Politics. The word has taken on new meaning this year. To be sure, election cycles have always been freighted with backstabbing and vainglory – but this one was unprecedented in its blatant rottenness. Although its ramifications will continue to confront us for years to come and may well supply ample reasons to worry about the future, many of us have simply grown extremely fatigued by it all.
Accordingly, you will be thrilled to know that our next edition of Plough Quarterly focuses on… politics! Don’t click away: not one word is wasted on the wrangling of power-hungry men and women. No, in this issue we explore the politics of Christ.
What do Jesus’s politics look like and how can we use our lives to vote for his governance – no matter who is in the White House? Peter Mommsen reminds us in his Editor’s Letter that, as Christians, we are alien citizens pledged in allegiance to a “kingdom not of this world” (John 18:36). He points to people who’ve boldly claimed that citizenship both today (watch an interview with author Rod Dreher) and throughout history (listen in as Eberhard Arnold introduces a young storm trooper to the dangerous role of the church, and take a fresh look at the ideas set forth five hundred years ago in Thomas More’s Utopia).
We also hear from recent immigrants to America, and from Middle Eastern Christians willing to endure much to follow Christ. A descendant of farmers questions Wendell Berry’s agrarian idyll, and our columnist Jason Landsel looks at the legacy of Joe Strummer and punk rock. In short, there’s nothing to fatigue you in this issue. It’s full of good news of the sort that (we hope) will stir to action. How are you living your alien citizenship?
Start reading here. And as always, when you’re finished reading we’d love to hear your thoughts.
This post is part of a series highlighting books and resources available through Plough.com, the Bruderhof’s publishing house.Read previous posts in this series.
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It is not a question of the church standing apart waiting for the political process to open a space for the church, the church has to be involved in the process.