As someone who watches politicians use and abuse the Bible in ways and settings that feel absolutely contrary to my own faith (ex. Ted Cruz praying at Uvalde then planning to attend the NRA meeting that week), I was curious what Schiess might add to the discussion. She reviews several key periods from US history and the ways that the Bible was wielded publicly in each. This was not new info to me, but might be helpful to others. I wish there was a bit more of the "where do we go from here" because that is the real issue in my mind. Heaven help us, in this the election year of 2024. ( )

I feel the author gives a balanced review of the political use of the Bible and Biblical language in American history. This includes example of usage by “both sides” to justify their actions, such as both Union and Confederate in the Civil War, and both Patriot and Loyalist in the Revolutionary War. In some cases, you find that both sides use the same Bible passage, just interpret it differently. Where appropriate, as part of the discussion, some non-American voices are heard, such as Augustine of Hippo, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. This helps to give context, as the Americans cited were not operating in a vacuum. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in delving deeper into the relationship of religion, specifically Christianity, with politics. ( )

I'm a bit behind on this one. I found it a somewhat challenging read and I am at fault for that. It's rather clinical and academic. That's never a problem but some readers should be aware of that. She likes the word "hermaneutics." I like it too, ever since I learned about Alan Sokal's prank paper "Transgressing the Boundaries: Toward a Transformative Hermeneutics of Quantum Gravity", a nonsense paper submitted to and published by a prestigious journal without peer review, after which he revealed the hoax. Great word. But to use it throughout? Okay.

And, one should know where the author comes from. She has a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. I did not know that when I requested the book (I received a review copy from the publisher through LibraryThing). The title and subtitle are what caught my attention, though I admit I was expecting a different answer to "where we go from here." And that was clear to me when Ms. Schiess said this in her introduction: "That raises an important question at theheart of this book: How should Scripture inform our political beliefs?" (Her italics.) And I'm in the corner Should the bible inform political beliefs? No that's not being naive. I've read the book at the heart of this book. And I think there is far too wide a range of hermeneutics out there. Ms. Schiess does address how things can be - and are- twisted easily to fit the narrative, as well as how they are cherry-picked. I did like that.

So, who is this for? Christians willing to think about what she has to say. The prominent (and quite numerous) abusers won't read it, and would only double down on their positions, but then reason doesn't work on them. Perhaps Christians looking for an intellectual defense of their positions. If you are not a Christian, or still can't fathom how deeply rooted this subject is in American politics despite knowing the history, I'm not sure you'll learn much new. You will, however, read well-researched points with well-crafted analyses that are well-annotated. (I am a two-bookmark reader - I like notes in the main body.)

A few of my many flagged parts:

[on applying what may or may not be known of the historical details (disputed, of course) to understanding context when interpreting]
"While the historical situation is certainly relevant, many of these arguments should not be given too much weight: they often particularize the instructions to the point of meaninglessness for modern readers."

[on cherry picking]
"Perhaps no lesson is more salient from history than this: when it comes to interpreting the Bible in politics, we all cherry-pick verses."
{Cherry-picking is not limited to politics. Pretty much every interpretation to pull a single point is cherry-picked. This is not a surprise given the inconsistency and often contradictory messages. I'm cherry-picking statements from this book; can't be helped}

[on presidents]
"... Reagan is the president within recent memory who took on a unique mythology that excused his various sins and deviations from the conservative Christian norm."
{I became of voting age when Reagan came in. She's right about the mythology (read Will Bunch's book) and incongruity of how they reconciled Reagan with that norm. I mark 1980 as the start of a long slide backwards from progression. Oh, and she does talk about the former guy in his own chapter. That one flies in the face of any reason (though she does try to offer some.)}

[on Revelation, and how it is used in politics]
"Allan A. Boesak, South African pastor and anti-apartheid activist, wrote a commentary on Revelation that called the book a form of 'underground protest literature.'"
{I've learned from different reading that Revelation is a protest. It is a specific apocalypse chosen from many - of perhaps hundreds - extant at the time of choosing and the text, cryptic hallucinogenic visions aside (seems most of the existing ones are as wild), was a protest against the Roman rule.}

[conclusion]
"One difficulty with examining biblical arguments in American political life is the blurry line between direct reference and vague invocation of popular biblical language. [...] politicians, spiritual leaders, and government officials [...] don't have to quote a verse to invoke a kind of transcendence, divine authority, or shared religious experience."
{Ms. Schiess acknowledges shortly after that that the biblical language is watered down to a political talking point, but that nevertheless, it is still everywhere and that means people must want it and whatever message they want it to give them (my words, interpreting and summarizing.) ( )

Schiess delivers a reasonably thorough history (for a small book) of the evolution of political engagement, or lack thereof, & approaches to biblical interpretion by Christians and the church in America; from Winthrop's 'city on a hill' to the sin of slave-holding warping "our moral intuition and biblical interpretation" and on through the 20th century to today.
Schiess compares various issues of contention between political parties and Christians across the spectra of politics, culture, and faith. She councils striving to take in the "whole council of Scripture informing our political theology." Schiess' writing is clean and precise, and she has clearly considered the level of knowledge and limitations of a reasonably well-read Christian laity.
The sections on hermeneutics of small gov't & biblical eschatology in the Cold War were particularly informative & insightful.
However, I was already hooked by the first 30-40 pages.
The 'where to go' promised in the subtitle was not as detailed or extensive as I would hope. But the direction described, along with the key points laid out in this work seem sufficient as a jumping-off point for thoughtful Christians to enter into dialigue about where we go now.
All in all, a very insightful & satisfying read. Os. ( )

A very important exploration of the intersection of American culture and Biblical interpretation in American Christianity.

The author is well trained both in political theology and Biblical interpretation. She explores a series of historical events and the Biblical interpretations and understanding related to those events, both as they took place and as later Americans looked back to them. She considers the "city on a hill" of Winthrop and the Puritans; how Romans 13 was understood during the American Revolution by both Patriots and Loyalists; how the Bible was read and interpreted by abolitionists and slaveholders in antebellum America; the Social Gospel and how its advocates and opponents interpreted relevant Scriptures; how the Scriptures were understood during the days of the Civil Rights Movement, both by its advocates and detractors; the conservative justification of limited and small government; the intersection of the Cold War and dispensational premillennialist eschatology; how George W. Bush and Barack Obama appealed to Christianity and Scripture; the Evangelical embrace of Trump in terms of "giving unto Caesar"; and she concludes with a history of interpretation of Jeremiah 29 and its use in political theology to "seek the welfare of the city" while in "exile."

The reason this work is so important is because the author is less interested in advancing a given political ideology or agenda and is much more concerned for Christians to participate better in American political discourse by considering the history of Biblical interpretation in our "Bible haunted" nation and to do better political theology, better rooted in what God has accomplished in Jesus. She is not wrong to lament how poorly and terribly Christians have exegeted Scripture in light of their politics, how much confirmation bias is involved, and thus why all Christians do well in humility to consider in what ways they might be wrong. The goal is not to abandon the political sphere; the goal is to best reflect Jesus when we engage in the political sphere.

Highly recommended for all Christians.

**--galley received as part of early review program ( )