One Nation Under God, by Tony Evans

Every time I read Tony Evans, pastor of Dallas's Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, I'm challenged and inspired.  He is a solidly biblical, old-fashioned (in the best sense) preacher of the Word of God!  I am assuming his book One Nation Under God: Pursuing Liberty and Justice for All got its start as a sermon or sermon series.  His cadences and oratorical style come through powerfully.

Starting with the biblical models of governance, Evans calls for "a government that does not seek to limit humanity's freedoms but rather promotes freedom through the declaration of clear and just boundaries along with the carrying out of immediate and acute consequences for breaking those boundaries" and in which "self-government and free enterprise can flourish."  Sounds good to me!

Evans is critical of a welfare state that ignores the importance of personal responsibility.  An advocate of the Reformed principle of "sphere sovereignty," he calls for government to "create an environment for compassion to flourish" through the natural associations of family, church, and community.  Further, the role of civil government and the rates of taxation should be limited so that individuals can "pursue their calling under God and their capacity to contribute to economic development."

I particularly liked Evans's principles for implementing biblical justice: restitution, reconciliation, and responsibility.  Our current criminal justice system seems to be severely lacking in all three of those areas, with its emphasis on punishment.  Speaking of crime, Evans would also like to see something done about "government-sanctioned theft through state-enforced redistribution of wealth and illegitimate taxation."

One Nation Under God probably contains more that will be agreeable to Republicans than Democrats. But Evans reminds us that "God does not ride the backs of donkeys or elephants. . . . He didn't come to take sides; He came to take over."  Christians need to be aware of their influence in society and the capacity of the church for "transforming individuals, families, churches, and communities."  And we need to know that we can't have "God bless America" without "One nation under God."  Preach it, Tony!


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!