Church Potluck: A Smorgasbord of Christian Curiosity
A Smorgasbord of Christian Curiosity! Church Potluck serves up thoughtful, friendly, informal conversation at the intersection of Christianity and contemporary culture. Just like a church potluck, we offer variety: a variety of topics, a variety of academic disciplines, and a variety of Christian traditions. Guests are friends and colleagues who are also experts in the fields of sociology, political science, theology, philosophy, divinity, and more.
Church Potluck: A Smorgasbord of Christian Curiosity
Christians and Political Power: Sovereignty, Stewardship, or Servanthood? (Thoughts on Christian Nationalism)
This week’s Church Potluck looks a little different than usual. With guests postponed and a winter storm rolling across the country, Dale flies solo—no roundtable conversation, no lively banter, just a thoughtful monologue shaped like a Bible study.
The focus, however, could not be more timely. Few topics divide Christians today more deeply than the question of power—Christian nationalism, political power, national identity, moral authority, and how Christian faith should shape public life. Drawing from Scripture and history, Dale explores three broad Christian approaches to power: sovereignty, stewardship, and servanthood. Along the way, he reflects on Israel’s demand for a king, the Bible’s growing caution toward human authority, Jesus’ repeated rejection of domination, and Paul’s vision of Christ’s self-emptying love in Philippians 2. The episode does not pretend that all viewpoints are equally convincing—but it seeks to approach disagreement with humility, theological clarity, and genuine grace toward those who see these questions differently.
The views expressed on Church Potluck are solely those of the participants and do not represent any organization.
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