Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor

By Caleb E. Campbell (InterVarsity Press)

Make no mistake: Caleb Campbell sees Christian nationalism as dangerous. He believes it distorts the gospel. It ruptures families and divides churches. Like the symbolic Leviathan in Scripture, Christian nationalism is an evil, powerful and chaotic force that purposefully instills fear.

However, Christian nationalists are not the enemy. Some are family members. Many are devoutly committed to God, although they have been fed a distorted picture of what the Lord requires—and it’s not doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly. All are neighbors whom we are called to love.

So, Campbell views his role as a missionary to Christian nationalists. That is not to say he views all who identify as Christian nationalists to be hopeless heretics or unsaved heathens. However, he believes they have been duped by leaders who have persuaded them to accept ideals contrary to the teachings of Jesus. And many have accepted Christian nationalism as a “tribal identity” that offers them a sense of belonging and reinforces their prejudices, without any genuine commitment to Christ. Some Christian nationalists need to be led gently back to the gospel, while others need to be introduced to it.

Campbell helps readers understand not only what Christian nationalism teaches, but also why its adherents find that message appealing. He explores the fears and anxieties that draw many to Christian nationalism. He encourages readers to listen to their Christian nationalist neighbors and extend hospitality to them.

One of the most helpful sections of the book is a “field guide” for responding to American Christian nationalists. The guide is not designed to equip readers to win debates. Rather, it is intended to help them engage in meaningful, heartfelt conversations with neighbors who espouse some of the most commonly repeated statements of Christian nationalism. By listening attentively, asking clarifying questions, affirming any shared values and avoiding red flags, missionaries to Christian nationalists can ask gently probing questions that invite their neighbors to think more deeply and consider what the Bible has to say.

In contentious times, Campbell addresses a controversial subject in a compassionate, pastoral and missional manner.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross

By Brian Zahnd (IVP)

Poetry brings out strong feelings in people. For some, poetry is obscure and indiscernible, off-putting and oblique in every way.

For others, like me, it’s the vehicle by which the sacredness of life in this world can be captured most specifically—in a brief set of intentional words, which illuminate beauty, meaning and value in even the most mundane moments.

Though I dwell in a home filled with four vibrant reasons to celebrate the sacral nature of living, I am alone in my house in my appreciation of poetry. If you find yourself more in the pragmatic company of my husband and my children, believing poetry just isn’t for you, please do not discount this book.

Zahnd appeals to the growing renaissance of interest in spiritual imagination that seems to be taking shape among younger, emerging practitioners of our faith—regardless of whether they have Catholic, Orthodox or evangelical backgrounds. However, he does not go all in on poetry to the point where readers must wade through so much flowery language, they forget they came hunting for meat.

Rather, he gives all the meat they can stomach.

Zahnd presents the centrality of the cross to the gospel. But reacquainting readers with pre-historical-critical approaches to scriptural interpretation, he describes multiple ways to understand the crucifixion.

Zahnd draws on history, literature, art and film, in addition to Scripture. And, he includes a full-color spread of religious art and iconography of the cross through history to illustrate his discussion.

As God is the author of our faith, we do well to consider, and reconsider, his most beautiful work of poetry, the Word made flesh—the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Wood Between the Worlds spurs readers to contemplate deeply the theopoetic scandal at the heart of our faith and mission and to examine anew the remarkable work God did there.

Calli Keener, news writer
Baptist Standard

• Lesson 8 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 14:34.

To know the truth and find righteousness, we must look to God. As intelligent and relational people, we may reason things out in our own minds or ask a friend or family member when we are trying to decide the right course of action. But God should always be the first one we ask. Any advice or reason must be filtered through what God says in his Word and through his Spirit. By reading the Bible, attending church and praying, we hear from God. Then we can live out what we know.

Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous judgments is everlasting.” God’s Word is the only way to know absolute truth and find his righteousness. So, it should always be the first place we look. We should read and listen to Scripture being taught, while also talking it over with other believers. Christian teaching, fellowship and encouragement are so important to our faith. Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” (NKJV).

Praying helps us understand what we read and guides us in truth and righteousness. When Jesus walked this earth, the people followed and learned from him directly. He knew they would feel lost when he went to be with the Father.

So, Jesus comforted them by explaining that God would send the Holy Spirit in his place. The Holy Spirit could guide and teach everyone, at the same time, forever, unlike Jesus who could only teach those who were physically with him (See John 14:26, 16:7, 13). When we pray, this Helper and Spirit of Truth helps us discern the ways of God, too.

By meditating on God’s Word, it is more firmly established. Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” When we continuously think about good things, they begin to flow from our minds to our hearts.

Our hearts need to be filled with goodness because whatever is in our heart is reflected in our words and actions. Luke 6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” So, if we fill our heart and mind with truth and goodness, then it will begin to pour out of us.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 7 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 13:24.

The believer in Christ is fortunate the Lord does not make demands of us that are unreasonable or impossible. He leaves it to us to trust him with the impossible. We are to merely be obedient and faithful to him.

God’s grace is his unmerited favor toward us. It is God giving to us what we do not deserve. God’s mercy is his withholding of what we actually do deserve. Thank God for his grace and his mercy even in the administering of discipline.

When God disciplines us, he is correcting and instructing us in order for our lives to be properly aligned to his will and way. Ultimately, the Lord is helping us look more like him.

God disciplines us in such a way that shows his instruction toward us, even when unpleasant at times, is not only symbolic of his love in the action, but also in the way he administers such discipline toward us. Parents today would do well in striving to model such a style of discipline for their children.

Colossians 3:21 encourages fathers not to provoke their children to wrath, otherwise you discourage the child. In other words, constant, unending criticism and harsh words could lead to irritation and discouragement for the child. Imagine how quickly bitterness and lack of self-worth would enter our hearts if the Lord mercilessly and carelessly imparted discipline toward us. We might grow doubtful of God’s love for us.

But God gives a healthy balance, as should parents. The Lord encourages us, but he also tells us the truth about our state of being. He loves us too much to leave us in the same pitiful condition. We can ask the Lord to help us to work out that delicate balance.

Ephesians 6:4 echoes the same message as Colossians 3:21 but adding that fathers should bring up their child “in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

The training that is mentioned in the text refers to a type of instruction that should result in the development of certain daily habits. It is a good sign to see a child praying to the Lord because they’ve been raised to. It is a good sign to see a child, and even an adult, love someone who may be difficult to love. They are modeling what they have been instructed to model. And the training does not end in childhood. Believers in Christ go through a lifetime of training.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 6 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 9:1-18.

Christians are not excused from the noise of this life. As sure as God is constantly trying to get our attention, the call for our attention from the felonious, devious folly is always at work to take our attention away from the Lord.

Lady folly is loud and rebellious (Proverbs 7:11). The term “clamorous” literally means “boisterous.” Though she may be attractive and alluring, she is equally as loud and obnoxious to the wise, but a dynamite of desire for drama for the foolish. She is also “simple,” or naïve, and knows nothing.

Folly sits at the door and calls aloud from the highest places of the city. Christian believers should always keep in mind that just because you are walking in wisdom, it does not mean you will not feel enticed to participate in foolish activities. Folly also appears to use the same place to communicate, the highest place of the city.

Individuals devoid of understanding are easily manipulated and taken advantage of by those seeking to do sinful deeds. Proverbs 7:7–8 is particular in pointing out youth, younger individuals who may lack understanding, naively floating through life without God’s wisdom.

The invitation for folly usually never stops at the invitation. Such a moment is followed by foolish reasoning in an effort to convince those who are simple or naïve. Some people do not need much convincing to believe that something sinful can be for good.

