Charles W. Colson - God and Government: An Insiders View on the Boundaries Between Faith and Politics

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS LIVE THEIR FAITH
IN THE PUBLIC ARENA?

Twenty years ago, the first edition of Chuck Colsons Kingdoms in Conflict became a bestseller, a must-read for people interested in politics and the relationship between church and state. Now, with a passion for truth and moved by the urgency of the times we live in, God and Government has been published, re-voicing Colsons powerful and enduring message for our post-9/11 world.

In an era in which Christianity is being attacked from every side when books are published charging Christians with being theocrats who attempt to impose their views on an unwilling culture what is the message of the Christian church? What does the Bible say, and what do we learn from history about the proper relationship between faith and culture? Appealing to Scripture, reason, and history, this book tackles societys most pressing and divisive issues. New stories and examples reflect the realities of today, from the clash with radical Islam to the deep division between reds and blues. In an era of angry finger-pointing, Colson furnishes a unique insiders perspective that cant be pigeonholed as either religious right or religious left.

Whatever your political or religious stance, this book will give you a different understanding of Christianity. If youre a Christian, it will help you to both examine and defend your faith. If youve been critical of the new religious right, youll be shocked at what you learn. Probing both secular and religious values, God and Government critiques each fairly, sides with neither, and offers a hopeful, fair-minded perspective that is sorely needed in todays hypercharged atmosphere.

CHARLES COLSON, well-known syndicated columnist, author, and international speaker, is founder of Prison Fellowship and host of the daily radio commentary BreakPoint. An honors graduate of Brown University and George Washington Law School, he served from 1969 to 1973 as special counsel to President Richard M. Nixon. Colsons articles appear in national secular and Christian magazines. He has written twenty-five books, the most recent of which is The Good Life. Charles Colson donates the royalties from his books to Prison Fellowship.

Books by Charles Colson

Born Again

Life Sentence

Loving God

Kingdoms in Conflict

Against the Night

Why America Doesnt Work

(with Jack Eckerd)

Gideons Torch

The Body

Being the Body

How Now Shall We Live?

Justice that Restores

The Good Life

ZONDERVAN

GOD AND GOVERNMENT
Copyright 2007 by Charles W. Colson

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition June 2009 ISBN: 0-310-86221-3

Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Colson, Charles W.
God and government : an insiders view on the boundaries between faith and politics / Charles W. Colson.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Kingdoms in conflict / Charles Colson with Ellen Santilli Vaughn. c1987.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27764-4
1. Christianity and politics. 2. Church and state. I. Colson, Charles W. Kingdoms in conflict.
II. Title.
BR115.P7C614 2007
261.7 dc22

2007006574

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New InternationalVersion. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

To those
who serve in
the little platoons
around the world, faithfully
evidencing the love and justice
of the Kingdom of God
in the midst of the
kingdoms of
this world

CONTENTS

MARCH 24, 2014

General Brent Slocums T-shirt stuck to his sweaty back and powerful, heaving shoulders. He grinned at his twenty-nine-year-old adjutant, whose urgent breathing filled the small handball court.

Gonna make it through the last point, Rob? the general asked. It was a pleasure, at fifty-four, to whip a younger man.

Suddenly there was a pounding on the door. General, another aide shouted from outside. Command Center on the line, sir.

Slocum hesitated. He wanted to finish the game. The pounding resumed.

All right, Sloan, the general bawled. I hear you. Those boys better have something worth my time. Someone was forever using the channels. He wondered whether anybody could get through in a real emergency like war.

The youthful voice on the other end of the mobile communications line was shaking, probably scared half to death to be speaking to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its the White House signal agency calling, sir. Shall I patch it in?

Of course, Slocum grunted. Almost instantly he heard a second voice, crisp and precise.

General Slocum, POTUS has asked you to come immediately, sir. The diplomatic entrance. Enter through the south gate. Can I give an affirmative, sir?

Of course, he grunted again, then tossed the receiver in his aides direction as he headed for the locker room. The White House? Six in the morning? Why on earth do they use an acronym for every last living thing in this city, Slocum grumbled to himself, including the President of the United States?

Eight minutes later he strode toward his waiting car in full-dress uniform. From Fort Myer to the White House was a ten-minute drive without traffic. His driver, the Armys best, had practiced many times. Fortunately, the city was just coming to life. Most of the streets were gray and deserted.

The general sat back and tried to gather his swirling thoughts as his limousine raced toward its destination. He had seen the president only a few times since becoming chairman in January. Never had he entered the White House outside regular hours. Something hot was up. He ran through the possibilities.

It might be Venezuela. Former President Chavez had ordered his supporters into the streets on Friday. Slocum still didnt have an op. plan ready to protect the new, U.S.-friendly government; hed be in trouble if the chief wanted that.