This book is a good general overview of a Christian approach to politics or civic engagement more broadly. Jensen seems more optimistic about national governance and willing to accept heavy-handedness from the government, and communicated other opinions I would contest. An easy read but morally challenging.

Also, the Wandering Bookseller sent the book promptly and it was offered at a competitive price to other retailers. I was happy with the service. Thank you.

In a world where echo chambers abound and polarisation to extremes is all too common, in this brief Michael Jensen has provided us with a vision of how to follow Christ as a citizen of heaven while living here on earth.

The book argues that Christianity is political. Christians believe that Jesus is Lord, and that’s a claim about the political order of the cosmos.

As such, “Our act of gathering together under the lordship of Jesus Christ, in our (mostly) small local churches, is the most powerful piece of politics we can do” (P192).

Jensen distinguishes Politics 1.0 from Politics 2.0.

Politics 1.0 is the politics of the world, the politics we talk about and read about.

Politics 2.0 is the great political work of Jesus Christ in establishing and maintaining his rule over the world.

It’s the political program of the kingdom of God.

It supervenes our squabbles about capital gains tax or public school spending, though it doesn’t erase their importance.

Unfortunately, “the captivity of Christianity to worldly politics (Politics 1.0) as a means of protecting or advancing the faith is not simply a strategic disaster.

It is a spiritual disaster… When that has been the case, Christians have shown a deeper faith in the patterns of the world than they have in the sovereignty of God and the lordship of Christ. It is not too much to say that this is a form of idolatry.” (P191).

So, what is Christian politics all about?

“A true Christian politics is not, then, in the first place about being more political: it is about being more Christian.” (p189).

And the route to this distinctiveness is grace and transformation, “The most effective political thing that Christians can do is to open ourselves to being transformed by the grace of God as we renew our minds. We need to be people who are metamorphosed into the image of Jesus Christ. By living lives that show that Jesus Christ is Lord, we will be engaging in the most powerful political program ever devised, even though it might not look like it in the middle of history.” (p53).

Unfortunately, a lot of Christians take their eye off the ball and put their deepest hope in Politics 1.0.

Jensen discusses the sort of eschatological (end times) hope that even Christians put in their governments (p95).

Instead of such hope, Jensen counsels pragmatism and realism.

Michael unpacks Romans 12—15, and argues from it that Christians should be realists because government operates “in the sphere of hard-heartedness rather than in the sphere of the Spirit.” (p98).

The book is illustrated by political history and theory, but its heartbeat is the Biblical story.

That Biblical story has a lot to offer the world, since, amongst other things “What secular Western culture has difficulty admitting is that the idea of the equality of all human beings and the notion of human rights-meaning that we owe one another certain fundamental dignities and freedoms-are learned not from nature or reason but from Christianity.” (p162).

Occasionally, in search of better Politics 2.0, the book rebukes you: “So let me say this directly to you, because probably no-one dares say it to you face to face: If conflict follows you around and you think you are never at fault, then could you have it wrong? Conduct a fair inventory of your last conflict. Can you honestly say that you didn't contribute to it? Do you have an 'I might have got it wrong' category?” (p75).

Hence it ended up being more practical and personal than I expected.

There are a few slightly controversial claims (which is good!) like that Christians should have obeyed government mask and lockdown mandates (p110), that character and competence are more important than whether a candidate has faith (p97, relevant to a certain American presidential candidate), or that many different political forms are Biblical, but that anarchism is not (p99).

I’d happily recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about a Christian perspective on politics.