Lady folly is using the same style of invitation as lady wisdom, but the motivation and rewards are different. Lady folly is appealing to the simple with immediate gratification. Some scholars believe that the reference “stolen water” in Proverbs 9:17 is referring to illicit sexual activity that occurs outside of marriage. Lady folly also offers a lifestyle hidden in secrecy with the reference to bread eaten in secret. Lady folly considers this lifestyle as “pleasant” or “delightful.”

Proverbs 20:17 says, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.” Imagine the after taste of emotional distraught, guilt and shame that comes from doing a foolish, sinful deed—after the fact.

While there is something exciting and emotionally exhilarating about doing something we have no business doing, the consequences of our actions are always soon to follow.

Even if you believe you got away with something, the searing memory of it is even harder to escape from.

When we sin, willfully or unwilfully, we have an opportunity to repent and ask the Lord to forgive us. And God promised he would. But it is important that we not abuse the grace God gives us. We make it a point to repent, receive the Lord’s forgiveness, and daily choose not to consistently walk in such folly.

Those who choose a life of folly, according to verse 18, have no idea that those who follow folly, follow her to their deaths. This indicates that the life of physical pleasures and secret lifestyles are only “pleasant” for a short period of time. The house of the folly “leads down to death, and her paths to the dead” (Proverbs 2:18), and her house is the way to hell (Proverbs 7:27), and folly’s guests are in the depths of hell.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

Brown Faces, White Spaces: Confronting Systemic Racism to Bring Healing & Restoration

By Latasha Morrison (WaterBrook)

Systemic racism is real, pervasive and corrosive in the United States. It also is not inevitable, and the fabric of American society can be healed from it in practical ways. Brown Faces, White Spaces makes this case clearly and compellingly.

Centered on a three-part framework of preparation, dedication and liberation, the book systematically addresses systemic racism and how its threads can be unwoven.

Preparation involves learning about and confessing the racist underpinnings of society’s systems. Dedication involves committing to bring about redemptive change in those systems, and actually working to bring about those changes constitutes liberation.

“Liberation” may be a disconcerting term to some readers. Morrison does not mean liberation in the Marxist sense, but in the sense of Exodus and Jesus’ proclamation that he came to bring good news and freedom from captivity (Luke 4:18-19).

Morrison, acknowledging she can speak only for herself and the experiences of African Americans, includes personal stories throughout. BIPOC—Black, Indigenous and people of color—stories also are included.

The book also contains concrete examples of systemic racism and its influence in each of nine spheres—education, health care, the justice system, the marketplace, military, property ownership, entertainment, sports and the church. The spheres are considered through the lens of Scripture and the life and teaching of Jesus.

Brown Faces, White Spaces—due out May 21, 2024—is a good conversation starter. This does not mean the book is gentle. Morrison states more than once the content will be uncomfortable. It means readers are encouraged to take stock of the way things have been and the way they things are, then decide how things can be and begin working toward a different future.

Eric Black, executive director/publisher/editor
Baptist Standard

• Lesson 5 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 3:9-10.

Proverbs 3:10 wraps up the “then” portion of the “if/then” statement from verse 9. The person who trusts and obeys God experiences the joyous benefits of his promises. Verse 10 reveals the results of what happens when a person honors the Lord with their possessions and with their firstfruits. The result is God’s ongoing provision and protection.

Tithing and giving to the Lord does not always result in seeing an increase in financial wealth, but it always makes room for the Christian believer to see that God is truly the provider.

The writer emphasizes that “barns” or “storehouses” will “be filled with plenty.” Surely the person who honors the Lord with their first and best will experience a fulfilled life with more than enough. Vats, or troughs, that operated like a winepress would overflow with new wine. The King James Version says the vats will “burst out” with new wine.

This was awesome news for people who could not get the kind of access to drinkable water like those in the 21st century. The Israelites had to rely on wine as a viable beverage to consume, due to lack of access to drinking water, drought and contamination.

