Power in Service: An Introduction to Christian Political Thought

by Willem J. Ouweneel

The Gospel is Power to Serve. On trial for his life, Jesus said to Pontius "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above" (John 19:11). These words of Jesus tell the Christian a great deal about the nature of the nation state and its relationship to the Kingdom of God, as Willem J. Ouweneel skillfully explains. What is the Kingdom? "The kingdom is not a matter of talk (idle words) but of power" (1 Cor. 4:20). And where do we find this Kingdom? Already during his earthly ministry, Jesus told his "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt. 12:28). That is, where the power of the Kingdom is manifested, there the Kingdom itself has arrived. In some countries, the presence of the power of the Kingdom is manifested in persecution and death. "Whose children are they anyway?" Christian children in Quebec have been placed on spiritual "death row." The Quebec Court of Appeal has given the Quebec government the authority to indoctrinate Christian children attending Christian institutions of learning. The separation between church and state has been erased by the state. The state will now determine the nature of truth. Secular humanism has been elevated to state religion. The result? The state has now arrogated the authority and legal right of the parents to form and shape the heart and mind of the child. This power grab raises questions about Whose children are they anyway? The answers forthcoming from the state are deeply troubling. On the one hand the state says to a pregnant "It's your body - do with the child as you see fit." But once the child has been born and weaned by Christian parents and taught Christian values, the state then "Yes, you changed the child's diapers, you fed and clothed and nurtured the child. But we, the state, will now indoctrinate the child with our religion." All of which begs the Whom do we now obey - God or the state?

Genres: Politics

162 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Benjamin John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful introduction to sphere sovereignty / Christian worldview from the Dutch reformed tradition

[Marcus Muresan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright — 6.5/10