What do you think?
Rate this book
Ruler of Kings: Toward a Christian Vision of Government
We are living in an era where the cult of the expert enables the increasing encroachment of civil government into areas of cultural and societal life where it does not belong. This growing statism must be countered by a distinctly Christian response. But what should a Christian proposal for social order look like? In this book, Joe Boot critiques the world as it is today and provides the critical basis for a Christian response to the socio-political crisis of our time. Ruler of Kings is contextual and current, but its solutions are biblically rooted and therefore enduring.
Portions of this book are excerpted from other works, also by Joe Boot, and published by Ezra Press and the Ezra Institute for Contemporary
- For Towards a Christian View of authority (2020)
- For The Christian, the Church and the State (2021)
- For the Kingdom of a Scriptural Response to a Utopian Social Vision (2021)
Using rigorous theological, philosophical and historical analysis, the author challenges traditional Western church leaders' assumptions and responses to Christian participation in cultural, socio-economic and political life. In its place, he sets out a clearly articulated and scripturally grounded political vision.
Portions of this book are excerpted from other works, also by Joe Boot, and published by Ezra Press and the Ezra Institute for Contemporary
- For Towards a Christian View of authority (2020)
- For The Christian, the Church and the State (2021)
- For the Kingdom of a Scriptural Response to a Utopian Social Vision (2021)
Using rigorous theological, philosophical and historical analysis, the author challenges traditional Western church leaders' assumptions and responses to Christian participation in cultural, socio-economic and political life. In its place, he sets out a clearly articulated and scripturally grounded political vision.
Paperback
Published February 1, 2022
34 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Boot
29 books77 followersRev. Dr. Joseph Boot (M.A., Ph.D.) is a cultural theologian, leading Christian apologist, founding pastor of Westminster Chapel in Toronto and founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity (EICC). Originally from Great Britain, he served with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries for seven years as an apologist based in Oxford England and Toronto Canada. Joe has spoken all over the world in 25 countries at numerous universities, seminaries, churches, colleges, and conferences from Eton College and Oxford University, to Forman University in Lahore, Pakistan. He regularly addresses pastors and Christian leaders as well as medical, legal, and business professionals in North America, Britain, and the Middle East and has publicly debated leading atheistic thinkers and philosophers in Canada and the United States.
Joe did his undergraduate studies in Theology (Birmingham Christian College, U.K), earned his Master’s degree in Mission Theology (University of Manchester U.K), and holds a Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual Thought (WTS, Florida USA). A contributing author to Thomas Nelson’s major Christian apologetics volume, Beyond Opinion, Joe’s other apologetic works include Searching for Truth (Crossway), Why I Still Believe (Baker), and How Then Shall We Answer (New Wine) which have been published in Europe and North America. His most recent book, The Mission of God, is a systematic work of cultural theology exploring the biblical worldview as it relates to the Christian’s mission in the world. Joe serves as Senior Fellow for the cultural and apologetics think-tank truthXchange in Southern California; is Senior Fellow of cultural philosophy for the California based Centre for Cultural Leadership and serves as faculty for both the Wilberforce Academy in Cambridge U.K and The Alliance Defending Freedom’s Blackstone Legal Academy in Phoenix Arizona. In 2011 Joe was recognized by Toronto’s Centre for Mentorship and Theological Reflection as ‘Best Preacher Apologist’ for his contribution to apologetic and expository preaching. Joe is general editor of the Ezra Institute’s Journal, Jubilee, serves as chancellor for Westminster Classical Christian Academy, and has regularly been heard on Toronto radio, and seen on Sun News Network. Joe lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife, Jenny, and their three children: Naomi, Hannah, and Isaac.
