Crossless Christianity vs The Witness
Before Project 2025, there was Grudem’s Politics
By Ben Marsh - Posted at Substack:
I had the unique distinction of writing the most-liked negative review of Wayne Grudem’s 2010 “Politics—According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture.” Grudem’s book was a Project 2025 but with prooftexting: a massive tome of specific policies that he claimed the Bible absolutely required Christians to support and vote for candidates who align with them.This list included absurdities like specific proposals (often with granular detail) about national defense, foreign policy, you name it, a perfect encapsulation of the falsehood permeating evangelicalism that if you have a Bible somewhere in your house you have sufficient resource to become and expert in every matter under the sun. For example, Grudem confidently reasons that “we must maintain enough nuclear weapons to keep any potential aggressors from thinking they can win” and whole-chestedly supports iron dome-like missile defense systems. “If anybody builds more weapons, peaceful nations will build more defenses, and stay ahead. the goal: that non-aggressor nations (democratic nations) always stay ahead. – as far ahead as possible,” he wrote in his Sunday School notes preparing the book. So Scripture requires us, dear Christian, to have more weapons - as many as possible - than any other nations on earth…
But the true sin of the book, the one which carried my critique, was this: Grudem never discussed the Cross of Christ. The climax where the most powerful government to ever exist enacted the death penalty against the very God of the universe has nothing at all to bring to bear on our discussion of politics, according to Grudem. The cross warrants no conversation and, importantly, is not itself a warrant for any Christian behavior or analysis regarding politics at all.
