City of Man, Kingdom of God

When government overreaches, how are Christians supposed to respond? What should we do when governments act outside their God-given scope of authority? The Bible commands Christians to submit to government, but what if government restrictions interfere with worship?

City of Man, Kingdom of God: Why Christians Respect, Obey, and Resist Government answers these questions by looking first to Scripture, then to church history. Guiding readers through key passages in Genesis, Ecclesiastes, Romans, and the Gospels, Pastor Jesse Johnson traces the broad yet limited scope of authority God has given government. Then he maps out where the Christian's duty to obey begins and ends.

"When government does what is right by protecting rights given by God, then it is owed obedience, submission, and honor," Johnson writes. "But when government violates those rights, Christians are no longer bound to submit to laws that do not serve the purpose for which God made government."

Developing the Puritans' understanding of religious freedom, Johnson shows how Christ followers have reasoned through this tension in past centuries, and he identifies biblical principles for navigating government restrictions in the future.