WELCOME to a curated collection of resources to help you get educated about engaging in politics from a Christian perspective.
First, we highly recommend reading Compassion (&) Conviction before starting your journey as the book will provide a unique Christian framework in which to engage politics.
Second, there are two podcasts – The Church Politics Podcast and Faith 2020 – that we recommend you incorporate into your listening routine.
Third, read, listen to or watch the items listed under the essential resources heading below.
If you have a website, article, book and/or podcast that you would like us to consider, please e-mail us at hello@sundaytosaturday.com.
Thanks for reading and please don’t forget to vote in November!
As Christians it is essential that we enter into political engagement in a unique and distinct way. As a way to orient our minds and hearts we must start in prayer.
Kaitlyn Schiess, author of The Liturgy of Politics, has provided prayers [PDF] and practices [PDF] from her book for election season. We highly recommend you start there.
After setting the tone with prayer and reflection, start on the material below. They are in no particular order – click on an item that interests you the most.
- Buy and read this book:
- Compassion (&) Conviction – A manual on how to uniquely and Christianly engage in politics. This is for before and after an election – an indispensable resource.
- Compassion (&) Conviction – A manual on how to uniquely and Christianly engage in politics. This is for before and after an election – an indispensable resource.
- Listen to these podcasts:
- PODCAST: Neither Right, Nor Left, Nor Religious – Using the Sermon on the Mount as the base pastor and author Mike Erre makes the case that Christianity is a political entity. Note that there are two swear words in the podcast.
- PODCAST: Where the Gospel Meets Politics #30 – In a polished Radiolab (NPR) style presentation complete with commentary interspersed with interviews and upbeat music the hosts expertly tell the story of polarization and its two main effects on Christians.
- Read these articles:
- ARTICLE: We Need Prophets, Not Partisans – After laying out why we lean towards tribalism around topics and acknowledging that Christians are shaped more by politics then the Bible senior editor at The Gospel Coalition Brett McCracken calls on the church to be prophetic “from the center point of the Gospel.” That means making a lot of people angry because the Gospel will attack multiple sides at the same time while not subscribing to any political party.
- ARTICLE: Are Christians More Confident in Politics Than in Christ? – Unfortunately there is almost no distinction between how Christians and non-Christians are engaging in politics on social media. Name calling, condescending remarks and canceling family and friends is the norm. To combat our false sense of certainty and pride we should be slow to post and quick to pray while being more certain of your failures than others.
- Watch these shows:
- SHOW: The Ordinance – Ever wondered how a local church can affect local legislation? The Ordinance tells the story of faith leaders from several denominations uniting to change the predatory lending of payday loan companies in Texas.
- SHOW: Politics – A five-part devotional focusing on politics totaling 69 minutes presented by pastor Scott Sauls of Christ Presbyterian Church (Nashville, TN). Short and insightful – a fantastic place to start your journey towards what it means to be a Christian and be involved in politics.
- Listen or watch these sermons:
- SERMON: Vision Series – In an engaging information packed 45-minute sermon Justin Giboney says, “Christians on both sides of the political spectrum need to ask themselves if they are going to be accomplices or cross bearers. Will we add to the tribalism and division or will we be models of civility and reconciliation? Walk with me into this tension.”
- SERMON: The Controversial Jesus – Jesus and Politics – Preaching from Mark 12:13-17, Church of the City (New York, NY) pastor Jon Tyson lists five purposes for the state and government (order, justice, virtue, prosperity, safety) and then lists five things Christians uniquely bring to government (dignity, care for the poor, suspicion of human nature, priority of the other and the power and favor of God).
- For additional resources visit the curated politics page. For information on when and how to vote in all 50 states visit axios.com.
- We also highly encourage you to listen to this episode of The Church Politics Podcast – PODCAST: Action Steps To Equip The Church To Fight Racial Injustice.
- DEBATES: See our guide.
The links below are from The Gospel Coalition who compiled a list of where each party stands on a range of issues. The articles do not have any commentary, just a party’s platform on all of the major issues.
- What You Should Know About the 2020 American Solidarity Party Platform
- What You Should Know About the 2020 Constitution Party Platform
- What You Should Know About the 2020 Democratic Party Platform
- What You Should Know About the 2020 Green Party Platform
- What You Should Know About the 2020 Libertarian Party Platform
- What You Should Know About the 2020 Republican Party Platform
The following resources are from a Christian perspective. This is a starting point and we highly recommend that you explore and add non-Christian viewpoints to your regular reading.
- Christianity Today – Election – Interviews, news and commentary on politics and Christianity.
- The Dispatch – Interviews, commentary and news. We recommend signing up for free The Morning Dispatch newsletter and the free French Press (published four times a week; free on Sun.). If you want more in-depth commentary and news you can subscribe for a fee.
- Reclaiming Hope Newsletter – This one will cost you ($50/year or $5/month) but it is well worth it. The AND Campaign’s Micheal Wear and his wife Melissa provide commentary and analysis from the latest political headlines. On Sunday night they send out five headlines to read.
Tips and links:
- ADD DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS: When choosing your sources we like that guidance that Michael Wear provided on the People of Faith Webinar, “What I advise people is to read as broadly as you can. And to make sure you are reading things that are challenging your political viewpoint,” Wear says. “Keep track of your news media consumption over a week or two and if you find there aren’t multiple times over the course of those two weeks where you read something that made you think, ‘Gosh, maybe I am wrong on this issue.’ or ‘I’ve never looked at this way.’ Then you are doing yourself a disservice.”
- A PRIMER ON NEWS: Listen to the Pantsuit Podcast – How to be a Citizen: Media Literacy and Ballot Education as they have an excellent discussion on how navigate news during an election season.
- ADD LOCAL NEWS: Read your city’s local newspaper to stay informed on local issues. Eventually add a national publication. For a list of newspapers in each state visit USNPL.com.
- THE FUTURE?: Check out AStartingPoint.com (apps for Android and Apple operating systems are available). We love the concept and hope more candidates use this platform.
- ANOTHER RESOURCE: Enter your address and it will pull of the candidates and measures in your state and county. Also some some useful information on each page such as base salary and duties of the candidates. https://onyourballot.vote411.org/
Define Woke – The Church Politics Podcast
Sunday to Saturday 