{Book Review} Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicalism

Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicalism is published by Lexham Press and edited by Timothy Padgett. This is a really neat book, one unlike any other that I own. It consists of nearly 100 articles that have been published by Christianity Today (CT) between 1956 and 2016. So what’s the point of this book? I’ll explain. 

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Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicalism

The introduction to this book provides the vision of CT. It begins by quoting Billy Graham’s words to Carl Henry in regards to the approach that CT needs to take. Padgett provides the term “engaged neutrality” to sum up the spirit of CT’s worldview. This (rather obviously) becomes quite difficult when politics are involved. Sometimes it appears that there are just about as many views as there are Christians. Though CT is certainly known as a conversative source of news, there are still many divergent opinions on politics within conservative evangelical Christainity. This volume is a wonderful way of showcasing that American evangelicals are not monolithic in their engagement with the public square. 

In nearly 100 articles, you will find opinions on all kinds of different topics. The volume is neatly organized into five chapters:

1. U.S. Presidents
2. Religious Right and Evangelical Left
3. Communism and Foreign Policy
4. Domestic Affairs
5. God and Country

I really liked how the articles were laid out chronologically. Each chapter’s articles would begin in the 50’s and lead up to 2016. In addition to that, I appreciated the time stamp on each article. That may seem like a small thing, but it was really helpful to see exactly when an article was written in relationship to the events surrounding the article. One more thing that I consider a pro of the book is the brevity of each of the articles. Though some of the articles were certainly quite long, a good many of them were only 3 pages or so. Since there are nearly 100 articles, the brevity is nice so that the reader is able to read many articles in one sitting instead of one or two in a sitting. 

For a man who doesn’t read much about politics, this book is really fascinating. I certainly enjoyed it, and I’m sure many others will as well. 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Lexham Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.