Ep 252: Government Officials Advancing the Gospel with Christopher Chen

In this episode I talk with Christopher Chen, author of the brand-new book Evil Empire? Government Officials as Proponents of the Gospel in Luke-Acts and Beyond, out now on Wipf and Stock, where he argues that there is a place for believers to hold positions of power even in hostile governments. In this conversation Christopher explains how God’s people often attained positions of power in the Old Testament, how the original recipient of Luke-Acts, Theophilus, is likely a government official, the prominent role centurions and government officials play in Luke’s writings, and the New Testament evidence for government officials advancing the gospel. He then reviews the varying perspectives held by leaders in the early church about Christians in government service, how this has played out in Chinese history, and how Christians who find themselves as government officials today can navigate the complex relationship between their faith and their position in government.

Additional Resources

Evil Empire?: https://a.co/d/04y1sz9G

Chris on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csychen

Brother Kevin Chin on Messiah in the OT: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-152-the-old-testament-and-the-messiah-with-kevin-chen/