Co-missioners,
The divisions in today’s America were on stark display last Saturday. In Washington D.C. a parade was held to honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U .S. Army and, whether coincidentally or deliberately, to celebrate the current president’s birthday. Meanwhile crowds gathered in cities and towns across the country to express a vigorous discontent with this same president. One can take it for granted that professing Christians participated in all these events, whether in person or in spirit. One can also assume quite safely that those who celebrated the birthday would find it all but impossible to discuss this sensibly with those who went to the protests, and vice versa. America’s Christians, as with Americans in general, are at bitter odds right now. Unspeakably at odds, to put it precisely.
Hence the timeliness of today’s contribution. It’s a book review by Paul Theiss, a retired pastor in California who once upon a time was a member of Seminex’s first graduating class (1974). You have encountered him in the latest Crossings newsletter. Paul attended a protest this past Saturday. This will surprise nobody who knows him. It also adds to the urgency of his contribution. He wants all of us to think with him about the challenge not only of talking to those “other Christians,” but tougher still, of loving them.
Peace and Joy,
The Crossings Community
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A Review of Caleb E. Campbell’s Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor (Intervarsity Press, 2024. 198 pp, including detailed notes)
by Paul Theiss
Paul Theiss served as pastor of parishes in California, Nevada, and Arkansas. He has written articles for Thursday Theology and for the weekly Crossings text studies.
Preachers know that it’s easier to describe sin than to portray a godly life. Or, to use our Crossings in-house language, “External Problem” (D1) comes to mind sooner than “External Solution” (P6). As many of us have discovered, getting from 1 to 6 involves a deep dive into the human predicament, followed by a Spirit-lifted ascent.
Caleb Campbell, lead pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, might find our Crossings vocabulary to be a bit arcane, but he knows the deep dive and the breathtaking ascent. His Introduction describes his own personal journey from condemning his Christian Nationalist friends to a humble, Spirit-led dialogue. The bridge from one way to the other, he says, is the path of a missionary into a foreign land: to know the culture of Christian Nationalism, learn its language and grow to love its people.
Many of those attending the Crossings Conference of January 2025 showed interest in the problem of American Christian Nationalism. Since then a number of us have been working on statements to counter its claims. In May as we neared the end of our project and prepared to share the statements with the Crossings community, we asked some friends to read them and comment. Dr. Ted Peters of California thoughtfully responded, “I wonder if you could add a … statement with pastoral advice on how to be a responsible citizen in the midst of our crisis.” Ted’s advice cut me to the quick. We were spending lots of energy on D1, describing the sin, but stopping short of P6, how to live the Gospel in the present social turmoil.
Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor – Caleb E Campbell
Book Cover
Campbells’ book does that without skipping any steps between 1 and 6. His first chapters describe “Leviathan,” as he calls it, covering ground that’s been plowed by many other writers. By the time I reached page 89 I was wondering when he’d get to the promise of the book’s subtitle. But the next four chapters are the payoff.
While Leviathan calls its followers to be culture warriors, Jesus calls his followers to be ministers of reconciliation. Warriors look to win the war by defeating and dominating the bad guys. Missionaries strive to be peacemakers, winning the hearts of their mission field through service, love, and restoration (p.90).
Chapter 5 is a brief review of basic communications skills (I needed that). Chapter 6 is a call to prayer and personal repentance (Ouch! I needed that, too). It’s as though Campbell is taking us down through D3, Eternal Problem, and over to P4, Eternal Solution, before leading us upward. The solution is love, God’s love in Christ, which Cambell calls “cruciform power.” Chapter 7 is a brilliant field guide to conversation with our Christian Nationalist dialogue partners. Seven detailed steps take us from listening to identifying possible areas of agreement to what he calls “humble subversion,” all in an atmosphere of respect. To illustrate the process, Campbell gives thirteen Christian Nationalist beliefs, for example, “Immigrants are ruining America,” and tackles each one step by step. He warns that beliefs change over time, and cautions against debate. “These are not formulaic scripts but rather starting points for heart-to-heart conversations…and I encourage you to customize them according to your context,” (p. 141). He concludes the chapter by encouraging the reader to “create your own field guide.”
Self-help books are legion in the Christian publishing world. Campbell’s work has two rare gifts in an even rarer combination: Law/Gospel theology and user-friendly guidance. He speaks humbly but powerfully to the present crisis in our church and our country.
June 2025
Vallejo, California
1 comment
Thank you Paul! Your review of this book and using Crossing’s Matrix to do so is enlightening and helpful. I have resolutely refrained from the popular workshop topic of “Christian Nationalism,” seeking to avoid demonizing conservative Christians. I consistently find myself caught between progressive and conservative labels both theologically and politically. Based on your review of Campbell’s book–I’ve got some reading, thinking and praying to do! Again, thank you!