A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance
by Steve West
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Fundamentals
3 The Argument
4 The Evidence
5 The Law of the Lord
6 The American Way
7 The Way of Freedom
8 The Way of Love
9 The Way of Wisdom
10 The Way of Exile
Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction
Two years prior to writing this book, the author held a very different view on the topic of the role of government in promoting religion. Baird believed that the government had no obligation to promote Christianity as the only true religion, but after reading a number of books from church history, he completely changed his mind. It is vital that we recognize that “Government must promote Christianity as the only true religion.” The government is defined as those who hold offices which give them civil authority (this is a broad definition and includes numerous offices). Christianity refers to the entire church of the Lord Jesus Christ and must not be reduced to a denomination. The “must” in the statement is there because government has a duty and moral obligation to promote Christianity as the one true religion. There may be a variety of ways that civil magistrates in different places fulfill this duty, but it is not optional. “Promoting” means to actively encourage, support, and further Christianity’s progress. How officials promote Christianity can be very diverse, but they must work to promote it with love, strength, and prudence.
Christianity needs to be promoted with an eye to the public good (i.e., general welfare and human flourishing). Peace, justice, piety, public safety, law and order, etc., are all part of the public good. It is impossible to have deep human flourishing without proper religion; piety is essential for any well-ordered society. Government has a God-given obligation to promote Christianity, but the church has no reciprocal obligation to promote America as a nation. Political power is a good thing that was ordained by God. Political power is not ultimate; spiritual power in the church is stronger than in civil government. . . .
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