Joe did his undergraduate studies in Theology (Birmingham Christian College, U.K), earned his Master’s degree in Mission Theology (University of Manchester U.K), and holds a Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual Thought (WTS, Florida USA). A contributing author to Thomas Nelson’s major Christian apologetics volume, Beyond Opinion, Joe’s other apologetic works include Searching for Truth (Crossway), Why I Still Believe (Baker), and How Then Shall We Answer (New Wine) which have been published in Europe and North America. His most recent book, The Mission of God, is a systematic work of cultural theology exploring the biblical worldview as it relates to the Christian’s mission in the world. Joe serves as Senior Fellow for the cultural and apologetics think-tank truthXchange in Southern California; is Senior Fellow of cultural philosophy for the California based Centre for Cultural Leadership and serves as faculty for both the Wilberforce Academy in Cambridge U.K and The Alliance Defending Freedom’s Blackstone Legal Academy in Phoenix Arizona. In 2011 Joe was recognized by Toronto’s Centre for Mentorship and Theological Reflection as ‘Best Preacher Apologist’ for his contribution to apologetic and expository preaching. Joe is general editor of the Ezra Institute’s Journal, Jubilee, serves as chancellor for Westminster Classical Christian Academy, and has regularly been heard on Toronto radio, and seen on Sun News Network. Joe lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife, Jenny, and their three children: Naomi, Hannah, and Isaac.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 27, 2022
Joseph Boot's "Ruler of Kings" is a relatively short, concise treatise on the nature of authority in the post-resurrection world. The book is well organized and tightly argued. More importantly, it is released at a time where confusion and doubt reigns within the church as to how get out of the failed secular humanist experiment in the West.
The first chapter is "The Rule of Christ or Cult of the Expert." Right in the beginning Boot argues, "we live in an era of perpetual revolution manifest by an intense intellectual activism in all cultural and political life." p.13 This "perpetual revolution" is fueled by the "steady triumph of pagan humanism in the West." Though there have been many Christian movements to resist pagan humanism, they have thus far failed because Christians have been operating on largely the same presuppositions as our pagan rivals. p.23 The solution therefore, must rest upon a uniquely and unadulterated Christian foundation. Boot reminds us that, "In Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid." (Col. 2:3) He argues, "This makes the Christian mind unique, containing a prophetic power that comprehends all creation as an instantiation of the Word of God." p. 32
The rival religions thus have rival visions. In chapter 2, Boot writes of the"Globalist Utopia versus Biblical Nationhood". He writes, "Man needs order, certainty and salvation, and where Christ's governance is denied, man will attempt to mimic it." This necessarily becomes "statist" and "utopian." p. 41 Boot shows that the root of these utopian dreams "is located in the spirit of Babel, where humanity in pretended autonomy opposes the Creator and his Law-Order for creation." p. 76 Therefore, the solution is the same when God first judged Babel: "a scriptural form of nationhood that recognizes the true basis of unity in the human community in Christ and under His Word, not in man-imposed global political unification." p. 77
In chapter three, Boot begins to show the direction of his argument: "Religion, Government and the Secularist Illusion". He begins by reminding us that biblical nationhood "must actually involve a careful consideration of the nature and meaning of religion." p. 83 This is so, because a biblical nation is built upon shared religious presuppositions, culture, and language. Boot states, "Religion is...much more than the practice of this or that set of rituals. Religion is an all-encompassing reality that may or may not be connected to cultic rites and liturgy--in fact most religious perspectives are not." p. 87 Being a consistent presuppositionalist, Boot knows there is only true religion or idolatry. Thus, any religion apart from biblical Christianity is idolatrous, and must therefore absolutize "one or more aspects of creation." p. 87 Boot summarizes the history of Christendom:
"In one sense then, we have made a great intellectual loop in the Western world. Pagan thinking has boomeranged. We began pre-Christian and thoroughly pagan. The gospel was effectively spread by the Patristic church, but Christian theology began to make room (via a synthesis) for Greek philosophical ideas as pagans were converted, eventually adopting a dualistic view of the world with upper and lower storeys within nature (two substances). This led to the emergence of a 'secular' realm..." p. 100
