Patrick Schreiner’s book Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World was published by B&H Publishing in 2022. Schreiner’s main point of the book is to teach Christians how to navigate political action in the local church while remaining faithful to King Jesus and His Word. We live in a political world. Just because we are Christians and we belong to a different kingdom doesn’t mean we can excuse ourselves from the political arena in this life. While I struggled with Patrick’s Third Way throughout the book, it’s an excellent work on the necessity of Christian involvement in politics. For those who don’t know, the Third Way is an approach to politics that seeks to avoid party loyalty and political withdraw. While I would say the premise is good, I don’t like where it has led.
The Gospel Is Explicitly Political
Schriener argues that we live in a time in which Christians seem to have two positions on politics. Either they give too great a loyalty to a political party over Christ, or they remove themselves from political involvement altogether because they believe politics don’t belong in the church. Neither of these options are biblical. The Gospel is explicitly political. It claims that Christ is King. He was crucified by political rulers because of it. They saw the political implications. Do you?
Schriener writes,
“The whole biblical story line can be put under the banner of politics. God put humans here to rule the earth. Sin is insurrection. Redemption is the offer of amnesty and citizenship in a new kingdom. Restoration is the empire to come.”
The conversation shouldn’t be about where our loyalties lie or being politically correct. The better question is this: How do we honor Christ in our political involvement during the time in which God has placed us?
Subversion and Submission
Political Gospel is fantastic at teaching the reader what politics are. Schriener says,
“’Political’ simply means the activities associated with the organization and governance of people.”
He goes on to cite original sources to plod through what it means to be political, showing that, as Christians, we must be. In Scripture, we see the proclamation of a new kingdom, One True King, offices in His Kingdom in the here and now such as elder and deacon, and so on. Therefore, the Gospel is a political message.
Two words you will read repeatedly in this book are “subversion” and “submission”. Because the Gospel is political, we must take action, but that doesn’t mean always subverting human governments because there is a biblical place for submission. Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 teach us to submit to the government, yet we see specific examples of righteous subversion in the Bible. The Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh to save the lives of infants; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow; Daniel prayed when he was ordered not to. Schreiner breaks this down clearly and effectively.
A Concern With the Third Way
One area of weakness that I mentioned in the introduction was Schreiner’s allusion to the Third Way. I simply don’t think the Third Way aged well. It confuses and can take away from the writer’s point. It has also been used to push liberal ideologies such as feminism, which is a poison to the church. It’s worth noting that this book was written in 2022 and a lot has changed since then. The allusion to the Third Way can be a distraction to many politically disengaged Christians. It would be best to keep things out that might make your reader think you would have marched with BLM, fought for feminism, or other things of that nature.
My primary disagreement concerns Schreiner's use of "Third Way" language. Whether fair or not, that terminology carries significant political baggage for many evangelical readers today. Because of recent cultural debates, some readers may associate it with movements or ideological projects that Schreiner himself is not advocating. I suspect that terminology may distract from his central argument rather than clarify it.
Context Shapes How Language Is Heard
I say this not to beat up on Patrick. I say it because of my context. Context shapes how we hear certain language. Schreiner ministered for years in Portland and now teaches in an academic setting. I write from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Those differing contexts inevitably affect how readers receive terms like "Third Way."
Even so, I don't believe that disagreement should keep readers from benefiting from the book's central message. If you’re thinking of reading this book, but the allusions to the Third Way or to liberal ideologies make you put the book down and write off politics altogether… don’t. Keep reading. It’s worth it.
The last thing I want to say on this point is this. Patrick has likely forgotten more theology than I'll ever learn. Even where I disagree with him, I'm grateful for his work, and for the way the Lord has used his ministry.
A Valuable Resource for Elders and Churches
In conclusion, if your elders struggle to see the importance of politics in the local church or have no understanding of political theology, Patrick Schriener’s Political Gospel is a great start. I would encourage elders to wrestle through it together. Christ’s local church looks to them as the example, and it’s going to be awfully hard for the members to grow past where their elders haven’t.
If you look at the list of qualifications to be an elder in 1 Timothy, you may wonder if all Christians are called to pursue those qualifications. The answer is yes, but an elder must have them! Why? Because his members are supposed to pursue them whilst following the example that the elders have set for them.
We must engage public life, and we must do so in submission to King Jesus above all else. Pick up a copy of Political Gospel, read it with an open Bible, and allow it to challenge your assumptions. Whether you agree with Schreiner on every point or not, you'll finish the book thinking more carefully about what it means to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.