Ep. 104 | Political Theology Needs the Old Testament

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of the Old Testament in understanding political theology and its implications for contemporary evangelical thought.

When Christians attempt to derive political principles from the New Testament absent the context of the Old Testament, the result is sloppy political theology. But why is that? Providence Magazine Managing Editor James Diddams is joined by Tim Milosch, lecturer in politics at Biola University and Providence Contributing Editor, to discuss how the moral framework of the Old Testament can help Christians better understand the teachings of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament. In particular, Milosch and Diddams examine three major excesses in contemporary evangelical political theology: propheticism, pacifism, and cosmopolitanism. Each represents a legitimate category of political reflection that can serve an important role, but which can also become distorted when detached from the interpretive lens of the Old Testament. Milosch and Diddams also discuss how the Vietnam War contributed to a significant shift in how the Bible's message was interpreted. Articles referenced: Milosch, Tim. "Our Political Theology Shouldn't Start at Romans 13." Providence: A Journal of Christianity & American Foreign Policy , November 2023…

People in this episode

Host: James Diddams

Guest: Tim Milosch

Topics covered

• political theology
• Old Testament
• New Testament
• evangelicalism
• Vietnam War
• Christian principles

Keywords

• political theology
• Old Testament
• New Testament
• evangelicalism
• propheticism
• pacifism
• cosmopolitanism
• Vietnam War

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Biola University, Providence Magazine

Books & works: Our Political Theology Shouldn't Start at Romans 13, 'Jesus Christ: Refugee' and Other Fallacies in the Immigration Debate

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