So we have found ourselves in a situation, much like the early church, where "all the cults and gods are welcome, so long as they pay homage to the autonomous freedom of man." p. 101 Christians today, just like in the early church must, of course, "reject the relativism of pagan secularism with its denial of the trust in Christ and his Law-Word..." p. 103
The rival religions of Christianity and paganism are thus "unavoidably confronted with the issue of authority." p. 111. Chapter four is "Authority, Sovereignty and the Heresy of Liberal Democracy". As Boot argued in chapter three, secular paganism has resulted in a "dualistic view of the world." Because of this, Boot argues, "it is possible for fundamental contradictions to persist without the Christian ever clearly recognizing a basic incoherence." p. 119 This is how we can end up in a world where "believers will frequently suggest to fellow Christians that the state is merely a neutral apparatus to uphold a vague common good..." p. 119 Boot goes on to argue that this "mythical", "neutral" democratic order is a heresy, because it has forgotten that it is itself, the fruit of "a Christianized culture." It is, as others have said before, cutting off the limb from the tree, on which they are themselves resting. In short, "liberalism seeks to recreate society in the image of a rebellious and sinful humanity." p. 140
Now, Boot is getting closer to his vision. Chapter five is "The Church, The State and the Kingdom of God". He begins the chapter discussing the false dilemma most Christians see regarding the tension between church and state. On the one hand, there is the "Constantinian" vision--which is perceived as a "potentially dangerous theocrat[ic]" one. Or that we must "accept that we now live in a post-Christian age where the only thing Christians can realistically hope for is being one of many interest groups in a diverse, multicultural society." p. 144 Boot laments "the glib romanticizing of political persecution as an ideal state for the church by Western believers who have never experienced it." p. 145 But he also recognizes "the long term results of [Constantine's] conflation of church authority and civil government power were very mixed..." p. 146
Boot goes on to survey church/state relations, but ultimately argues for a different solution--rejecting the false dilemma. He bases this solution off of the distinction between Christ's kingdom and Christ's church. He shows that they are different, and recognizing this difference is foundational to properly order church, state, and society. The solution, he says, is "that every province of human life and thought be brought under the sway of God's kingdom." But that we must not make "human life in all its spheres subject to the visible church." p. 164
The kingdom/church distinction leads to the final chapter: "State Absolutism, Sphere Sovereignty and the Limits of Political Authority". Reformed readers should not be surprised that the solution is sphere sovereignty with each sphere being properly ordered under the banner of Christ's kingdom. Also, not surprisingly, Boot shows that this was in fact largely the vision of Reformed Christian nations such as Great Britain, Canada, and the United States--though obviously not done consistently. He goes on to show this as he briefly surveys the history of this doctrine. I'll leave readers to this chapter themselves, as the book is perhaps the most timely and important work of this decade.
Boot offers an historical and theological work that shows the path forward in this moment of crisis is to look to the past, not with nostalgia, but with biblical clarity, faithfulness, and obedience. We must reject the dualism built into the first attempt at Christendom, and move steadfastly toward a rigorously biblical Christendom 2.0. To God be the glory, and may he grant us faithfulness to follow Him in full obedience!
The first chapter is "The Rule of Christ or Cult of the Expert." Right in the beginning Boot argues, "we live in an era of perpetual revolution manifest by an intense intellectual activism in all cultural and political life." p.13 This "perpetual revolution" is fueled by the "steady triumph of pagan humanism in the West." Though there have been many Christian movements to resist pagan humanism, they have thus far failed because Christians have been operating on largely the same presuppositions as our pagan rivals. p.23 The solution therefore, must rest upon a uniquely and unadulterated Christian foundation. Boot reminds us that, "In Christ all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid." (Col. 2:3) He argues, "This makes the Christian mind unique, containing a prophetic power that comprehends all creation as an instantiation of the Word of God." p. 32
The rival religions thus have rival visions. In chapter 2, Boot writes of the"Globalist Utopia versus Biblical Nationhood". He writes, "Man needs order, certainty and salvation, and where Christ's governance is denied, man will attempt to mimic it." This necessarily becomes "statist" and "utopian." p. 41 Boot shows that the root of these utopian dreams "is located in the spirit of Babel, where humanity in pretended autonomy opposes the Creator and his Law-Order for creation." p. 76 Therefore, the solution is the same when God first judged Babel: "a scriptural form of nationhood that recognizes the true basis of unity in the human community in Christ and under His Word, not in man-imposed global political unification." p. 77
