Politics for Christians: Statecraft as Soulcraft

by Francis J. Beckwith

Politics is concerned with citizenship and the administration of justice--how communities are formed and governed. The role of Christians in the political process is hotly contested, but as citizens, Francis Beckwith argues, Christians have a rich heritage of sophisticated thought, as well as a genuine responsibility, to contribute to the shaping of public policy. In particular, Beckwith addresses the contention that Christians, or indeed religious citizens of any faith, should set aside their beliefs before they enter the public square. What role should religious citizens take in a liberal democracy? What is the proper separation of church and state? What place should be made for natural rights and the moral law within a secular state? This cogent introduction to political thought surveys political science, politics and government while making the case for how statecraft may genuinely contribute to soulcraft. Politics for Christians is part of The Christian Worldview Integration Series. The Christian Worldview Integration Series, edited by J. P. Moreland and Francis J. Beckwith, seeks to promote a robust personal and conceptual integration of Christian faith and learning, with textbooks focused on disciplines such as education, psychology, literature, politics, science, communications, biology, philosophy, and history.

Genres: Politics, Religion, Philosophy, Christianity, School, Theology

175 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2010

About the author

Francis J. Beckwith is Professor of Philosophy & Church-State Studies at Baylor University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Philosophy and Co-Director of the Program on Philosophical Studies of Religion in Baylor’s Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR). With his appointment in the Department of Philosophy, he also teaches courses in the Departments of Political Science and Religion as well as the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies, where he served as its Associate Director from July 2003 until January 2007.

Born in 1960 in New York City, Professor Beckwith grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, the eldest of the four children of Harold (“Pat”) and Elizabeth Beckwith. He graduated in 1974 from St. Viator’s Elementary School and in 1978 from Bishop Gorman High School, where he was a three-sport letterman and a member of the 1978 Nevada State AAA Basketball Championship Team.

In 2008-09 he served on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame as the Mary Ann Remick Senior Visiting Fellow in Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics & Culture. A 2002-03 Research Fellow in the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions in the Department of Politics at Princeton University, Professor Beckwith currently serves as a member of Princeton’s James Madison Society. He has also held full-time faculty appointments at Trinity International University (1997-2002), Whittier College (1996-97), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (1989-96).

A graduate of Fordham University (Ph.D. and M.A. in philosophy), he also holds the Master of Juridical Studies (M.J.S.) degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where he won a CALI Award for Academic Excellence in Reproductive Control Seminar.

He has served on the executive committees of both the Society of Christian Philosophers (1999-2002) and the Evangelical Philosophical Society (1998-2003) as well as on the national board of the University Faculty for Life (1999-present). The 57th President of the Evangelical Theological Society (November 2006-May 2007) , Professor Beckwith served from 2005 through 2008 as a member of the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on Philosophy and Law. In January 2008 he was selected as the 2007 Person of the Year by Inside the Vatican Magazine.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beckwith explores a framework through which Christians might engage deeply in the activity of forming political commitments. In briefly setting forth this matrix, he touches upon the complexities of politics, acknowledging the multiple facets that are easily overlooked as Christians engage politically. Each of his political subcategories that he believes constitute thoroughgoing approach to politics—political theory, comparative politics, international and domestic politics, and the interaction between politics, law, and economics—invite a thoughtful Christian to dig patiently and deeper into attending questions.

His work walks through several case examples of political flashpoints that have challenged Christians and their political engagement, mostly surrounding how Christ’s followers may fruitfully engage a liberal, democratic culture that has increasingly become unwelcome to Christians wishing to integrate their faith with political concerns. His conviction, deeply informed by his recent conversion to Roman Catholicism, is that natural law continues to be a central tool for Christians seeking to influence the political system that is ever more deeply committed to secularist assumptions. His approach helpfully encourages both the politically engaged and those cowed by pronouncements that Christians must leave their convictions at the sidelines.

