Persuasion 202 | Toeing the Party Line

Perhaps during this series you’ve become open to the idea that political engagement is an avenue for kingdom flourishing to bring about the common good. And perhaps you’ve also clarified the sort of nation you want to build with your political engagement. Now we move from theory into practice, because political engagement will actually require you to dig into the system we have in order to make the world better.

In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson press into their fall series called For God and Country. Each episode will tackle an aspect of how faith and politics collide. In this conversation, Erin and Hannah discuss how to seek the good of our fellow citizens using the political constructs of our day. And this is often where politics gets partisan. People flock to their camp of choice and begin to identify with its ideals, so much so that they adhere to party lines above all else. And that’s when party lines become as deep as trenches that keep Others out. Such lines also keep us stuck within certain bounds of thought. Party politics move us from investing in the common good to needing to win and defeat our enemies. Having a shared enemy (that terrible Other Party) binds us even more tightly to our own party, and with that sort of loyalty, we become even more blind to the good outside our party—as well as to our own evil within. If we are to truly invest in and bring about the common good, we need to find both the common and the good. And both will be found somewhere in the middle, where people from both parties can find common ground and set aside the need to win the political game. Is it possible to work for the common good with people who hold different values and beliefs? What do Christians lose when they become tied to a particular party? Why do we presume the worst about people we don’t even know? Listen in for dialogue on questions like these as we learn to think more clearly about the intersection of faith and politics. Then continue the conversation on Twitter @PersuasionCAPC or in the CAPC members-only community on Facebook.

This episode of Persuasion is sponsored in part by InterVarsity Press, publisher of Kaitlyn Schiess’s new book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor.

Register for a chance to win a copy of The Liturgy of Politics!

InterVarsity is giving away two copies of Kaitlyn’s book to Persuasion listeners! Click here to register by September 24 for your chance to win.

Get 30% off + free shipping from InterVarsity Press!

Order your copy of The Liturgy of Politics from ivpress.com at 30% off plus free shipping with code OFFER20F. Offer valid September 8–30, 2020.

HOSTS

Erin Straza: Web / Twitter
Hannah Anderson: Web / Twitter

PERSUASION PODCAST

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Twitter: @PersuasionCAPC
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Facebook: /Persuasioncapc

PERSUASION 202 RESOURCES & LINKS

I Side with Quiz

Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a World of Difference by Timothy Keller and John Inazu

Did you enjoy this episode of Persuasion? Give the entire series a listen:

Persuasion 200 | For God and Country? with Kaitlyn Schiess

Persuasion 201 | Taking America Back for God

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