In chapter three, Boot begins to show the direction of his argument: "Religion, Government and the Secularist Illusion". He begins by reminding us that biblical nationhood "must actually involve a careful consideration of the nature and meaning of religion." p. 83 This is so, because a biblical nation is built upon shared religious presuppositions, culture, and language. Boot states, "Religion is...much more than the practice of this or that set of rituals. Religion is an all-encompassing reality that may or may not be connected to cultic rites and liturgy--in fact most religious perspectives are not." p. 87 Being a consistent presuppositionalist, Boot knows there is only true religion or idolatry. Thus, any religion apart from biblical Christianity is idolatrous, and must therefore absolutize "one or more aspects of creation." p. 87 Boot summarizes the history of Christendom:
"In one sense then, we have made a great intellectual loop in the Western world. Pagan thinking has boomeranged. We began pre-Christian and thoroughly pagan. The gospel was effectively spread by the Patristic church, but Christian theology began to make room (via a synthesis) for Greek philosophical ideas as pagans were converted, eventually adopting a dualistic view of the world with upper and lower storeys within nature (two substances). This led to the emergence of a 'secular' realm..." p. 100
So we have found ourselves in a situation, much like the early church, where "all the cults and gods are welcome, so long as they pay homage to the autonomous freedom of man." p. 101 Christians today, just like in the early church must, of course, "reject the relativism of pagan secularism with its denial of the trust in Christ and his Law-Word..." p. 103
The rival religions of Christianity and paganism are thus "unavoidably confronted with the issue of authority." p. 111. Chapter four is "Authority, Sovereignty and the Heresy of Liberal Democracy". As Boot argued in chapter three, secular paganism has resulted in a "dualistic view of the world." Because of this, Boot argues, "it is possible for fundamental contradictions to persist without the Christian ever clearly recognizing a basic incoherence." p. 119 This is how we can end up in a world where "believers will frequently suggest to fellow Christians that the state is merely a neutral apparatus to uphold a vague common good..." p. 119 Boot goes on to argue that this "mythical", "neutral" democratic order is a heresy, because it has forgotten that it is itself, the fruit of "a Christianized culture." It is, as others have said before, cutting off the limb from the tree, on which they are themselves resting. In short, "liberalism seeks to recreate society in the image of a rebellious and sinful humanity." p. 140
Now, Boot is getting closer to his vision. Chapter five is "The Church, The State and the Kingdom of God". He begins the chapter discussing the false dilemma most Christians see regarding the tension between church and state. On the one hand, there is the "Constantinian" vision--which is perceived as a "potentially dangerous theocrat[ic]" one. Or that we must "accept that we now live in a post-Christian age where the only thing Christians can realistically hope for is being one of many interest groups in a diverse, multicultural society." p. 144 Boot laments "the glib romanticizing of political persecution as an ideal state for the church by Western believers who have never experienced it." p. 145 But he also recognizes "the long term results of [Constantine's] conflation of church authority and civil government power were very mixed..." p. 146
Boot goes on to survey church/state relations, but ultimately argues for a different solution--rejecting the false dilemma. He bases this solution off of the distinction between Christ's kingdom and Christ's church. He shows that they are different, and recognizing this difference is foundational to properly order church, state, and society. The solution, he says, is "that every province of human life and thought be brought under the sway of God's kingdom." But that we must not make "human life in all its spheres subject to the visible church." p. 164
The kingdom/church distinction leads to the final chapter: "State Absolutism, Sphere Sovereignty and the Limits of Political Authority". Reformed readers should not be surprised that the solution is sphere sovereignty with each sphere being properly ordered under the banner of Christ's kingdom. Also, not surprisingly, Boot shows that this was in fact largely the vision of Reformed Christian nations such as Great Britain, Canada, and the United States--though obviously not done consistently. He goes on to show this as he briefly surveys the history of this doctrine. I'll leave readers to this chapter themselves, as the book is perhaps the most timely and important work of this decade.
