Reimagining Biblical Politics
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Discipleship & Christian Education
- Publisher: Baker Academic (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
The Bible Has More to Say About Politics Than You've Been ToldThe Bible calls us to live as disciples of Jesus in every area of our lives--including politics. But how do we live as faithful political disciples when politics has become so toxic? Too often, Scripture's political witness is reduced to a few verses to defend our partisan political team. For some, political neutrality is the gold standard in congregational life. But if God's people refuse to pursue political discipleship, someone--or something--will disciple our politics for us. In Reimagining Biblical Politics, readers will● explore Scripture's political vision throughout the biblical text;● encounter biblical texts or figures--such as Esther, the Torah, Jeremiah, Paul, the midwives of Exodus, and Jesus--as models of faithful political discipleship; and● learn from stories of courageous political witness throughout church history and around the world. Reimagining Biblical Politics isn't another rehash of America's current political context or a blueprint for contemporary political practice. Instead, it invites readers from across the political spectrum to rediscover the startling, strange, beautiful, and often-neglected world of biblical politics. Each chapter offers a snapshot of a different biblical text or figure and explores how it offers a vision of political discipleship for today. With a foreword by Carmen Joy Imes, this book helps us reimagine how the Bible might transform our political witness and empowers us to practice faithful political discipleship in our churches, neighborhoods, and communities.
Endorsements (7)
“This is the book I have been looking—and praying—for! Rhodes blends rich biblical exegesis with robust theological insight and practical wisdom. I will personally reach for Reimagining Biblical Politics often, and I will recommend it to pastors, small groups, and any Christian seeking biblical wisdom for political life.”
“Rhodes gallops from one end of the Bible to the other at an exhilarating pace, yet with a keen eye for how subtle word choices, overlooked narrative details and characters, and even whole biblical books that we might have neglected bear upon our exercise of political discipleship. One of the most exciting and trustworthy biblical theologians currently at work, Rhodes offers not prescribed choices but rather guidelines for discernment of a variety of faithful responses to the text as read and lived out in community. Practical exegesis such as this keeps the Word of God alive in the church.”
“The central theme of the Bible, Rhodes claims, is that God reigns—a fundamental scriptural truth with inescapable political implications for God's people in every sociocultural context in which they are embedded. They are God's kingdom outpost. The biblical survey, examples of Christian engagements from around the globe and diverse historical moments, and thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter make this volume wonderfully accessible and immensely practical.”
“With Reimagining Biblical Politics, Michael Rhodes offers a Scripture-rich guide to thinking about political life. This book provides wonderful prompts for healthy political discernment among Christians, and I trust God will use it to inspire healthy political engagement that blesses others.”
“This lively and timely book fills out in wonderful biblical detail what I sketched in broad and aspirational strokes in my chapter 'Politics and the Nations' in Old Testament Ethics for the People of God, but does it much better than I could, not least by decisively demolishing the idea that Jesus and the New Testament had nothing to say about 'politics.' The breadth of biblical sources and the subtlety of how they are used are richly enlightening and challenging. Rhodes rightly does not tell us what or who should get our political support, but he invites and excites us to find the Bible showing us, far more than we imagined, how we should think and act in the political sphere in ways that embody God's own priorities and the way of Christ, the world's true King.”
“Scripture declares, 'God reigns' and 'Jesus is Lord'—political language from Genesis to Revelation. But what do such claims mean and not mean? In readable, perceptive (and provocative) prose, with real-life examples and practical guidance, Michael Rhodes invites us to reimagine the Bible's varied political texts as manifestations of 'outpost politics' and 'pilgrim politics.' This is a timely and much-needed book as political division and even political idolatry pervade countries and churches.”
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