Compassion (&) Conviction

In the Preface the authors best explain the purpose of their book:

"The AND Campaign’s leadership team created this resource to help believers engage the civic space as faithful Christians and informed citizens. Our organizational mission is to educate and organize Christians for civic and cultural engagement that results in better representation, more just and compassionate policies, and a healthier political culture."

Throughout their book it is emphasized that Christians need to be faithful, thoughtful, and critical of how we choose to utilize our influence and political power. We need to remind ourselves we live in a broken world which, inludes the political sphere. As individuals it is emphasized that as fallen creatures great care needs to be taken in our beliefs regarding political systems, parties, or individuals.

They also note that the that "professing the gospel should never be subordinated to political activity. However, they also present very good and reasonable arguments why Christians should be involved politically. Remembering that our authority arises from the Bible.

We as the Body of Christ fall under "the great requirement and doing justice".

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8

The book covers such things as a framework, partisanship, critical thinking, messaging, rhetoric, race, advocacy, protest, and civility. Each is presented thoughtfully and critically. Regarding values they write, "Value judgments are an inescapable aspect of political engagement and decision making. If we’re not applying our values to our advocacy and voting , then we’re applying someone else’s." In all of this Christians need to engage with others kindly and respectfully.

Finally, one part of the book particularly stood out for me and I will quote it in full:

"No one makes political decisions from a neutral position. To make a policy decision is to choose certain values and goods over others. Our political decisions are inevitably informed by a certain worldview or outlook. When a person isn’t applying Christian principles to their political opinions, their point of view is guided by other belief systems."

"Our preferences, interests, and sociopolitical ideologies aren’t the ultimate authority and can’t take precedence over biblical principles. Outside ideologies and philosophies can inform us, but they should never be the masters of our political action."

"The Bible does not provide a political platform , and we should be careful to not confuse our personal policy preferences with religious doctrine. Two Christians can disagree on an important policy without one or the other necessarily being unfaithful. For instance, the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how much in taxes government should collect or what the minimum wage should be. Even when the Bible does directly speak to an issue, Christians might disagree on how to apply the principle in the public square. It’s a mistake to suggest that Christians should always come to the same political conclusions. However, all Christians should make those decisions from a biblical framework."

This is a book that I think all who follow Christ should read and if you are politically involved or public servant it needs to be read. I highly recommend this book and thank the authors for their contribution to this subject.

The authors of “Compassion (&) Conviction” describe the role of the book as “…a gospel-centered framework to help Christians reflect the compassion and conviction of Jesus Christ in the public square.“ They deliver on this superbly, it is guiding without being dictatorial and challenging whilst not being overwhelming. I didn’t need to agree with everything in it to thoroughly enjoy it!

“Christians should engage politics because doing so provides us with a robust opportunity to love our neighbor by acting justly, promoting human flourishing, and seeking the prosperity of our community.” - From “Compassion (&) Conviction”

“Compassion (&) Conviction” makes a strong case, by referencing Biblical examples and texts, for Christians to participate in politics. It makes an equally strong case for this involvement to be based in love and expressed with compassion. The authors break the book into eight chapters with each chapter focusing on two possibly opposing spheres such as “Christians (&) Politics”. Certain chapters, such as Chapter 2: Church (&) State, have a strongly North American viewpoint but I found the vast majority of the book as applicable here in South Africa as it would appear to be in the U.S.A.

“Do you advocate social justice or family values? Do you support women or are you against abortion? Do you love the poor or do you believe in personal responsibility? Don’t answer those questions—or at least not in the way they’re asked. They are based on a false premise and thus create a false dilemma for Christians. This is what happens when we allow the world to frame the questions and the issues for us: we end up choosing one of two wrong answers or rejecting one of two right answers and losing control of our public witness in the process. Part of getting the correct answer is about framing the issues correctly.” - From “Compassion (&) Conviction”

Each chapter feels like a discussion, it begins with framing the disparity between the two concepts, digs into Scripture for reference points and then walks the reader through how to live in congruity with the Bible whilst engaging in a meaningful way with the topic. It challenges the way politicians frame their arguments, it deals with propaganda and tackles big issues like discrimination.

“When we label other groups evil, stupid, or irredeemable—or deny their pain—we strip them of their human dignity and make ourselves and others less likely to show them concern and compassion.” - From “Compassion (&) Conviction”

The overarching message is one of hope and love. If we connect with each person, no matter their position on political issues, understand them and progress from a place of love and compassion, we can change the world.

“The church is made of many parts but one body, meaning we are meant to work, worship, and fellowship together regardless of our race, culture, or class…Incivility is toxic because it stems from a lapse in the recognition of human dignity: recognition of the dignity of others or recognition of one’s own dignity.” - From “Compassion (&) Conviction”

I love the appreciation throughout the book of the value and worth of every life, the importance of beginning any political engagement from a place of love and compassion and the practical ways given to live this message out! It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended!

I appreciated this book so much - can't wait to see it published and be able to recommend it to others. Also recommended to my church as a resource.

Just in time for the 2020 US elections, Justin Gibboney, Michael Wear, and Chris Butler present an excellent primer for Christians participating in the public square with their new book, Compassion & Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement.

The book is useful for anyone from the political novice through the hardcore political junkie. While not taking a stance on issues not clearly addressed in the Bible, Gibboney, Wear, and Butler do a commendable job of outlining the framework from which Christians should evaluate their choice of policies and candidates. The book is political without being partisan, and has plenty of criticism (and support!) for the modern-day priorities of both Democrats and Republicans. Most importantly for the Christian, the authors provide Biblical backing and references for the principles they espouse.

As the book's title (and the name of the organization that these men represent) suggests, Christians don't need to be forced into false choices between things like compassion and conviction. The authors reject these false choices, and instead convincingly and winsomely suggest not only is a better way possible, but that Christians are called to seek it.

Any Christian seeking guidance on how to best engage in the political process will benefit from this book, as would any non-Christian seeking to learn more about the value and possibility of a citizenry that pursued a politics seeking to benefit all.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This brief book is a breath of fresh air for the Christian who wants to faithfully engage in politics in the US. The current political climate would have us believe that we must pick a side and be all in on every issue. This book reminds us that that is simply not true. It is possible to think critically, love our neighbor, and refuse to compromise on biblical values. We can engage in an imperfect system while placing our ultimate hope in a perfect and holy God.

I’ll read this again. Hopefully as a book club with other Christians who feel politically homeless in our current crisis. The And Campaign has been doing great work at the local level for several years and I’m happy to see this book be a resource that can be broadly shared in various contexts. They do a great job of setting down the biblical principles for political engagement in bringing the good news of the kingdom to bear on society and to care for the marginalized and oppressed. Then in the final ⅔ of the book is a lot of application and pressing on issues on both the right and the left. I hope this book gets read by all the leaders in my church and others across the country and ends up on church bookshelves and libraries to equip the people of God for a time such as this.