Boot offers an historical and theological work that shows the path forward in this moment of crisis is to look to the past, not with nostalgia, but with biblical clarity, faithfulness, and obedience. We must reject the dualism built into the first attempt at Christendom, and move steadfastly toward a rigorously biblical Christendom 2.0. To God be the glory, and may he grant us faithfulness to follow Him in full obedience!
January 4, 2023
Joe Boot’s Ruler of Kings is a wonderful introductory resource for Christians to begin thinking about everything through a Lordship sense, specifically political systems. Don’t be fooled by the size, Dr. Boot packs much content into 200 pages. One of the greatest highlights is the cultural analysis and critique of modern-day ideologies such as Utopianism, Globalism, and Statism. Throughout the book Joe demonstrates the inescapable concept of presuppositions and worldviews. Joe mentions that although Scripture may not lay out a detailed written out political theology it certainly lays out a variety of creational and theological concepts that gives us a clear understanding in how God has structured the world, i.e. One of the greatest gems in this book comes towards the end when the concept of sphere sovereignty is worked out, very helpful to understand. Highly recommend this book.
May 25, 2022
This latest work by the "cultural theologian" Joseph Boot is an imaginative tour de force, shredding more straw men than a John Deere combine in Kansas. It purportedly represents a distillation of his political philosophy which is taught through his organization.
The Good:
1. Perhaps the best thing that can be said for this book is that it is only 201 pages of text, making it useful if you have a table or desk you need to level. At 14mm spine width, it will serve as an intermediate point between other similarly fanciful works such as The Communist Manifesto (8mm) and The Book of Mormon (22mm).
2. Dr. Boot does, in this volume, observe a great many defects in culture that should be and must be addressed by people of Biblical faith. I don't know if any of the factual observations he makes are really surprising to Confessional Christians, but it has some value in defining the dangers of "intellectualism" and "humanism", much as Marx did with the dangers of capitalism. Unfortunately, in neither case does the correct identification of the problem follow with the correct (Biblical) solution.
Readability: 1 star
This was possibly the hardest 200 pages I have ever read, and I read Faulkner. I purchased the Kindle version first, but found note-taking on points of utter nonsense, historical inaccuracies, or theological error on the application to be slow. I reluctantly purchased the more expensive paperback to facilitate marginal note-taking and speed my way through the work. Even with this advance from electronic to paper form, I made no greater speed than if I was being pushed in a shopping cart down a gravel road.
The language is often stilted and the arguments circuitous. It is certainly a style, and I cannot fault the work greatly for its style. It is a polemical essay at its core, and every philosopher has a right to make his polemic in any way he likes.
I was disturbed at, what seemed to me, the oversimplification of the sides of the polemic, where "us" equals "all those in the Western, democratic cultures who agree with me" and "everyone else in the world". There was no serious attempt, so far as I could tell, to engage other Confessional Christian (i.e. middle) points of view; it rather simply states that if you disagree its premise, you have been co-opted by the intelligentsia and utopian humanists. This is the trait of a true believer in a cause, or a fabulous salesman - the reader, if you choose, will have to decide.
Content: no rating
On the whole, there is nothing of this book I will care to remember once I conclude my research on this philosophy. (The good news here is I have no thought of publishing my research, so this review is not an invitation to buy my stuff, which, I am sure, would be equally horrid.) The arguments in this work come off like you are being cornered at a dinner party by your annoying cousin who has had a few pints too many and wants to tell you who to vote for in the upcoming election (and why). The only way to keep him at bay was with my pencil notes in the margins of most every page.
Although the essay disdains Marx, the arguments it makes in the beginning chapters are quite Marxian; if you replace "bourgeoisie" in Marx with "intellectual", you will find a similar argument structure here. I will not give examples because it is not the purpose of a review to "spoiler" the work (page 15ff).
