Gabriella Siefert’s Reviews > The Liturgy of Politics > Status Update
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 98 of 220
These limitations create room for neutrality without declaring one institution completely uninterested in the activities of the other, and vice versa. The church and state are limited in their authority, but that doesn’t mean that either are politically or spiritually neutral. The state doesn’t have jurisdiction over worship and theological convictions, but its actions are theologically significant;
— Mar 20, 2026 11:54AM
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Gabriella’s Previous Updates
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 98 of 220
Likewise, the church doesn’t have jurisdiction over legislative matters, its actions are politically significant.
— Mar 20, 2026 11:55AM
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 98 of 220
Understanding the church as an institution helps us think about its jurisdictional limitations. It is one institution ordained by God, and government is another. Where we draw that line is complicated, but understanding each institution as both ordained by God and limited in its authority is a helpful place to start.
— Mar 20, 2026 11:51AM
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 63 of 220
But just as God created humans for cultural and social life, he created them for political life as well. The meaning of that word political is important. It can signify statecraft - the exercise of coercive power for the sake of ordered governance. However, it also has broader meaning. It signifies the means by which we shape our common life together.
— Mar 19, 2026 12:41PM
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 5 of 220
[The church] cannot have an inner life without having at the same time a life which expresses itself outwardly as well. She cannot hear her Lord and not hear the groaning of the Creation. - Karl Barth
— Mar 11, 2026 07:39AM
Gabriella Siefert
is on page 2 of 220
But for Christians, politics is not important because we ascribe great value to political ideas, but because we ascribe great value to the human person.
— Mar 11, 2026 07:27AM