Imagine having so much that you do not mind giving more to God and blessing others around you.

Surrendering to God is made easier when one understands the promises of God and when one recognizes God’s character as a promise keeper. The children of Israel had to learn this even as they journeyed to the promised land. In Deuteronomy 28:8, the promise that God would bless Israel in their land was dependent on the obedience of the people of Israel within the Mosaic covenant.

The children of Israel would experience agricultural abundance and prosperity, not because of their own abilities or because of a false god in the culture, but because the Lord God had provided and continued to provide for them.

When we are faithful and obedient to God by trusting him with our wealth, we discover God is more than faithful in meeting our every need. When we are generous givers of the things God has blessed us with, we will experience an incredible abundance of blessings that will show up in our faith walk as well. We live and look more like Jesus when we trust God with everything he has given to us.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

Fighting for Family: The Relentless Pursuit of Building Belonging

By Chris and Julie Bennett (Harper Horizon)

In Fighting for Family, Baylor University graduates Chris and Julie Bennett draw on their experiences in the course of more than 20 years of ministry and marriage to present a practical handbook on developing healthy, thriving families and friendships.

In 2018, the Bennetts moved their family of six from Oklahoma, where Chris was a minister, to California, hoping to create an entertainment company related to “all things family,” only to be hit by an unexpected cancer diagnosis.

In the midst of adjusting to their new home with no existing support network, the Bennetts quickly learned the importance of accepting care and establishing new bonds.

In Fighting for Family, the Bennetts discuss their failures and successes in relating to people, both within their personal family and in the “family” they have established through friendships.

At times, in an attempt to appeal to an audience beyond evangelicals, the book can read as stereotypical middle-aged “cool” ministers trying to grow an audience for their new media company through overly-relevant language hoping to show they’re not stuffy or uncool.

But, don’t judge too quickly.

There is a good bit of helpful content, in particular a caution for extroverts in ministry—who might be inclined to welcome all in as “family”—to set appropriate boundaries for the good of all involved.

By the end, I found myself rooting for this family, who chose to be open about both their successes and failures in relationships so that others might grow. And, I found applications to my own life and ministry. I bet you will, too.

Calli Keener, news writer

Baptist Standard

• Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 3:5-7.

Trusting in God and not leaning on yourself is the first part, and verse 6 continues the wise saying. Not only must you trust God with your whole self instead of trusting your whole self, but you also must acknowledge God and his work in your life and the whole world. Be aware of God and look for him. You can see God’s activity in your life, because as you put your confidence in him, God will lay out his plans for you.

Do yourself a favor. Out loud, on your own or in a group, speak verses 5–6 as a whole. Repeat this if you need to. As you do this, what stands out? Perhaps say it again and allow yourself to emphasize different phrases. Words rise to the surface depending on how we emphasize them with our speaking and thinking. If you have trust issues, the word “trust” will probably stand out as a directive for you. If you are concerned about where you are going next, the last line of verse 6 will probably catch your attention.

Putting your full confidence in God is important. What follows your confidence in God is your confidence in his plan for you and your life. Making plans is part of what we humans get to do since God gave us free will. Even walking through a day whimsically is a plan; it is just not a detailed plan. We walk to and fro, living out a plan. But what does God have to say about our plans compared to his plans for us?

Proverbs 19:21 said it this way: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” Dwell on that for a minute. Inside your heart, the heart that you have full confidence in the Lord from, you develop many plans for you. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, planning from the heart reveals the creative gifts God has given each person. But we need to accept one reality: God is the one who wins.

Surrender is an act of submission to God. As we make our many plans, we must be sure to submit them to God, just as a student submits an assignment to the teacher for approval. We can acknowledge God by deferring our plans to his. The good news is as we live with God and for God, his influence on our life is found in our plans, because we include him in the planning process. As big as God is and as sought after as he is, God enjoys your invitation to sit at the table and lay out plans for you.

