“A gospel that is not political is no gospel at all. The root of the word allegiance means ‘Lord’; that’s exactly what the early Christians where executed for, for pledging an allegiance to another kingdom, another Lord—treason. In 2004, as the presidential election rolled around, many of us studied the Scriptures and considered what it means to claim Jesus as Lord, or as President.” (p 182). What are our competing allegiances?

“He had a new definition of family, rooted in the idea that we are adopted as orphans into the family of God and that this rebirth creates a new kinship that runs deeper than biology or geography or nationality. Rebirth is about being adopted into a new family—without borders. With new eyes, we can see that our family is both local and global, including but transcending biology, tribe, or nationality, a renewed vision of the kingdom of God with brothers and sisters in Afghanistan and Iraq, Sudan, and Burma, North Philly and Beverly Hills.” (p 189). How does this kinship tie in to our Baptismal Covenant?

What were your reactions to the the story of Rutba, then and now, that Shane tells on pp 202-206?

“One of the things that became painfully clear to me in Iraq is that what’s at stake today is the reputation not just of America but of Christianity, and that’s what keeps me up at night. I heard people in Iraq call leaders of the US ‘Christian extremists’ just as leaders here speak of ‘Muslim extremists.’ Everyone is declaring war and asking for God’s blessing.” (p 207).