Beckwith’s work offers a thoughtful pathway for Christians wishing to grow in their political understanding and their engagement in politics as an exercise of loving their neighbor. A part of InterVarsity Press’s Christian Worldview Integration Series, rather than inhabit some elusive center, Beckwith instead encourages Christians to interact politically based on principled Christian convictions. Certainly Christians will continue to clarify with each other about those principles and Beckwith’s work should be a useful means of getting at political first things, a foundation-up instead of middle-ground approach.

[Sarah Gantsoudes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Per Goodread's extremely chill star system, I "did not like it."

[Taryn Bareng · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for one of my graduate courses on public policy. I think the author does a great job at asserting his points, and further developing his thesis with plenty of evidence. His arguments are compelling and logical.

However, I do believe that some of the ideas presented are antiquated and no longer held by the majority of Christians, although I could be wrong, but I hope I’m not.

I gave it 4 stars because I think the central theme is a solid reminder for Christians. Beckwith calls for Christians to show up to the public square, to discuss policy and advocate for regulations they believe in, not based on religious reasoning, but rather intellectual and logical arguments. If Christians are truly living an integrated Christian life as the Bible calls, then logical arguments in our fields will further support our Christian ideologies, without being exclusively applicable to believers.

[Diogenes the Dog · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was required reading for a graduate public policy course and is published by IVP Academic. That said, this book contains very little actual public policy and isn’t very academic—just random moralistic musings that never go beyond stage one.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for graduate class.

[Brian Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an introduction to politics for Christians. It is directed towards college students, though one need not be a student to benefit from reading it. There are five chapters in the book. The first one discusses the different branches of political study. The second one examines the concept of a liberal democracy (in which he examines what the Bible says about government and says that Christians should know the political system in which they find themselves, know their rights, and are able to vote for non-Christian candidates). The third chapter, probably the best of the book, is devoted to the concept of the separation of church and state, and how this concept is distorted today. The fourth chapter discusses secular liberalism, showing that a secular public square is not neutral, and a demand for only secular reasoning in public debate is an attempt to exclude religion. The fifth chapter is devoted to natural rights and a moral law.

This book was generally well-written, though I found a few typos. I am giving it three stars because there should have been more of a discussion on the role of government. I would have liked to have seen a biblical-theological discussion on the role and size of government, but I didn't find this. There should also have been more of a warning against making politics an idol. Still, the book is valuable for anyone who wants to know more about political philosophy and that politics plays in the Christian life and the role that Christianity can and should play in the public square.

[Trice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly this ended up being a 1 day read, one third of it being on the bus back and forth to campus (yay for the return of vehicular reading). I found it generally helpful, though in a couple places his logic has some issues. With his opponents in front of him, he would not have won at least a couple of those arguments (yeah, they felt a lot more like arguments than discussions, sadly) without more fully developed and well-thought-out discussion of the ideas - the language used indicated a direct hit and an easy point or two, but his opponents wouldn't have even needed to parry... or step back out of distance... ah, maybe I'm being too harsh, and the fencing metaphor is a bit labored, but the weakness in a couple places surprised me. There was some good talk of how to be a Christian and a citizen, a good reminder that you don't need to drop one to be the other, and this is supposed to be an introduction and overview - something I somehow failed to realize prior to reading. Interesting and a bit helpful but I'd definitely recommend readers continuing on to some of the listings in the bibliography at the end - some really good, really solid stuff there.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for all Christians as a part of their liberal arts education. There are a lot of good things about this book, one of which is that Beckwith dispels some of the most insidious falsehoods that most Christians, in my experience, have uncritically accepted about the role of religion in politics.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to the basics of political theory within a liberal democracy.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In an attempt to integrate the christian life with other areas, a somewhat conservative view on politics although not exclusively so.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of liberal democracy and the Christians place in it. He could have been a bit more concise at points, but I think he raised some good points and gave a decent overview of the subject.