The Party Crasher
How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems Our Partisan Divide
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this insightful, nonpartisan roadmap toward faithful political engagement and ultimate allegiance to Jesus, pastor Joshua Ryan Butler diagnoses the roots of political conflict tearing apart the church and prescribes a practical and prophetic way forward.
“A must-read for any and all who seek the way of Jesus.”—Jay Kim, pastor and author of Analog Christian
Have you noticed a deeper level of political division in your community or church? If so, you’re not alone. This powerful, accessible book exposes the religious nature of modern political movements and how they compete with faithfulness to Christ.
Rather than retreat from the political realm, The Party Crasher will help you understand the politics of our age and equip you with the wisdom to faithfully navigate them. Key takeaways include:
• How to develop a Christian posture for political life and promote unity in the church.
• When to be bold.
• How to identify and repent from our political idols.
• How the way we worship can help us avoid division.
This is not a book about putting politics aside, it’s a book about putting politics in their place so that we might be better disciples of Jesus in whichever party or place we find ourselves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Partisan politics is crashing Jesus's kingdom party," warns pastor Butler (Beautiful Union) in his vigorous call for Christians to take stock of the political allegiances fracturing the American church. In recent years, Butler contends, "untold numbers of Christians" have adopted so-called "political religions," each with its own set of ideals, mantras, and expectations: on the left, the religions of progress ("We can change the world") and identity ("Live your truth"); on the right, the religions of responsibility ("Pull yourself up by your bootstraps") and security ("Good fences make good neighbors"). But Jesus's kingdom is "not to be contained by these quadrants," Butler writes. Instead, it's a "common table in a conflicted world" that bears "the weight of transcendence, pressure of meaning, and assurance of hope" in a way that politics—with its inherent transience and lack of moral depth—can't. Wading into issues where identity, culture, and biases intermingle, Butler offers suggestions for self-reflection as well as building bridges. For example, he advises readers to avoid becoming political "armchair quarterbacks" who evaluate "the shortcomings of other camps while blind to our own camp's weaknesses" and to engage in conversations with those on the other side of the aisle from a place of "humble learning." For believers willing to do the difficult work of lining up their personal and political ideologies against the tenets of their faith, this is a valuable resource.
