Miriam Mathie reviews The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life by Michael Wear
Now I know what you’re thinking… or, well, one of two things:
1. Politics? Absolutely not! Time to avoid what Miriam is going to say.
2. Oh, politics? Let’s see what crazy thing is being said now.
Well, you’ll be glad to know I am not here to shove propaganda down your throat or encourage you to vote a particular way in the next election, but instead pose a question to get you thinking. As Christians, how do we view and participate in politics? If you can’t decide who you are within this sphere, Michael Wear in his book, The Spirit of Politics, has a few categories you could identify with: the ‘Exhausted and Detached’; the ‘Entertained Consumer’; or even the ‘Angry and Certain’. Do any of these seem familiar?
Amongst other ideas, Wear allows his readers to consider these questions: Is the source of our identity politics or Jesus? And why is Christianity viewed as part of the problem rather than the solution? Let’s jump right into this ‘campaign’.
The book itself is split into ten parts, an introduction followed by nine separate chapters focusing on how Christians interact with politics, both positively and negatively. As a member of Gen Z, I’ve seen my peers slip into the pitfall traps of the political system, modelled by their older church influences: Jesus is kept in our private life, and when it comes to the chaos that is politics, we put an atheist name badge on. ‘Hello, my name isn’t Christian. Right?’ Wear describes this very well, leaving his readership challenged and inspired to make small changes towards a better – and hopefully more Christlike – approach to our political lives.
One thing to note, particularly, is that a massive inspiration for Wear’s book is American philosopher, Dallas Willard, who is best known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation, which is frequently referenced and used as a source of advice for readers – including his model, VIM (Visual, Intention, Means), for said spiritual formation.
Through his use of pertinent examples like the storming of the Capitol in the US in January 2021, as well as personal interactions with Christians and nonChristians alike, Wear takes his readers on the journey with him. He uses terms like ‘fixer gospel’ and ‘toolbox gospel’ to categorise certain aspects of our political system nowadays, as well as Willard’s Great Omission, highlighting the gap between what we profess as Christians and how we are actually living our lives. Wear says, ‘Both political sides [referring to the American system] try and reduce Christianity to an affirmation of their politics,’ before relating his points back to our true source, the Bible.
I think it is important to note that Wear doesn’t, at any point, try and persuade his readership to vote a particular way, or lean to the side of politics that he may vote for. Instead, he offers the thought that there isn’t actually any single ‘Christian’ way to vote but only ones that are carefully considered. I found his way of approaching the all-powerful – and often intimidating – topic of politics to be inviting, switching me on rather than losing my attention from the get-go. I believe, in this way, that this book would be a great resource for group discussion as well as a topic of conversation between young adults in church.
Politics shouldn’t be a taboo topic, especially for the next generation of policy-changers.
Near the end of Wear’s book, he offers his readers various affirmations and disciplines to nurture a healthier spiritual life. We can then apply these, as Christians, in our daily and politically active lives. Some of these include: solitude and silence; study; and worship. The overarching feeling is that of encouragement, breaking politics down to an expressive part of our living, and an effective way that we can help our communities.
All in all, I think Michael Wear’s book, The Spirit of Politics, ticks my ballot box when it comes to merging Christianity and the political world. Where else can you be called out for being a sheep, even unknowingly, and also built up to become a better advocate for Jesus in politics?
Have you been convinced? Well, let me leave you with this: ‘without Jesus, the person [we] used to be never would have done the things [we] do now and never could have been the person [we] are today.’
Together Magazine
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