Preaching and Politics: Engagement without Compromise

Today's culture war raises questions about pulpit ministry; the answers to which are often assumed but rarely thought through. Drawing on his transatlantic studies of both politics and theology, scholar-pastor Tim Trumper weighs the various homiletical approaches to political engagement. In doing so, he eschews the predominant apolitical and party-political tendencies of the day, preferring a mediating biblical-political approach that upholds the sanctity of the preacher's calling and the expository method of preaching. The result is a tract for our times, one that calls for the sermonic pre-eminence of the Kingdom of Heaven and the prophetic application of its lessons to the church and to the world.

Tim J. R. Trumper (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) is Founder and President of From His Fullness Ministries and, at the time of writing, Senior Minister elect of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (https: //www.standrewschurch.org.my/).

A native of Wales, Dr. Trumper came to faith in Christ there in 1981. Following undergraduate studies at the University of Wales (B.A. [Hons.] in Politics, 1985-1988), he trained for the Christian ministry at the Free Church of Scotland College (now Edinburgh Theological Seminary), 1989-1993. Having begun his preaching ministry in 1989, he has ministered internationally since 1993, initially combining itinerant ministry with his doctoral research. During his research, he studied for a year at the Eberhard Karl Universitaet, Tuebingen, Germany.

Migrating to Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in 1999, Dr. Trumper taught systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and pastored there in Pennsylvania (1999-2007). Thereafter, he served as Senior Minister of Seventh Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan (2007-2017), ministering weekly on radio and monthly on local and national Christian television. He has been privileged to serve as guest chaplain at both the State Senate of Pennsylvania (2007) and the Michigan House of Representatives (2013).

As President of From His Fullness Ministries, he functions as Minister-at Large, preaching and teaching church leaders on different continents, producing for individuals and congregations to distribute an outreach quarterly, "The Way", available in English, Spanish, Italian, and French.

Throughout, Tim has owed an incalculable debt to God's grace, and, over thirty years, has become a recognized authority on the grace of adoption. The second edition of When History Teaches Us Nothing: The Recent Reformed Sonship Debate in Context is kindly published by Wipf and Stock to coincide with the publication of his groundbreaking study Adoption: A Road to Retrieval (From His Fullness Ministries, 2022).

Dr. Trumper is married to Brenda. They enjoy serving the Lord together, their dogs, travel, and outdoor pursuits.