Tony Evans - Kingdom Politics

2022 by ANTHONY T. EVANS

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Portions of the Introduction are excerpted from How Should Christians Vote, 2012 by Anthony T. Evans. Portions of chapter 8 are excerpted from The Kingdom Agenda: Life Under God, 2000 by Anthony T. Evans.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Edited by Kevin Mungons

Interior design: Ragont Design

Cover design: Greg Jackson and Erik M. Peterson

Cover illustration of continental USA 2021 by Warisara Pearprai/iStock (1343489387). All rights reserved.

Author photo credit: Tayte Rian Gerik

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Evans, Tony, 1949- author.

Title: Kingdom politics : returning God to government / Dr. Tony Evans.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: Christians love to talk about politics, but the current conversation is full of contentious words that divide our churches and families. Dr. Tony Evans takes a step back to find foundational Bible principles for integrating politics into our daily lives. Kingdom Politics offers a biblical path through one of the most divisive issues of our time--Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022007917 (print) | LCCN 2022007918 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802428981 (paperback) | ISBN 9780802474193 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Christianity and politics. | BISAC: RELIGION / Christian Living / Social Issues

Classification: LCC BR115.P7 E935 2022 (print) | LCC BR115.P7 (ebook) | DDC 261.7--dc23/eng/20220308

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007917

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022007918

eBook ISBN: 978-0-8024-7419-3

Originally delivered by fleets of horse-drawn wagons, the affordable paperbacks from D. L. Moodys publishing house resourced the church and served everyday people. Now, after more than 125 years of publishing and ministry, Moody Publishers mission remains the sameeven if our delivery systems have changed a bit. For more information on other books (and resources) created from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60610

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

The proceeds from your purchase help pay the tuition of students attending Moody Bible Institute. These students come from around the globe and graduate better equipped to impact our world for Christ.

Other Moody Ministries that may be of interest to you include Moody Radio and Moody Distance Learning. To learn more visit www.moodyradio.org and www.moody.edu/distance-learning.

To enhance your reading experience weve made it easy to share inspiring passages and thought-provoking quotes with your friends via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and other book-sharing sites. To do so, simply highlight and forward. And dont forget to put this book on your Reading Shelf on your book community site.

Thanks again, and may God bless you.

The Moody Publishers Team

Y ou cannot read the Bible and ignore the political realm. The Bible is thick with politics. You have four books (1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles) that deal with the rule and reign of government leaders. Scripture is packed with political concerns including laws, statutes, ordinances, kingdoms, empires, courts, judges, kings, queens, taxes, and so much more.

God is active on virtually every page engaging in the political affairs of humanity for both blessing and judgment. You might say that the Bible is a political textbook since God is seen setting up nations, writing constitutions and by-laws. He both establishes governments and dismantles them. He places people in strategic political roles and removes others from their political perches.

Given this reality, it is unfortunate that God and politics are far too often disconnected from each other as though connecting them too closely is anathema. The failure to properly connect Gods relationship to politics based on His Word has left individuals, political leaders, and nations void of the knowledge needed to govern society as the Creator intended.

If you were to come to me with your personal life in shambles and you didnt know which way to turn, and you said, Tony Evans, help me, I would open up my Bible, identify the cause of your personal dilemma, and speak Gods truth about your situationgiving you Gods resolution for whatever it is that you are facing and then ask the Holy Spirit to empower your ability to respond in obedience to Gods Word.

If you were to come to me with your family life in shambles with both you and your spouse seeking a divorce because of chaos in your home, and you said, Tony Evans, help me, again I would open up my Bible, identify the cause of your familial dilemma, and present to you Gods solution for whatever it is that you are facing and then ask the Holy Spirit to empower your ability to respond in obedience to Gods Word.

If you were a pastor of a church and you came to me with your deacons or elder board because your church was in shambles, everyone was arguing, and your congregation was confused, and you said, Tony Evans, help us, I would open the very same Bible that I used to help the individual and the family, and I would identify the cause for the chaos based on the Word of God, seeking to prescribe biblical solutions for the calamity in your church and then ask the Holy Spirit to empower your ability to respond in obedience to Gods Word.

In other words, Scripture would not only solve the individual and family divisions, but it would also solve the ecclesiastical confusion. This is because Scripture holds the final and authoritative answer on all of lifes concerns. In fact, every question facing us today has two answers: Gods answer and everyone elses. And when those two differ, everyone else is wrong.

Yet where do we often go for answers as a nation when there is chaos in our country? Where do we turn for solutions when we are experiencing moral, social, and economic decline at a rate that is able to destroy our country before our youngest generation even has a chance to grow up? What do we do when divisions, debt, and our own internal protests across our land threaten what little stability we have left?

What most Christians do, unfortunately, is change books. When it comes to politics and elections, far too many Christians spend more time appealing to family, history and tradition, culture, racial expediency, and personal preference than they do to what the Bible teaches. While most Christians verbally affirm Scripture is good enough for individuals, families, and churches, it seems that somehow it has been deemed insufficient for how we respond to politics and government.