Did I mention that God’s plans are good? When we acknowledge God and trust him by surrendering our plans to him, he takes what is crooked and makes it straight. The best efforts you give to planning your life will come off as a crooked path or an uneven road. When you submit those to God, his construction skills have a way of taking your feeble plans and straightening them.

 The image of a path implies that there is a journey involved. There is no need for a path unless you are walking from one place to another. This image points to everyday living. As you live your life, rather than walk alone, acknowledge that God is walking with you. While walking and talking with God, offer your plans to him and trust them to his care. Be willing to take on his better plans for your life, even though they may look different from what you envisioned. You can be sure the path God lays out for you will be good.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

• Lesson 3 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 3:1-4.

There are two focal words that stand out in verse 3: “love” and “faithfulness.” Much like a carefully created crossword puzzle, this verse is crafted meticulously to get the point to the reader in a clear way. These words are much more than expressions or emotions. They are actionable words meant to be exercised and utilized for God, for yourself and for others.

Start with the word for love. Any time there is an opportunity to discuss the Hebrew word “hesed,” which is the word for love here, take that opportunity. It is a deep word with a big meaning. In the Greek language we have multiple words that speak to different expressions of love, but with “hesed” we get a covenant-type of love. This means it is a commitment between two groups or two people, and these people will not let go of their covenant agreement.

In modern-day weddings, this type of expression is witnessed when a couple speaks vows to one another. With witnesses everywhere and God above, two people commit their lives by saying what they will do.

The depth of a covenant love also implies something very strong: “If you let go of your end of the deal, I will not let go of mine.” This is how a covenant is starkly different from a contract. When a contract is signed, if one person defaults on his or her part, then the other person is let off the hook. A contract is for a limited time, but a covenant is for life.

Think about how costly a covenant love is. It is sacrificial, and it is for a long period of time. How else would you describe the difference between a contract love versus a covenant love? God practiced this faithfully with the Israelites throughout the Old Testament, and he still practices this love with his children today. When people are unfaithful to God, he remains faithful to his love for them, regardless. This is the type of love that should never leave you.

Faithfulness is a significant word, and it is made all the stronger when it is tied with love. Another way to translate faithful-ness is “dependability.” As you surrender your life and your time to God, be sure you practice covenant love along with dependability. Be a reliable follower of God, one who God always sees as faithful and obedient. The image is also that you hang on to these two things and don’t let them run away from you.

How do you hang on to love and faithfulness? Bind them around your neck, like a necklace or a band of some sort that stays around you and with you at all times. Not only will you feel the weight of these two actionable words; you’ll also be putting them on display in front of others. As you live your life for God, showcase God’s love and faithfulness through your actions for others and in front of the world.

Showing God’s love and faithfulness is certainly important. At the same time, these must be deeply etched inside of you. Is there really a tablet of stone inside your heart, as the last line suggests? No, but it is possible for actionable words to be etched into the flesh of your whole self. Basically, these two words are your words to live by. They must impact you on the inside so you will live them on the outside.

Understand this: to surrender your life, the time you have on this Earth, is no small decision. It does bring about more life for you, and it also requires how you live your life by surrendering your whole self to God, his love and faithfulness. Like taking seeds in your hands and planting them in a garden, take hold of love and faithfulness, and plant them in your heart. Next, live them out as they birth fruit in you.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.

Blessed Are the Rest of Us: How Limits and Longing Make Us Whole

By Micha Boyett (Brazos Press)

Blessed Are the Rest of Us offers a fresh reading of the Beatitudes through the eyes of a mom of a nonverbal autistic child with Down syndrome.

Jesus challenged his followers to exercise their spiritual imaginations, envisioning a way of living that prioritizes the vulnerable with all their vulnerabilities. Micha Boyett challenges readers to reconsider human flourishing—blessedness—as based on innate worth rather than achievement. She provides a painfully beautiful and honest look at life as it is, with more than occasional glimpses of life lived according to “God’s dream” for humanity.

