Discipling the Nations

"Discipling the nations" is a phrase more commonly associated with evangelism and missions than civil government. Dennis Woods makes the argument that Christ's redeeming work extends to all areas of existence, including national constitutions and public discourse. God, he says, instituted civil government because without it man will degenerate into anarchy and complete moral rebellion against God's Law. A government is only biblical, then, insofar as it regulates mankind's behavior according to the Divine standard.

It's easy for secularists to conflate this governmental responsibility with the God who put it in place, and to look to government itself for salvation. The historical and biblical proof, however, is that such elevation of humanist institutions can result only in the subjugation of people and the worship of power and immorality. Woods begins by demonstrating parallels between the biblical model of government and the constitutional form developed and set in place by America's founding fathers.

Then he proceeds to investigate in-depth all the ways in which the U.S. Constitution evidences unchristian humanistic ideals that take the ordained power of governments out of God's hands and place them in those of the people. Woods isn't suggesting we observe a strict theocracy; but in order for a human government to properly exist and function, it is necessary for its members to recognize the source of power as stemming from God rather than human beings. He explores these unbiblical ideas at the root of our governmental structure in a series of chapters, approaching the problem from a variety of angles.

But he doesn't stop there. Woods goes on to describe the biblical model for civil government, its proper function, and the many strategies and tactics by which Christians can unite to move our nation away from its secular moorings and destructive paths toward a Scripturally influenced society in which both the populace and the rulers recognize their subjection to God. This isn't your typical "let's take over the government" manual, however; Woods' ideas can actually be implemented and will have lasting effect. A review quiz and study questions at the end of each chapter make this a great choice for adult Sunday school or a high school civics course, and the message is one every Christian American desperately needs to hear and ponder.

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part I: Cracks in the Foundation
1. The Promise of the Constitution
2. The Problem with the Constitution
3. The Problem with the Constitution: Amendments and Judicial Misinterpretations
4. From Plymouth to Philadelphia - The Decline from Puritanism

Part II: A Collapsing Superstructure
5. From Philadelphia to the Present - The Descent into Judgment
6. Remodeling with a Blueprint

Part III: God's Blueprint for Civil Government
7. The Foundation of Political righteousness
8. The Form of Biblical Civil Government
9. The Function of Biblical Civil Government

Part IV: Rebuilding by the Blueprint
10. Strategy
11. Tactics
12. The Fruit of Our Labor

Endnotes
Bibliography Scripture Index
Scripture Index
Subject Index
About the Author

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.