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Fred Van Geest - Introduction to Political Science: A Christian Perspective

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Fred Van Geest Introduction to Political Science: A Christian Perspective
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Introduction to
POLITICAL
SCIENCE
A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
FRED VAN GEEST
To Susan Julia and Luke CONTENTS PREFACE This book is designed to - photo 1
To Susan, Julia, and Luke
CONTENTS
PREFACE
This book is designed to introduce you to the world of political science from a Christian perspective. It provides an overview of many of the different areas of study in politics and includes an exploration of the main ideas that are a part of political life, the institutions that make it function well, some of the main policies that are important to citizens, and international aspects of politics. Of course the study of politics is not just an abstract endeavor. Like other fields of study, many Christians pursue it because of a desire to use the knowledge to be better citizens of Gods kingdom.
Therefore, one of the purposes of this book is to help the reader become a more informed citizen-participant in debates and discussions of governing choices. We have choices about the structures we use to govern ourselves, the policies we adopt, and the relationships we have with other countries. These choices have implications for all citizens. When they are poor choices, there can be enormous negative consequences for people, and particularly the more vulnerable members of society. When the choices are good, we all have a greater capacity to flourish and live in shalom.
Without politics our world would not function very well, and therefore politics can be seen as a blessing from God. Politics is essentially a method of making collective decisions that affect us alldecisions like how to defend our country, where to build roads, how to provide education, what do with lawbreakers, and so on. Of course, making collective decisions is never easy in a democracy when so many people are involved and their ideas are so diverse. This is probably good and healthy; ideally, a debate among people with different ideas is a constructive process that produces positive results.
This book is intended as an introduction to the study of politics. It does not assume any prior knowledge of political life, and it is written with a general audience in mind, not citizens from any one particular country. As such, it is not designed to teach you about the basic functioning and operation of any particular political system. Rather, the purpose is to learn about politics generally. Of course, to make things concrete, it is necessary to give examples and discuss practices in particular political systems. I provide examples from many different countries, but many of them are from Western democracies because that is the political context I know best. These examples will illustrate that there are many different ways to do politics.
Although God provides basic principles for political life in Scripture, he has not given us a blueprint for how to develop political systems and practices. Instead, he gives us freedom to make such choices, a freedom that has resulted in a great variety of political practices! While there certainly is plenty of variety in the world of politics, well-functioning political systems operate with similar institutions, policies, practices, and ideas. When we know how these elements combine to form a political system, we can better judge how well they conform to those basic biblical principles for political life.
I strive to be nonpartisan throughout this book, meaning that I do not write from the point of view of any one particular political party or ideological perspective. Instead, I try to look at political life with a Christian perspective. However, not all Christians agree on how to think about political life either, and so I will draw on a variety of sources and perspectives within the Christian tradition. The view I take in this book, shared by many Christian political scientists, is that governments have a responsibility to promote public justice for all citizens in a way that allows them the freedom and opportunity to flourish as they were created to do. Government is not the only institution that can help create conditions that are conducive to flourishing, but it is an important one.
While I believe it is important for Christians to be involved in political life in some way, if we want to do so with integrity and maintain our distinctness from culture as a Christian community, we need to be careful not to become coopted by a particular government, political party, or ideology. Christians need to remember their primary identity is in Christ and in their membership in the church, the body of Christ. Maintaining this perspective can help us remember the proper place of politics in our general outlook on life.
Finally, one of the purposes of this book is to highlight and contrast some of the differences between politics viewed through a Christian perspective with other secular perspectives. All views of politics are based on some set of values that shape how we see things. It is impossible for any view of political life to be neutral or value-free, and there is no reason why faith-based perspectives on politics should be excluded. In fact, faith-based perspectives on political life have every right to compete and operate alongside conservative and liberal views of politics. It is my belief that a faith-based perspective on political life can be a huge blessing to all, both in terms of how we see and understand political life and as an act within it. However, in order for this to happen, we need to think carefully about how the fundamentals of our faith can shape our views and actions in political life rather than allowing them to be shaped by dominant secular perspectives. This book addresses that task.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book began as a series of lessons I wrote for Crossroads Bible Institute (CBI). I want to thank Erin Zoutendam for her excellent assistance in the development of those lessons. I also wish to thank CBI for permission to use those lessons as the basis for the development of this book. I am also indebted to the great people at InterVarsity Press, especially Andy Le Peau, David Congdon, and Ethan McCarthy, who guided me through this process, and the anonymous reviewers who share a commitment to thinking about politics from a Christian perspective and who made very helpful suggestions.
Anika Janzen and Jolene Rotich contributed research and support that made this project move along so much more smoothly. Abundant thanks goes to Bethel University for sabbatical time and a faculty development grant to make this work possible. I am especially grateful for encouragement and support throughout the years from Donald E. King, who educated me and trained me to think Christianly about political life. My late friend and colleague Stacey Hunter Hecht also encouraged me to write this book and supported me through the process. Over the last two decades I have also benefited from thoughtful questions and insights from my students, who have worked hard at trying to understand political life through their faith. Finally, I have been blessed and supported in the writing of this book by my loving and devoted wife, Susan.
ABBREVIATIONS
BIA
Bureau of Indian Affairs
BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party (India)
BQ
Bloc Qubcois
CDU/CSU
Christian Democratic Union (of Germany) and Christian Social Union (of Bavaria)
CST
Catholic social teaching
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