Angie Ward - Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land That You Love

Kingdom and Country is an unflinching, courageous work. In confronting the beast that is Christian nationalism, the authors do so with great wisdom, honesty, and humility. Drawing on crucial concepts like the nature of allegiance, the myths of our countrys origin, and the importance of the pulpit in national and Kingdom life, this book will be a great source of wisdom and a companion on the journey to faithful witness and Kingdom living.

LISA RODRIGUEZ-WATSON, national director of Missio Alliance

While many seek to collapse Kingdom and country into one or remove concern for country from those dedicated to Kingdom, this new work edited by Angie Ward seeks to clarify what is at stake in the discourse today about Christian nationalism. In this integrative work, authors take theological frameworks as the foundation for practical engagement in our world. Is polarization our fundamental problem, or is it injustice? We are divided, yes, but is all division unfaithful? And how do we discern what makes for peace? What is needed to reclaim our Christian identity and vocation from nationalistic narratives in order to bear witness to Gods Kingdom in a country coming apart at the seams? Kingdom and Country calls and equips the church to discern well how to embody a redemptive presence in the places where rectification and reconciliation are needed most.

REV. MATT TEBBE, cofounder of Gravity Leadership, copastor at The Table, and coauthor of Having the Mind of Christ: Eight Axioms to Cultivate a Robust Faith

Angie Ward has assembled a group of diverse, experienced, and influential contributors who articulate the central issues in our nations divides. Many Christians today have forgotten that this world is not our home. We have placed our hope not in Jesus but in politics, powers, and principalities. As you read this book, you will be reminded and challenged that we live not just for this temporal reality; we live purposefully now to advance the Kingdom of God.

MATTHEW D. KIM, George F. Bennett professor of preaching and practical theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, author of Preaching to People in Pain, and coauthor of Preaching to a Divided Nation

This may be the most critical conversation for the American church right now. Unflinching and full of love, Dr. Ward and her team address the elephants in our room with wisdom, nuance, and much-needed biblical truth. Every pastor should read this book!

ROB BRENDLE, pastor, author of In the Meantime: The Practice of Proactive Waiting

Angie Ward has gathered an impressive group of Christian leaders to help us understand what it means to be a citizen of the United States and a disciple of Jesus Christ. If you seek a renewal of spiritual community amid the political divisiveness that has divided the church in the past decade, this is a good place to start.

JOHN FEA, distinguished professor of history at Messiah University, author of Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?: A Historical Introduction

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Kingdom and Country: Following Jesus in the Land That You Love

Copyright 2022 by Angie Ward. All rights reserved.

A NavPress resource published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers.

NavPress and the NavPress logo are registered trademarks of NavPress, The Navigators, Colorado Springs, CO. Tyndale is a registered trademark of Tyndale House Ministries. Absence of in connection with marks of NavPress or other parties does not indicate an absence of registration of those marks.

The Team: David Zimmerman, Acquisitions Editor; Elizabeth Schroll, Copy Editor; Olivia Eldredge, Operations Coordinator; Barry Jones, Designer

Cover photograph of flag stars by Filip Bunkens on Stocksnap. All rights reserved.

The author is represented by the literary agency of WordServe Literary, www.wordserveliterary.com.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked CSB are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-1-64158-413-5

Build: 2022-06-03 16:08:46 EPUB 3.0

T HE NEXT BOOK in the Kingdom Conversations series will be Kingdom and Country, Id explain. The responses became predictableand, Ill admit, mildly amusing.

An arched brow. A bemused smirk. A slight tilt of the head, not unlike the look my dog gives me when he thinks Im crazy.

Kingdom and country. Really?!

Ooh. Wow.

That will be... interesting.

Perhaps you had the same response when you picked up this book. You are wondering what it will say, where you will agree or disagree, whether it might make you angry. (Caveat lector: It might.)

So why would we dare to publish a book about Christian nationalism? Why poke the bear? Why enter where angels seemingly fear to tread?

Either because we are completely foolish, or because a book like this is absolutely necessary for those of us who claim to be followers of Christ at this moment in history. Id suggest its the latter, but maybe its a little of both. Read it and decide for yourself.

The last US presidential election cycle was perhaps the most polarizedand divisivein history. Of course, we said that about the election before that. And the one before that. Which means that the next one will be even worse than the last one. And this is not just happening in the United States. Our world is fracturing along multiple fault lines. The rifts are growing deeper. Weve gone beyond name-calling to questioning character and Christian integrity.