Boyett invites readers inside her home, transparently displaying her family’s strengths and struggles. She describes how she and her husband Chris dealt with the prenatal tests that revealed their third child, Ace, would be born with an extra chromosome and all its accompanying physical and developmental challenges. She describes painfully enduring the loss of an imagined child who never existed and joyfully embracing the reality of Ace as he is. She tells how a God-given hunger for justice led her and her husband to advocate for their son in the school system.

Some readers may be tempted to dismiss Blessed Are the Rest of Us when they get to the chapter on peacemaking, but that would be a mistake. Boyett describes how her church’s pastor and its board of elders—of which she was part—led their congregation to reconsider its traditional views about sexual orientation and gender identity. She acknowledges mistakes in how the discussion surrounding LGBTQ inclusion was handled by church leaders—herself included—while continuing to defend their decision.

But the real heroes of the chapter are Leah and Jared—a couple in their church who were the Boyetts’ closest friends and whose son shared a birthday with Ace. Leah and Jared continue to hold to a traditional understanding of what the Bible teaches regarding sexuality and gender, but they refuse to quit loving Micha and Chris Boyett when they end up on different sides of a divisive issue.

Blessed Are the Rest of Us steers clear of easy answers and sentimental platitudes. Instead, it reframes the blessed life and offers an honest-to-God look at grace-filled living.

Ken Camp, managing editor

Baptist Standard

• Lesson 2 in the Connect360 unit “The Search for Wisdom: Words to Live By” focuses on Proverbs 2:1-15.

A “rite” could be a type of formal ceremony or a type of custom, and in either case, it represents something being passed on from one person to another. In this case, think of God as the wise Father passing his wisdom to his faithfully obedient child. Interestingly enough, there are biblical scholars who point to this chapter as a type of poem, which could be easily shared from one person to the next. This gives a formality to what you are reading right now.

As you read these verses, imagine that you are sitting with God, your Father, and he is passing on what he has to you. Much like giving an heirloom or a meaningful piece of family history to a descendant, wisdom is that sacred treasure that is being shared. Because of your faithful obedience with God, relating to him as family, God is saying now you will understand and be wise.

If “wisdom” is the umbrella term, the parts that make up this umbrella include understanding, discretion and means of rescue. This proves that wisdom itself, while it is so simple and yet so deep, has a way of impacting your life in every way from big to small. Wisdom will help you as you seek out God’s overall will for your life, just like wisdom will help you decide whether or not to buy that car or eat that fatty meal. There is no limitation to God’s wisdom, because it can inform and transform the whole life.

On your lifelong search for God’s wisdom, you will find that as he reveals it to you, you will recognize how it benefits you and how it protects you. Much is said here about how it rescues you from wicked ways as well as wicked people who are trying to lead you astray. This theme of wicked ones will come up throughout the rest of the book, because there are adversaries to God’s wisdom as well as God’s children who live his wisdom.

As a closing idea for this section, think about what rites of passages you have heard of. If you are thinking of tribal groups around the world, one example would be the “walkabout” that takes place in the Australian aboriginal groups. If you are thinking of religious groups, Jews have their “bar mitzvahs” or “bat mitzvahs.” Around the world, there are rites of passage—some that are sacred and some that are hardly noticeable. But in all these, there is an idea of something passing from an older one to the younger one. What would it look like if our churches had a rite of passage that passes on the wisdom of one generation to another? Most importantly, what if we reflected these as sharing God as the source of all wisdom?

God is inviting you to meet him as your Father, just as Solomon invited the first listeners of Proverbs to come near and meet him. Solomon is not the original source of the wisdom he had and shared; God is the original. Let’s make time to come near to God and ask him to share his wisdom with us.

To learn more about GC2 Press and the Connect360 Bible study series, or to order materials, click here.