One surprise for a "Christian" cultural theologian's work is the number of non-Christian sources cited in support of its arguments. There are more direct citations, I think, of Jewish, Roman Catholic, pagan, and atheistic sources than scriptural citations, if not in pure number, then in the length of the citation and subsequent discussion. Examples of these may include, to the best of my research, Roger Scranton, George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), Jacob Talman, Daniel Hannan, and Hazony Yoram (apologies if any of these is a Confessional Reformed Christian; I was not able to find online corroboration). Scripture is not, in this work, generally explained or exegeted, but trotted out to decorate its intellectual and logical arguments; the Bible in this way is often treated more like an escort than a wife.
Perhaps the most distressing tendency in this polemical essay, beyond erecting armies of straw men to mow down, is to generalise from the specific (hasty generalisation fallacy). This essay devotes a significant amount of time to providing historical examples of philosophers who were clearly wrong in some case, and using those errors to prove that anyone living after them is infected with their errant teaching, provided they do not agree with the historically novel position of the text.
Errata:
There are significant historical inaccuracies presented flatly as facts in support of the arguments of this work. The reader will need to be cautious at taking any provided historical "facts" at face value; even many of those which are correct in the events end up being used in surprising, unorthodox (perhaps questionable?) ways.
In sum, I do not recommend this book for factual, biblical, or philosophical enlightenment. The work was obviously conceived with the philosophical conclusion firmly established, with all the supporting arguments bent into shape to lead to the inevitable conclusion.
Disclosure: I have NOT been compensated in any way for my review by anyone, including the author or publisher. I paid for my copies of the work (both of them) - they were not sent to me in return for this review. This review is simply my opinion, but I am quite bright, so take it as you will.
The Good:
1. Perhaps the best thing that can be said for this book is that it is only 201 pages of text, making it useful if you have a table or desk you need to level. At 14mm spine width, it will serve as an intermediate point between other similarly fanciful works such as The Communist Manifesto (8mm) and The Book of Mormon (22mm).
2. Dr. Boot does, in this volume, observe a great many defects in culture that should be and must be addressed by people of Biblical faith. I don't know if any of the factual observations he makes are really surprising to Confessional Christians, but it has some value in defining the dangers of "intellectualism" and "humanism", much as Marx did with the dangers of capitalism. Unfortunately, in neither case does the correct identification of the problem follow with the correct (Biblical) solution.
Readability: 1 star
This was possibly the hardest 200 pages I have ever read, and I read Faulkner. I purchased the Kindle version first, but found note-taking on points of utter nonsense, historical inaccuracies, or theological error on the application to be slow. I reluctantly purchased the more expensive paperback to facilitate marginal note-taking and speed my way through the work. Even with this advance from electronic to paper form, I made no greater speed than if I was being pushed in a shopping cart down a gravel road.
The language is often stilted and the arguments circuitous. It is certainly a style, and I cannot fault the work greatly for its style. It is a polemical essay at its core, and every philosopher has a right to make his polemic in any way he likes.
I was disturbed at, what seemed to me, the oversimplification of the sides of the polemic, where "us" equals "all those in the Western, democratic cultures who agree with me" and "everyone else in the world". There was no serious attempt, so far as I could tell, to engage other Confessional Christian (i.e. middle) points of view; it rather simply states that if you disagree its premise, you have been co-opted by the intelligentsia and utopian humanists. This is the trait of a true believer in a cause, or a fabulous salesman - the reader, if you choose, will have to decide.
Content: no rating
On the whole, there is nothing of this book I will care to remember once I conclude my research on this philosophy. (The good news here is I have no thought of publishing my research, so this review is not an invitation to buy my stuff, which, I am sure, would be equally horrid.) The arguments in this work come off like you are being cornered at a dinner party by your annoying cousin who has had a few pints too many and wants to tell you who to vote for in the upcoming election (and why). The only way to keep him at bay was with my pencil notes in the margins of most every page.
Although the essay disdains Marx, the arguments it makes in the beginning chapters are quite Marxian; if you replace "bourgeoisie" in Marx with "intellectual", you will find a similar argument structure here. I will not give examples because it is not the purpose of a review to "spoiler" the work (page 15ff).
