Church Matters: A New Christian Authoritarianism?: Christian Nationalism, Theonomy, and Magisterial Protestantism

What is the mission of the church? Provoked by secularism’s growing dominance in culture, a growing number of Christians have begun arguing the church needs to undertake nation building through culture war. Some identify as Theonomists, others as Magisterial Protestants, many as Christian Nationalists. Differences exist between these groups, but all of them want all Ten Commandments or the Apostles' Creed placed front and center in a nation’s founding documents. Many would also shrink the scope of religious liberty. Yet is this what Jesus had in mind when he sent his church into the world to make disciples? This issue of Church Matters will argue that it isn’t. These authoritarian systems fail to recognize that nations can’t be saved; only people can. And it’s saved people gathering in churches who bear Jesus’s name, not governments. Jesus promised victory to his Church, not to the countries where his churches live as exiles and pilgrims.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note

Authoritarianism and Gospel Authority
A New Christian Authoritarianism by Jonathan Leeman
What Authority Has God Given to Governments? by Jonathan Leeman
Say No to Christian Nominalism by Jonathan Leeman

Theonomy and Christian Nationalism Basics
Theonomy Primer: What Is It and How Does It Work? by Tom Hicks
Reconstruction Theonomy Vs. General Equity Theonomy by Joseph Thigpen
The Many Faces of Christian Nationalism by John Wilsey

Theological Critique
Theonomy: Serious Theology, Serious Politics, Seriously Wrong by Albert Mohler
The Noahic Covenant's Importance for Government by David VanDrunen
Is It Possible to Be a Baptist Christian Nationalist? by Matthew Emerson
Postmillenialism and Theonomy by David Schrock
Relating Moses's Law to Christians by Jason DeRouchie

Four Critiques of Theonomy from Three Perspectives
A Presbyterian Perspective: The Intellectual and Sociological Origins of the Christian Reconstructionist Movement by Ligon Duncan
A 1689 Baptist Perspective: Confessionalism and Theonomy by Justin Perdue
A Progressive Covenantal Perspective: Paul and the Tripartite Division of Moses's Law by Joshua Greever
A Progressive Covenantal Perspective: Theonomy and Moses's Law by Jason DeRouchie

History, Culture, and Conversations
Theonomy and Sharia Law by Matthew Bennett
Culture Warriors: The Good and The Bad by Michael Horton
Against Religious Establishment in Baptist Political Theology by Nathan Finn
To Study History, Exercise Virtue by John Wilsey
Utopian Seductions by Matthew Arbo
John Gill on Theonomy by Ian Clary
Government's Two-Edged Sword by Matt Martens
Charlemagne and the Legacy of Christian Political Violence by Dustin Asbury

Pastoral Encouragements
The Aim of Preaching in an Increasingly Hostile Culture to Christianity by John Piper
Three Building Blocks for a Christian's Political Theology by Kevin DeYoung
What Is a Greater Grief: A Compromised Church or a Compromised Nation? by Jeremy Walker
"God Is (Not) an Englishman" by Jamie Southcombe
Baptist Covenant Theology: A Pastor's Best Defense Against Theonomy by Jeff Wiesner
Ten Diagnostic Questions for the Potential Ideologue by Ken Barbic
How I Went Too Far with Politics by Dave Brown
International Pastors on Culture War—Why or Why Not? by Josh Manley, Sam Masters, Benny, Johnny Lithell
Samples of Public Prayers Prayed by Pastors by Mark Dever, Juan Sanchez, Jaime Owens, Ross Shannon

Book Reviews
The Case for Christian Nationalism, by Stephen Wolfe by Andrew Walker
On Earth as in Heaven, by Peter Leithart by Dan Darling
Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America, by Crawford Gribben by Joseph Thigpen
Empires of Dirt, by Douglas Wilson by Paul Alexander