Hijacked: Responding to the Partisan Church Divide

Rescue your church from the infiltration of partisan politics. The last 30 years have seen the political discourse within our country grow more rancorous and increasingly uncivil. During the same period, there has been a growing tendency to conflate one's theological commitments with one's political ideology. As a consequence, partisan politics has infiltrated our churches and political commitments are creating unnecessary divisions. Perhaps of most concern, these trends generally tend to obscure the properly holistic nature of the Gospel of Christ and turn people off to Christianity altogether. Too often, it often seems politics trumps theology. Sadly, this leads to division, where decisions on church direction, and even the content of teaching, gets determined more based on partisan politics than on sound biblical and theological factors. Hijacked explores this phenomenon, offers analysis, and proposes a way forward.

Dr. Charles (Chuck) Gutenson is a church consultant andformer Chief Operating Officer of Sojourners. He previously served 10 years atAsbury Seminary in Kentucky, most recently as the professor of Theology andPhilosophy. He received an M.Div. from Asbury in 1995 and a PhD inPhilosophical Theology from Southern Methodist University in 2000. A member ofthe International Society of Theta Phi, an honor society for theological students, scholars in the field of religion and outstanding religious leaders, Chuck is the author of three books (one forthcoming) and numerous articles on avariety of theological and philosophical articles.

Mike Slaughter is the Pastor Emeritus at Ginghamsburg Church. Under his leadership, Ginghamsburg Church has become known as an early innovator of small group ministry, the Church media reformation, and cyber-ministry. Mike is the author of multiple books for church leaders, including Down to Earth, The Passionate Church, Change the World, Dare to Dream, Renegade Gospel, A Different Kind of Christmas, Spiritual Entrepreneurs, Real Followers, Momentum for Life, UnLearning Church, and Upside Living in a Downside Economy.

Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., is the CEO and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization dedicated to work at the intersection of religion, values, and public life. Dr. Jones writes a weekly column at Figuring Faith, a featured blog at the Washington Post On Faith section. He is a member of the national steering committee for the Religion and Politics Section at the American Academy of Religion and is an active member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research, the American Political Science Association, and the Society of Christian Ethics. He holds a Ph.D. in religion from Emory University, and a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before founding