Faithful Living in the New Public Square

 

Summary

In our discussion today, we explored the intersection of faith and public policy, focusing on how Christians can live faithfully in the new public square. Jennifer Marshall from the Heritage Foundation shared insights into the role of her organization in shaping public policy, particularly in areas like family, community, and religious liberty. She emphasized the importance of strengthening fundamental institutions such as family and religious congregations to ensure a thriving society. This involves addressing issues like healthcare, education, and welfare, and ensuring that government policies do not inhibit the flourishing of these institutions.

Jennifer also highlighted the significance of understanding the public square from a theological perspective. She discussed the Institute of Theology and Public Life at Reformed Theological Seminary, which aims to apply reformed theological learning to public policy issues. This involves a deep understanding of politics as the organization of communal life, which requires Christians to consider biblical teachings on human nature, creation, and the purpose of life.

Dr. Stephen Nichols from Reformation Bible College added to the conversation by emphasizing the importance of theological education in understanding and engaging with public policy. He noted that issues like human identity, common grace, and natural law are deeply rooted in biblical theology and are essential for navigating the complexities of modern society. Dr. Nichols also stressed the value of grounding students in the good, the true, and the beautiful, as these principles are foundational for living a life that honors God and contributes positively to society.

As we navigate the challenges of the new public square, it is crucial for Christians to articulate their beliefs clearly and engage in constructive dialogue with those who hold different views. This involves understanding the biblical foundations of human nature and community and applying these insights to contemporary issues. By doing so, Christians can contribute to a society that respects religious freedom and promotes human flourishing.

Key Takeaways:

1. Strengthening Fundamental Institutions: The family and religious congregations are vital for a thriving society. Government policies should support, not hinder, these institutions to ensure they can fulfill their roles effectively. This involves addressing issues like healthcare, education, and welfare with a focus on empowering individuals and communities. [02:07]

2. Theological Perspective on Public Policy: Understanding the public square requires a theological lens. Christians must consider biblical teachings on human nature, creation, and the purpose of life to engage meaningfully with public policy issues. This approach helps in addressing the complexities of modern society. [06:13]

3. Value of Theological Education: A theological education provides essential insights into issues like human identity, common grace, and natural law. These are crucial for understanding and engaging with public policy, as they offer a biblical framework for navigating societal challenges. [15:16]

4. Articulating Beliefs Clearly: In the face of societal challenges, Christians must articulate their beliefs clearly and engage in dialogue with those who hold different views. This involves understanding the biblical foundations of human nature and community and applying these insights to contemporary issues. [21:16]

5. Optimism in Faithful Living: Despite societal challenges, Christians have reason for optimism. By focusing on their calling and serving others, they can contribute to a society that respects religious freedom and promotes human flourishing. This involves renewing minds through Scripture and engaging with different callings to apply God's will in various areas. [56:15]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:13] - Introduction of Guests
- [01:13] - Heritage Foundation Overview
- [02:07] - Importance of Family and Community
- [04:05] - Institutes at Heritage Foundation
- [05:11] - Institute of Theology and Public Life
- [06:13] - Understanding the Public Square
- [07:24] - Biblical Foundations of Human Life
- [08:19] - Role of Christians in Society
- [10:04] - Faith and Public Policy
- [12:45] - Preparing Students for the Public Square
- [14:59] - Theological Education and Public Policy
- [19:21] - Collision of Worldviews
- [22:21] - Lightning Round on Current Issues
- [39:22] - Church's Role in Politics
- [47:34] - New Public Square
- [55:57] - Optimism for Christians

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: Living Faithfully in the New Public Square

Bible Reading:
1. Genesis 1:26-28 - Creation of humanity in God's image.
2. Romans 12:1-2 - Renewing of the mind and living as a living sacrifice.
3. Romans 13:1-7 - The role of government and the Christian's response.

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Observation Questions:

1. What are the fundamental institutions that Jennifer Marshall emphasizes as vital for a thriving society, and why are they important? [02:07]

2. How does Dr. Stephen Nichols describe the role of theological education in understanding public policy? [15:16]

3. What are some of the societal challenges mentioned in the sermon that require Christians to articulate their beliefs clearly? [21:16]

4. According to the sermon, what is the significance of understanding the public square from a theological perspective? [06:13]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the concept of being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) influence the way Christians should engage with public policy issues? [07:08]

2. In what ways does Romans 12:1-2 encourage Christians to approach societal challenges differently than the secular world might? [41:39]

3. How can the principles outlined in Romans 13:1-7 guide Christians in their interactions with government policies that may conflict with their faith? [41:56]

4. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between faith and public policy, and how can this understanding impact a Christian's daily life? [10:04]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on the role of family and religious congregations in your life. How can you actively contribute to strengthening these institutions in your community? [02:07]

2. Consider the importance of theological education as discussed in the sermon. How can you deepen your understanding of biblical teachings to better engage with public policy issues? [15:16]

3. Identify a contemporary issue in the public square that challenges your faith. How can you articulate your beliefs clearly and engage in constructive dialogue about this issue? [21:16]

4. Think about a time when you felt your religious freedom was challenged. How did you respond, and what might you do differently in the future to uphold your beliefs? [23:27]

5. The sermon mentions optimism in faithful living despite societal challenges. What specific steps can you take to focus on your calling and serve others in your community? [56:15]

6. How can you apply the biblical principles of human nature and community to address a specific issue in your local area? [06:13]

7. Reflect on the concept of renewing your mind through Scripture. What practical steps can you take this week to align your thoughts and actions with God's will? [41:03]

Devotional

Day 1: Strengthening Society Through Family and Faith
The family and religious congregations are foundational to a thriving society. These institutions provide the support and guidance necessary for individuals to flourish. Government policies should empower these institutions, ensuring they can effectively fulfill their roles in areas like healthcare, education, and welfare. By focusing on strengthening these fundamental institutions, society can create an environment where individuals and communities are empowered to thrive. [02:07]

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." (Psalm 127:1, ESV)

Reflection: Consider your own family and faith community. How can you actively contribute to strengthening these institutions in your daily life?


