons avec notre corps, jusqu'à la nation.

Le chapitre 4 développe l'ecclésiologie néo-évangélique, où comment il y a une nouvelle attention à ce sujet, et comment il est devenu le débat le plus chaud du début XXIe siècle. Il fait d'excellentes remarques sur les développements actuels de l'ecclésiologie réformée, et suggère discrètement que les évangéliques doivent devenir plus confessionnels si l'on veut aller plus loin dans le projet néo-évangélique.

Le style est dense, académique, et doit être lu lentement. Moore définit assez les termes auquel il fait référence, mais il vaut mieux avoir déjà une culture théologique et historique afin de mieux comprendre. Ce livre a l'avantage d'être relativement auto-suffisant, et cela peut être le seul livre que vous lisez si vous voulez juste une "mise au point" sur ce qu'est la démarche néo-évangélique. Cependant, je vous conseille d'avoir d'abord lu _The Uneasy Conscience_ de Carl F.H. Henry, qui vous permettra de mieux comprendre la vision dont Moore raconte une grande quantité de détails.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs more theonomic postmillenialism. Almost there, but still too much 2k premil. The cognitive dissonance is evident as there is much valuable the author contributes to the discussion of the Kingdom of God, and much common ground. But, I could not get over the fact that the author seemed to be avoiding certain logical conclusions... and blowing off theonomic postmillenialism without a fair treatment.

[Don Henrikson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Kingdom of Christ is a combination of historical and practical theology. For those who wish to understand what drives Russell Moore as he leads the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), this is the book to read. As Moore evaluates modern (2004) evangelical trends toward a consensus theology on the Kingdom of God he also considers the implications for social and political engagement. Though this book is now over a decade old, those in the American evangelical world who would engage with their neighbors and their government will benefit greatly from its message.

[Hans Wulffraat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and thorough read. Took me a long time though. I will need a lot more time to go back over and digest it. But is surely worth it.

[Maarten De vries · Rating 4 out of 5]

De aandacht voor het koninkrijk van God groeit nog steeds in veel kerken in Nederland. In de kerk waar ik opgroeide (een vrije evangelische kerk) was en is het (nog) geen belangrijk onderwerp, in de kerk waar ik nu naar toe ga (een Vineyard kerk) is het juist een heel belangrijk onderwerp. Waarom bestaat dit verschil? En moet hier verandering in komen? Moore helpt om een evenwichtig beeld te krijgen bij het ontstaan en het belang van dit onderwerp.

Als startpunt van de behandeling van het onderwerp 'het koninkrijk van God/Christus' neemt Moore de publicatie van The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism van Carl F. H. Henry uit 1947. Met deze publicatie startte Henry een brede discussie over de betrokkenheid van christenen (evangelicalen in het bijzonder) in de samenleving. Dit gaf de aanzet voor het uitwerken (of herontdekken) van het thema 'koninkrijk van God/Christus'.

Een van de sterke punten aan dit boek van Russel D. Moore is dat hij de ontwikkeling laat zien van dit onderwerp in de kerken. Hoewel zijn beschrijving voornamelijk kerkstromingenn in de VS betreft, zijn parallellen naar de Nederlandse context eenvoudig te trekken. In deze beschrijving zijn veel aanknopingspunten te vinden met mijn eigen geschiedenis, bijvoorbeeld op het gebied van de grote aandacht voor de eindtijd. Zie ook het eerste citaat hieronder.

Behalve de geschiedenis van het koninkrijksdenken behandelt Moore ook de inhoud en de diverse invalshoeken die door de verschillende kerkstromingen gekozen worden. Uit deze behandeling blijkt dat er naast de meningsverschillen ook veel eenheid groeit tussen de verschillende stromingen. De sterke inhoudelijke behandeling van het onderwerp maakt ook dat ik in de toekomst vast nog wel eens terug zal grijpen naar dit boek om een bepaald aspect nog eens op te zoeken.

Enkele citaten uit het boek om de sfeer aan te geven:

Moeten discussies over de eindtijd wel zoveel aandacht krijgen?

"For Henry, the biblical mandate for this type of inaugurated eschatology was far too great to be overcast by endless evangelical debates over the nature of the millennium or the timing of the rapture."

Volgens sommigen niet:

"It is therefore the church’s duty to display in an evil age of self-seeking, pride, and animosity the life and fellowship of the Kingdom of God and of the Age to Come,” Ladd concluded. “This display of Kingdom life is an essential element in the witness of the church to the Kingdom of God.”"

Tegenover hen die zich richten op 'de hemel' en liever niet maatschappelijk betrokken zijn:

"In short, the commitment to an “already” of the Kingdom protects against an otherworldly flight from political and social responsibility while the “not yet” chastens the prospects of such activity."

Maar we moeten ook niet doen alsof het leven na dit leven niet belangrijk zou zijn:

"We are afraid of the jeer about “pie in the sky,” and of being told that we are trying to “escape” from the duty of making a happy world here and now into dreams of a happy world elsewhere. But either there is “pie in the sky” or there is not. If there is not, then Christianity is false, for this doctrine is woven into its whole fabric."

Tot slot: in het hele boek waarschuwt Moore geen kinderen met het badwater weg te gooien:

"In a Kingdom-oriented soteriology, personal regeneration is paramount, not because of an anthropocentric worldview, but because regeneration is tied to God’s Christocentric purpose in saving the cosmos, a context presented by Jesus in the most familiar biblical treatment of regeneration, the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:3-21)"

[Ben Adkison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading The Kingdom of Christ (TKoC) about two years ago, and was throughly enjoying the book at the time, but for some reason (that I can no longer remember), I failed to finish it in its entirety. Currently however, I am in one of those modes where I 19m enthralled by reading, learning, and synthesizing, so I just finished rereading the entire book.

