The relationship between Church and State, particularly the intersection of Christianity and politics, has been on my mind since I first started paying attention during the lead-up to the 2008 USA presidential election. Back then, I was just a high school student, but these themes have stuck with me ever since.
(For those curious, here’s a quick timeline: In 2012, I was studying biblical studies in college. By 2016, I was a seminarian, and in 2020, I was working on my Ph.D. in theology. Now, in 2024, I’m a software engineer! Yet political theology continues to weigh on my mind.)
As I’ve thought more about these topics, my reading list has grown, and I wanted to share it with you. It’s a mix of books I’ve read and some that are still on my to-read list. The first book that really shaped my thinking is Resident Aliens—a must-read if you’re interested in Christian political theology.
(All the links below are Amazon affiliate links, by the way.)
Christian Political Theology Reading List
- 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America by Ryan P. Burge
- Anointed with Oil: How Christianity and Crude Made Modern America by Darren Dochuk
- Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies by David P. Gushee
- Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor by Caleb E. Campbell
- Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
- Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies by N.T. Wright and Michael Bird
- The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta
- Mortal Goods: Reimagining Christian Political Duty by Ephraim Radner
- Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon
- Religious Freedom in a Secular Age: A Christian Case for Liberty, Equality, and Secular Government by Michael Bird
- Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifest for Christians by Lee C. Camp
Abortion-Specific Reads
When it comes to abortion, I think it’s a tragedy that needs to be reduced, ideally through a consistent pro-life ethic. However, I’m also curious about progressive theological arguments for a pro-choice stance. Here are a few books I’m reading to explore those ideas:
- Abortion and the Christian Tradition: A Pro-Choice Theological Ethic by Margaret D. Kamitsuka
- Pro-Choice and Christian: Reconciling Faith, Politics, and Justice by Kira Schlesinger
- Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice by Rebecca Todd Peters
History Reading List
In addition to Christian political theology, I’ve also been diving into U.S. and world history, trying to get a better sense of where we’ve been and how it informs the present.
- The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, Volumes 1 and 2
- Note: You can read this for FREE online at americanyawp.com! You can also buy the paperbacks of Volume 1 and Volume 2 on Amazon
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
- Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson
- It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
- Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies about Our Past edited by Kevin M. Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer
- On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
- The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence edited by Jack N. Rakove
- The Federalist (Annotated Gideon Edition) edited by George W. Carey and James McClellan
- The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant
- The World: A Brief Introduction by Richard Haass
What do you think of this list? Are there any books that you think I should add? If you’ve read any of these, I’d love to hear your thoughts on them. Let me know in the comments below, and feel free to suggest your own favorite reads when it comes to political theology or U.S./world history!