Review and Reflection on “The Ballot and the Bible” by Kaitlyn Schiess
If there are two subjects I care deeply about it is politics and religion. I have seen politics and religion be used and abused. I have seen them be used properly as well. This book addresses how politics has used the Bible for its own purposes. But before you go and feel bad for religion, understand that when Scripture is misused, it is often from a willing party.
Schiess gets right to the point with three key statements in the introduction:
- “For all our familiarity with the Bible, we are woefully ignorant about how or why we are using the Bible in politics.” (Pg. 2)
- “We jump into the juicy fright of the moment, whip out our favorite Bible verses, and completely forget to ask if we even agree on the nature of human government or the relationship between the church and earthly governments.” (Pg. 3)
- “If we want to understand Scripture better and apply it more faithfully…We will need to know our Bible and our history.” (Pg. 3)
This is a timely book in so many ways especially as we approach yet another ongoing, and in many ways, unending campaign season. Is the Bible just another tool (or weapon) to be used in the never-ending battle between ideologies? Or is it a foundation piece that forces us to deal with unpleasant realities coupled with Good News — something that goes beyond whatever we are fighting about or whatever campaign is going on?
