Interview With Dr. James Spencer
In this episode, Dr. James Spencer, president of the D. L. Moody Center challenges Christians to reframe the way they interact with politics. As Dr. Spencer and Liberty discuss topics like cultural Christianity and Christian nationalism, Dr. Spencer argues that Christians’ political involvement should stem from a place of discipleship, not a desire for comfort.
Wholesome vs. Holy
Dr. Spencer’s recent book, Serpents and Doves: Christians, Politics, and the Art of Bearing Witness, argues political action is often an effective means for loving God and loving our neighbor—the two greatest commandments in the Bible. But our motivation can be misplaced. For instance, as Christians, our motivation for getting involved in politics shouldn’t be “saving the culture” or restoring a cultural Christianity for our own comfort.
“Christians tend to settle for wholesomeness when only holiness will do,” Dr. Spencer said.
Won’t activism that is inspired by Christian principles have a positive effect on the culture? Dr. Spencer says that’s not guaranteed in Scripture.
“Our task is to be faithful regardless, and to allow God to do through us what we can’t see,” he told Know Why. That doesn’t mean our faithfulness won’t bear fruit—but it may not be in ways (or on timelines) we can see. “As we’re faithful, he’ll use that faithfulness across the generations.”
Christian Nation(alism)?
Many people use the term “Christian nation” to refer to America, due to strong Christian and theistic elements of its founding and history. But Dr. Spencer says we shouldn’t call America a Christian nation, since “Christian” has a precise definition that doesn’t apply to earthly governments.
“There’s a big distinction to be made between being inspired by the Bible and believing that the Bible is an inspired authority,” he said.
While he believes “Christian nationalism” is a “pejorative” often used to demean Christian political activists, he does believe that actual Christian nationalism is wrong. “I think that merging the church and the state is a fundamental theological error. The two simply do not go together,” he said.
More Resources
- Serpents and Doves: Christians, Politics, and the Art of Bearing Witness by Dr. James Spencer
- Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World (Podcast hosted by Dr. Spencer)