“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s” was the profound response of Jesus to a political trap set by the Pharisees. What they thought would be their “gotcha” moment only further established His authority.
In the messy world of modern democracy, we could do with a further dose of such wisdom. As Christian Nationalism gathers pace in some hearts and minds, there’s an urgent question that needs answering: what role should Christianity play in the governance of modern, secular societies where the majority don’t claim Jesus as Lord?
In this book, James Lusk argues against the idea of “theonomic” rule (where Christians impose God’s law on others) and instead argues for democracies that protect individual rights and associations. He does a good job in highlighting many of the contradictions inherent within our conceptions of democracy and, by extension, we see how these things will grow as the shared values of our post-Christian age become ever more frayed. There is much more to consider and explore here.
