5 Christian Books to Read About Politics

Politics. Love them or hate them; they are a part of our everyday life, and we just can’t seem to avoid. As believers, politics can be tough to navigate as we try to balance between being good stewards of our right to vote and understanding our commitment to God’s moral law.

With this in mind, we’ve asked a few of our Woodside Campus Pastors to share the books they recommend for Christians trying to traverse the sea of politics. While there are lots of options, we’ve narrowed it down to five — for now.

Below, we’ve given a brief description of each book and a link to access or purchase them. We hope these books will encourage you as you navigate political conversations and seasons with those you interact with daily.

1️⃣ The Secular Creed by Rebecca McLaughlin — https://amzn.to/3EiWiwh

Black Lives Matter. Love Is Love. Gay Rights Are Civil Rights. Women’s Rights Are Human Rights. Transgender Women Are Women. You may have seen signs with some of these messages in your neighborhood. They offer us an all-or-nothing package deal, a secular creed.

In this provocative book, Rebecca McLaughlin helps us disentangle the beliefs Christians gladly affirm from those they cannot embrace and invites us to talk with our neighbors about the things that matter most. Far from opposing love across difference, McLaughlin argues, Christianity is the original source and firmest foundation for true diversity, equality, and life-transforming love.

2️⃣ How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith & Politics in a Divided Age by Jonathan Leeman — https://amzn.to/3rEs92Z

In How the Nations Rage, political theology scholar and pastor Jonathan Leeman challenges Christians from across the spectrum to hit the restart button by shifting our focus from redeeming the nation to living as a nation already redeemed, rejecting the false allure of building heaven on earth while living faithfully as citizens of a heavenly kingdom, and letting Jesus’ teaching shape our public engagement as we love our neighbors and seek justice.

When we identify with Christ more than a political party or social grouping, we can return to the church’s unchanging political task: to become the salt and light Jesus calls us to be and offer the hope of his kingdom to the nations.

3️⃣ Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel by Russell Moore — https://amzn.to/3fPWfxS

As the culture changes around us, it is no longer possible to pretend we are a Moral Majority. That may be bad news for America, but it can be good news for the church. What’s needed now, in shifting times, is neither a doubling down on the status quo nor a pullback into isolation. Instead, we need a church that speaks to social and political issues with a bigger vision: that of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

4️⃣ God and Politics by Mark Dever — https://amzn.to/3T508gr

In a society where religion is increasingly private and faith is OK as long as it’s not shared, many would seek to keep God out of their politics. But is that right, and is it biblical? This is an important topic to consider, not just for those working in government but for all of us as we seek to be responsible citizens in a fallen world.

Mark Dever unpacks what the Bible says on this topic and teaches how we can give Caesar what is Caesars without compromising on what we believe. We’ll see that our duty to God is comprehensive and that there isn’t an area of life that we can separate from His influence. This little book won’t take long to read, but its impact could last a lifetime.

5️⃣ How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics by Jonathan Leeman — https://amzn.to/3CFeJd6

Election seasons can cause division on a variety of issues. But what happens when you disagree with someone in your local church community? Authors Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli propose that Christians should learn how to disagree on such issues with a spirit of gracious understanding by recognizing the importance of what binds us together as a local church body―the gospel of Jesus Christ.