Day 2: Viewing Public Policy Through a Theological Lens
Understanding the public square requires a theological perspective. Christians are called to engage with public policy by considering biblical teachings on human nature, creation, and the purpose of life. This approach allows believers to address the complexities of modern society with wisdom and insight. By applying a theological lens, Christians can engage meaningfully with public policy issues, ensuring that their contributions are grounded in biblical truth. [06:13]

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." (Romans 13:1, ESV)

Reflection: How can you incorporate biblical teachings into your understanding of current public policy issues?


Day 3: The Role of Theological Education in Public Engagement
A theological education provides essential insights into issues like human identity, common grace, and natural law. These concepts are deeply rooted in biblical theology and are crucial for understanding and engaging with public policy. By grounding themselves in the good, the true, and the beautiful, Christians can navigate societal challenges with a biblical framework that honors God and contributes positively to society. [15:16]

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you seek out theological education to better understand and engage with the world around you?


Day 4: Articulating Beliefs in a Diverse Society
In the face of societal challenges, Christians must articulate their beliefs clearly and engage in dialogue with those who hold different views. This involves understanding the biblical foundations of human nature and community and applying these insights to contemporary issues. By doing so, Christians can contribute to a society that respects religious freedom and promotes human flourishing. [21:16]

"Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent conversation where you could have shared your beliefs more clearly. How can you prepare to articulate your faith with gentleness and respect in future interactions?


Day 5: Optimism in Faithful Living
Despite societal challenges, Christians have reason for optimism. By focusing on their calling and serving others, they can contribute to a society that respects religious freedom and promotes human flourishing. This involves renewing minds through Scripture and engaging with different callings to apply God's will in various areas. By living faithfully, Christians can be a source of hope and transformation in the world. [56:15]

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can focus on serving others and living out your calling with renewed optimism?

Quotes



The Heritage Foundation has been around for more than 40 years. We're a public policy think tank dedicated to informing leaders at the national level about public policy issues that they're dealing with. So we're dealing with members of Congress, federal agency members, and we're specifically dedicated to advancing free market economics, a strong national defense, and traditional American values. [00:01:38]

These are the areas when you think about health care and education, welfare, these are the areas that are about our most basic human needs, and our government has become very deeply entwined in Americans' daily lives in these areas. So we're trying to address how we can do better, how we can think more about these permanent and fundamental institutions of family, religious congregations. [00:02:39]

We have created a series of classes and a program of study that people can pursue whether they are pastors preparing to lead a congregation in which there may be a number of people who are in public policy careers, or if they are simply public policy practitioners who are interested in coming and doing theological study much like I myself did. [00:05:38]

What politics is about is much more vast than that. It's really about how do we order and organize our lives together in a community, in society. And if that's the question, well, that suddenly enlarges the conversation to be very broad and something we need to think about the institutions of family, the institution of church. [00:06:29]

As Christians, we need to particularly think about what the Bible has to say about that, what God has to say about how we should arrange our lives on this earth. That makes us go back to very basic questions: what's the purpose of human life, what's the end of human existence, and how should we be thinking about conveying that to others? [00:07:02]

I think one thing it does is to make me think deeply about the diagnosis of what's going on around us. So often the kinds of policy discussions that we have here in Washington are reduced to material concerns, and as Christians, we know that human beings are not merely material beings. We are in relation to a transcendent God. [00:10:04]

The way we've gone about fighting poverty over the last 50 years in the war on poverty has really been that predominantly materialistic definition of what's at issue. That if we could simply get enough resources into an individual's hands, into a household's environment, then that would be fighting poverty and overcoming poverty. Unfortunately, that kind of a solution has proven to be very ineffective. [00:10:50]

We need to be clearly forming young people to understand what the Christian confession says with regard to human nature and the purpose of human beings, the nature of community, what it means to be made in relation to the opposite sex, why that matters, how we're going to organize society. [00:20:19]

Knowing the truth and being able to articulate that in ways that contribute to a healthy and constructive public discourse, then they guard the enormous challenges for a similar time. Well, I know that for many Christians, it feels like a very overwhelming time, even if they're not extremely politically literate. [00:22:01]

If we believe that God transforms hearts and lives, then we have to believe also that God transforms culture and society. And he does that through the transformation of our individual lives, but also in the ways that we understand better through the lens of Scripture what the purpose of a family is, what the purpose of the church is, what the purpose of government is. [00:39:48]

We need to promote loving relationships within a family. That's a good thing, and we have something at stake in that, and we have something to say to that. Edwards uses the word approbation and reprobation, and when we see approbation behaviors, behaviors that are in keeping with God's law and natural law and God's design for relationships, we have something at stake there. [00:44:14]

Absolutely, we have a wonderful God, and there is always a remnant, and we need to be looking at what is our responsibility in this moment. We're not called to be the pundit who calls the outcome of this particular episode. We are called to be faithful to what we've been given to do here and now, and that is a reason for optimism. [00:56:15]

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Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?