Reviews
A Royal
Priesthood
The
use of the Bible ethically and politically
Eds. Craig Bartholomew, Jonathan Chaplin, Robert Song, Al Wolters
Paternoster. 445 pages. £18.00
ISBN 1 84227 067 2
Here are three books of which it is hard to speak too
highly.
Oliver O'Donovan's The
desire of the nations: rediscovering the roots of political theology
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996; ISBN 0 521 66516 7; 304 pages;
£20.00) is one of the most profound, cogent, compelling and stimulating books
that I have ever read. It is also one of the most theologically tightly argued.
I have rarely, if ever, spent as long reading a single book as I have taken to
read this truly great work. It is a thorough and faithful exploration of the
theme of the Kingdom of God which pays particular attention to aspects of
authority, government, society and politics, and which, along the way, provides
the careful reader with an education in the nature of the church, the history
of political thought, the many by-paths in church-state relations which have
been taken down the ages, and much more besides.
In recognition of the work's extraordinary depth and
significance, 17 theologians gathered for a conference in June 2001 with the
sole objective of interracting with it. The papers delivered at that conference
- each with a response from Oliver O'Donovan himself - are brought together in A royal priesthood. This is a worthy
companion volume to The desire of the nations. Matters considered include 'The
use of Scripture in The desire of the
nations', 'Law and monarchy in the OT', 'Eschatology and ethics in O'Donovan
and beyond, 'John's Gospel in political perspective', 'Paul and Caesar: a new
reading of Romans', 'The Apocalypse and political theology', 'Revisiting
Christendom: a crisis of legitimisation', and 'Acting politically in biblical
obedience?'. The papers are contributed by leading biblical scholars, several
of whom are self-declared evangelicals. The quality is almost uniformly high
and the responses from Oliver O'Donovan unfailingly gracious and thoughtful.
By way of caution, however, it must be said that both of
these books are very demanding indeed. They repay the effort which they require
but there should be no mistaking what a lot of effort that is! Anyone looking
for a reliable guide to the state of Christian political thought at its best
could not find a better starting place than these two volumes. (And to state
the obvious, it is silly to try and read A
royal priesthood without having first read The desire of the nations.)
But read on. Relief is at hand. One of the most attractive
and stimulating Christian writers on the North American scene, Peter J.
Leithart, has written a small, eminently readable and accessible book which
captures the key themes of O'Donovan and presents them pithily and amusingly.
For those unfamiliar with Leithart, a PCA minister, let me mention a few of his
best pieces so far. Wise words are
children's stories based on the Proverbs which sparkle with humour and bristle
with biblical imagery. Brightest heaven
of invention is a Christian reading of six of Shakepeare's plays which
should be in the hands of all Christian teenagers and others besides. A house for my name is an introduction
to the Old Testament which is a pleasure to read aloud and gives glorious
insights from biblical theology while teaching the reader to think in biblical
categories as never before.
Well, puff-piece over, Leithart's Against Christianity (Moscow, Idaho: Canon Press, 2003; ISBN 1
59128 006 0; 154 pages; £5.00) is simply not to be missed. Written as
'bricolage' - that is a series of 'thoughts' each occupying a paragraph or so -
it is inviting and readable. It summarises much of the argument of The desire of the nations but applies
its central thesis - that the completed work of Christ has established a new
civilisation and that the breaking in of the future in Jesus's cross and
resurrection has inescapably 'public' consequences - in all sorts of fresh and
challenging ways.
Richard Baxter used to warn that 'over-doing is undoing'
but, willing to risk that, allow me to sum up: if you are willing to invest
nearly £40.00 and a lot of time in the purchase and study of The desire of the nations and A royal priesthood, then I am utterly
confident that you will not be disappointed. If this is not you but your
interest is stirred in these matters then get hold of Leithart's Against Christianity without delay and,
after a few hours of hugely enjoyable and spiritually exhilarating reading,
like me, you'll soon be buying extra copies to give to your friends.