With questions about "Christian Nationalism" swirling around evangelical circles, around 200 people gathered in Tamworth at the annual Mission of God conference to consider the timely topic of the Bible and politics, writes Paul Huxley.
The day of teaching, worship, and networking was jointly hosted by Christian Concern and the Ezra Centre for Christian Thought.
Christian Concern's chief executive, Andrea Williams, gave the first talk highlighting the call of God on every aspect of our lives. The risen and ascended Jesus Christ has authority over all things - politics is not exempt from this.
"Christian nationalism" means different things to different people, she said. This was not a call to embrace that term, or to get behind any specific political movement, but to say that kings, emperors, prime ministers and presidents ought to obey Christ in the way they govern.
Rev. Dr Joe Boot, President and Founder of the Ezra Centre, Dr Aaron Edwards and Stephen Perks put much more theological meat on those bones, highlighting how religion (false or true) has never been wholly separate from political power and how the nations can, and should, seek to be Christian.
Politics done faithfully is a form of loving our neighbours, he said. If we could all resolve to subject our political preferences to Christ, we could make far more progress in this form of love.
The Q&A session challenged me that we rarely meditate on the law of the Lord or treat it as the treasure of wisdom that the Psalms say it is. I’m convinced that if more Christians, including me, thought more deeply about the laws God gave Israel, we would find countless insights for our own discipleship – and for shaping our nation.
More days like this must be part of the answer.
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For he is King of all.
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