Citizens: Living Between Two Worlds

(6:30pm on select Wednesdays this summer: June 17, July 1, July 15, & July 29)

We are living in a politically charged and confusing time. As Christians, we often find ourselves pulled to one extreme or the other: Either we are too political, or we are not political enough. Some Christians feel that faith and politics should never mix, while others align themselves so closely with a political cause that it replaces the gospel as their source of identity and hope. The question all of us need to wrestle with is this– how can we pursue faithful engagement as citizens, while never allowing politics to replace our ultimate hope and allegiance in Christ?

This summer, we will seek to answer that question together by walking through a study we’re calling Citizens: Living Between Two Worlds. Using Patrick Shreiner’s book “Political Gospel” as our primary resource, we will explore what it means for Christians to engage faithfully in a crazy world.

June 17

Introduction

We'll set up the conversation by identifying and exploring the tensions we feel in bringing our faith to politics. We'll see that the Gospel is political, thought not in the way we might expect.

July 1

Political Past: How is the Gospel Political?

We'll look to Jesus and the Gospels. Jesus comes proclaiming a kingdom in the midst of a world ruled by a powerful empire. We'll see together how we can reimagine politics with Jesus.

July 15

Political Present: How is the Church Political?

We'll explore Paul and the early church in Acts. Paul is an example for us of what it looks like to live as a pilgrim as we relate to the political powers of our world, choosing to both submit to and subvert them.

July 29

Political Future: How is Christ’s Promised Return Political?

We'll look ahead to the promised kingdom in the book of Revelation. Revelation shows us that the only eternal and perfect kingdom is the kingdom of God. We'll see how we can live faithful lives in the tension of our world as we await the promised return of Christ.