One surprise for a "Christian" cultural theologian's work is the number of non-Christian sources cited in support of its arguments. There are more direct citations, I think, of Jewish, Roman Catholic, pagan, and atheistic sources than scriptural citations, if not in pure number, then in the length of the citation and subsequent discussion. Examples of these may include, to the best of my research, Roger Scranton, George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair), Jacob Talman, Daniel Hannan, and Hazony Yoram (apologies if any of these is a Confessional Reformed Christian; I was not able to find online corroboration). Scripture is not, in this work, generally explained or exegeted, but trotted out to decorate its intellectual and logical arguments; the Bible in this way is often treated more like an escort than a wife.
Perhaps the most distressing tendency in this polemical essay, beyond erecting armies of straw men to mow down, is to generalise from the specific (hasty generalisation fallacy). This essay devotes a significant amount of time to providing historical examples of philosophers who were clearly wrong in some case, and using those errors to prove that anyone living after them is infected with their errant teaching, provided they do not agree with the historically novel position of the text.
Errata:
There are significant historical inaccuracies presented flatly as facts in support of the arguments of this work. The reader will need to be cautious at taking any provided historical "facts" at face value; even many of those which are correct in the events end up being used in surprising, unorthodox (perhaps questionable?) ways.
In sum, I do not recommend this book for factual, biblical, or philosophical enlightenment. The work was obviously conceived with the philosophical conclusion firmly established, with all the supporting arguments bent into shape to lead to the inevitable conclusion.
Disclosure: I have NOT been compensated in any way for my review by anyone, including the author or publisher. I paid for my copies of the work (both of them) - they were not sent to me in return for this review. This review is simply my opinion, but I am quite bright, so take it as you will.
January 1, 2023
A must-read for every Christian pastor, church leader, and committed Christian. Dr. Boot compellingly unpacks the doctrine of sphere sovereignty and why it is so sorely needed today!
March 9, 2023
Pretty lofty stuff! Much of it is over my head but I’m trying to educate myself about how Christianity and politics can and should work together. I greatly esteem Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot and try to watch everything I can find from him on YouTube. One of the most articulate and intelligent Christian teachers I have ever come across.
July 23, 2023
Some thoughts:
- first time I’ve read a comprehensive Christian critique of ‘liberalism’, ‘liberal values’ and ‘liberal democracy’ . It’s good to examine these concepts in light of scripture, it’s easy to forget they are human concepts rather than God- ordained
- useful thoughts on the fact that a secular state has a theological position underpinning it.
- good mini critique of Rawls’ insistence that personal religious beliefs be kept out of public debate, but who decides what the ‘reasonable’ public values and beliefs are that should be permitted? there is an underlying metaphysical worldview to secularism and humanism as well, they are not neutral. The secular state is not a neutral structure to govern people of all faiths or no faith, it has an inbuilt faith itself in humanism, rationality, and the preeminence of man and reason.
- an introduction to sphere sovereignty
- there is only really one kingdom and one King
- good quote from Willem Ouweneel,
“In socialism, the state is deified; in libertarianism, the individual; in communism the party; and in national socialism, the nation is deified. Only in a truly biblical situation, the state as well as the individual, the party as well as the nation, are directed toward God. We do not serve the state, but the state and we are to serve God”
Some further reading: https://www.theotivity.com/post/avoid...
- first time I’ve read a comprehensive Christian critique of ‘liberalism’, ‘liberal values’ and ‘liberal democracy’ . It’s good to examine these concepts in light of scripture, it’s easy to forget they are human concepts rather than God- ordained
- useful thoughts on the fact that a secular state has a theological position underpinning it.
- good mini critique of Rawls’ insistence that personal religious beliefs be kept out of public debate, but who decides what the ‘reasonable’ public values and beliefs are that should be permitted? there is an underlying metaphysical worldview to secularism and humanism as well, they are not neutral. The secular state is not a neutral structure to govern people of all faiths or no faith, it has an inbuilt faith itself in humanism, rationality, and the preeminence of man and reason.
- an introduction to sphere sovereignty
- there is only really one kingdom and one King
- good quote from Willem Ouweneel,
“In socialism, the state is deified; in libertarianism, the individual; in communism the party; and in national socialism, the nation is deified. Only in a truly biblical situation, the state as well as the individual, the party as well as the nation, are directed toward God. We do not serve the state, but the state and we are to serve God”
Some further reading: https://www.theotivity.com/post/avoid...