The Kingdom of Christ is a deeply theological book that is not an easy read, but is well worth the endeavor. One of the reasons that this is a hard read is due to the length of the chapters. The entire book is only five chapters long, actually four chapters, because the fifth chapter is only a brief conclusion. The four main chapters are lengthy and technical, which makes reading individual chapters a little-at-a-time a bad idea because it 19s hard to reenter the flow of author 19s thought if your reading has paused for a significant amount of time. The book also assumes that its readers have a basic understanding of things like covenant theology, dispensational theology, the Kingdom of God, the social gospel, and the evangelical movement. These issues: the length of chapters, technicality of the language, and assumed pre-knowledge of the reader are the only real negatives of the book. And honestly these aren 19t negatives as much as they are just factors that narrow the book 19s audience. And let 19s be honest, not every book is for every person.

In TKoC Moore does an unparalleled job of tracing the theological concept of the 1CKingdom of God 1D as it has evolved in both the dispensational and covenantal theological camps. In each chapter, Moore unpacks how 1CKingdom of God 1D theological construct has had profound implications on: eschatology, soteriology, and ecclesiology. In all of these theological areas, covenantal and dispensational camps have developed wider agreement due to a deeper understanding of Bible 19s teaching about the Kingdom of God. Moore 19s intent is to question the social and political ramifications of evangelical action within the public sphere based on this wider theological agreement. The book asserts that modern evangelicalism 19s discussion of social and political action began with the publication of Carl F. Henry 19s, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism. In chapter one, Moore delves into Henry 19s writings, and then traces theological history to the current time. According to Moore 19s conclusion, though larger evangelicalism now agrees more wholeheartedly on 1CKingdom of God 1D theology, it now faces larger theological disagreements on perhaps even more primary issues such as epistemology, inerrancy, and the sovereignty of God. This is evidenced by the increasing influence of movements such as evangelical feminism and open theism.

I walked away from TKoC with a much deeper understanding of covenantal theology, dispensational theology, the writings of Carl F. Henry, the Bible 19s teaching about the Kingdom of God, and the mission of the church in society. This book is profoundly relevant to the questions know being addressed by the modern church. In many ways, the emerging church movement is repeating the mistakes of the social gospel liberals of the 1960 19s. This is in part a reaction to the unhealthy politicization of Christianity by the Religious Right. Church leaders need to continually assess how to be the 1Ccity on the hill 1D that Jesus talked about in the Sermon on the Mount. TKoC is an important read in that assessment. Having read TKoC, I yearn for a practical book dealing with how churches can be salt and light in the public sphere, that takes into account Moore 19s research, but is geared to a larger audience. I would love to hear any suggestions about books of this nature.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carl Henry launched an Evangelical Renaissance and gave intellectual credibility for Evangelical social endeavors. Russell Moore continues that legacy.

Moore argues that Evangelicalism, for having all the right theology, has failed to put that into practice (Here he is following Carl Henry's *Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism*). He critiques both Reformed and Dispensational thinkers (the reviewer is Reformed). Moore argues for the Kingdom of Christ as a legitimate fulcrum for making social and political moves without losing the need for personal regeneration. Dispensational thinkers, argues Moore, make kingdom preaching irrelevant because it preaches an earthly, future kingdom which has no relevance to the Church. Covenant theologians, on the other hand, preach a kingdom that is *now* but when pressed, end up with a spiritual, heavenly kingdom--which again has no relevance for the church.

Moore argues to the contrary that the Kingdom is now, has earthly ramifications, and presently finds its culmination in Christ. Kingdom language, for Moore, is warfare language. He follows much of Kuyper in arguing that Christ claims are binding on the whole order. He follows Ridderbos in positing a "cosmic" redemption. If sin is cosmic in its reach, so is redemption. Well said.

Criticisms and Personal Comments:
1. Moore comes from a premillennial background. He rightly critiques Amillennialism as being neo-platonic. His interpretation of Isaiah 65:20 ends most discussions of amillennialism. However, it is not clear how his interpretation of Isaiah 65:20 actually proves historical premillennialism and not postmillennialism?

2. He critiques theonomy when he should actually be critiquing Gary North.

3. The book is endnoted, not footnoted. The actual text is less than 200 pages. I read it in about a day.

Conclusion:
This book promises much and leaves the reader wrestling with tough issues. The current reviewer is excited that Southern Baptists are getting involved with "kingdom issues" in a way that does not denigrate either the gospel or modern culture. One hopes that many conservative Presbyterians will take note. Aside from a few doctrinal criticisms, the current reviewer recommends this book without qualifications.

Edit: I change my above criticism. Moore cogently defends premil and thus I retract (1).

[Rick Hogaboam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moore's treatment of Evangelicalism in relation to the competing "Kingdom" models is thorough and helpful. Moore picks up where Carl Henry left in calling for greater cultural engagement, sans non-Christocentric models. He also presents helpful criticisms of the major eschatological models, noting how each can tend toward abandonment from the world on one hand, and over-engagement on the other.

[Milan Homola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely essential text if you wrestle with the purpose of the church, the definition of the Kingdom of God, and the role of christian engagement of politics. If you don't wrestle with those don't bother this is a heavy read

[Ryan Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. The challenge is how to synthesize this view in order to rightly communicate it from the pulpit to the pews.