Posits "that constructive Christian engagement depends on the belief that those made in the image of God are created not only for family life, agriculture, education, science, industry, and the arts but also for building political communities, justly ordered for the common good [and] argues that God made us to be royal stewards of public governance from the outset and that the biblical story of God's creation, judgment, and redemption of all things in Jesus Christ has everything to do with politics and government"--Amazon.com.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1. The biblical drama. God's kingdom coming -- The revealing image -- Citizenship in the kingdom -- Part 2. Key historical developments. Constantine, Augustine, and the fraught future of "Christian" politics -- From Augustine to the splintering of Christendom -- Nations, states, and Protestant reformers -- From the Reformation to contemporary engagement -- Part 3. Engaging politics today. Viewpoint as standpoint: where do we begin? -- Engagement for what kind of political community? -- Citizenship as vocation -- Family, marriage, and education -- Economics and the environment -- Politics in one world.