September 6, 2022
The most important book I’ve read all year. Minor quibbles for a somewhat slow start and some short sections of impaired readability, but otherwise a great book. I agree with a previous reviewer that chapter six is the finest (and most well-rounded and well fleshed-out) exposition of sphere sovereignty I’ve ever read. This is not a book of intellectual musings or abstract and theoretical observation; it combines a robust understanding of history and philosophy and religion with sound (historical) exposition of key biblical texts, culminating in a manifesto and a mission for Christians in the here-and-now. In other words, if you put this book down and think, “that was nice/interesting”, you missed the point. You need to put it down and ask, “so where do we start?”
July 13, 2022
Boot gives categories for how to interpret western civilization’s decline as well as categories for how Christendom 2.0 is its only hope. The last chapter on sphere sovereignty is the clearest explanation of a kuyperian vision for a Christian state that I’ve read.
I’ve listened to some of Boot’s smaller audiobooks on the kingdom of God and I found those books easier to read than this one. I wish he would write a popular-level primer on kuyperianisn and sphere sovereignty. I subtracted a star simply because I wish it was written clearer with a wider audience in mind.
I’ve listened to some of Boot’s smaller audiobooks on the kingdom of God and I found those books easier to read than this one. I wish he would write a popular-level primer on kuyperianisn and sphere sovereignty. I subtracted a star simply because I wish it was written clearer with a wider audience in mind.
February 4, 2024
The introduction says the author wastes no words, and that is a fact! An excellent treatment of sphere sovereignty and great contrast between the kingdoms of Christ and the world. Lots of presuppositional and theonomic thought throughout, I found it engaging and clarifying.
Would add a star for the fact that my inner monologue read the book in dr boot’s voice if I could.
Would add a star for the fact that my inner monologue read the book in dr boot’s voice if I could.
December 24, 2024
An accessible concise tract for a biblically founded Christian view on how believers are to function in this world ruled by Christ yet but influenced by sin and Satan. I would wish Dr Boot spent some time expositing some of the Scriptures in this topic but that may be better treated in the more expansive book Mission of God.
March 10, 2025
I agree with much of what Boot said but find that much of it is not treading new terrain from other similar thinkers. Something about his writing is difficult to engage with (perhaps it's all the made up hyphenated words like "law-word", "faith-knowledge" and so on). I appreciated his clear explanation of sphere sovereignty.
July 23, 2023
Excellent call to call the state to it's proper jurisdiction, out of our lives, out of education, out of medical care, out of social welfare. The state is a coercive institution by it's very nature which is why it cannot but tend to tyranny outside its natural jurisdiction of justice.
February 19, 2024
What does sphere sovereignty look like? I believe this short book answers that question well. The reality is, we appeal to authority whether it’s God or man. The author stresses the reality of which authority each nation chooses to appeal to. An important read for the time we live in.
November 10, 2022
Joe Boot describes what a Christian vision of government would look like.
April 6, 2024
What a Christian government would look like and why it's the only option.
April 27, 2024
Excellent but every pastor should read Dr. Boot's The Mission of God.
May 20, 2024
Excellent. Boot is easy to read, biblical, and clear with his argument of sphere sovereignty. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand “Christian nationalism”.
November 8, 2024
Biblically rooted response to political crisis in our modern day world. However, very lengthy and hard to get through some of the verbiage.
May 10, 2022
What a great book! This should be read by every Christian who claims to be a socialist, conservative, libertarian or whatever other synthesis we have made with humanistic political worldviews. Joe Boot in this book shows how the Kuyperian Sphere Sovereignty model is the only Christian model of doing politics. He examines the christian baptism of pagans notions of liberal democracies and shows how as Christians we should go to the bible and start there, by doing this we avoid all the traps of an impotent christianity that has far too often bought into the false idea of private faith and shows how Christianity is a very public faith.
Highly Reccomend
Highly Reccomend
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews