Summary Of Doug Bandow's 'Beyond Good Intentions'

Bandow, Doug. Beyond Good Intentions: A Biblical

View of Politics. Crossway Books, 1995. In Philippians 3:20, Paul writes that “our citizenship is in Heaven’, pointing to the idea that we as Christians are Heaven-bound and need to resist getting too caught up in worldly issues. That stated, we cannot just ignore what is going on in the world. Instead, we need a healthy balance. In the book Beyond Good Intentions: A Biblical View of Politics by Doug Bandow, this healthy balance and connection with Christianity and Politics is discussed, analyzed, and investigated. Bandow’s biggest teaching throughout this book is how to address political issues from a Christian perspective and keeping your thought in line with the Bible. He highlights the

Preceding the chapter about the role of the government, Bandow writes a chapter called Applying Biblical Principles. He starts the chapter with “First, the Bible does not speak to every human problem. Of course, it deals in great detail with the most fundamental issue of man’s existence, his relationship with God. And if everyone Zealously followed God, we would face far fewer of the problems that people no try to resolve in the public square” (Bandow 139). He is right in stating that the Bible does not provide one answer to every problem. But the Bible explains where every human problem stems from- sin; If sin is present, so are human issues. 1 John 5:8 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” This verse is a testament to how the issues of this world of due to

One topic he addresses is abortion. He writes that most Christians are pro-life while many other people are not. The Bible does not specifically touch on the topic of abortion, but that is because in that time, abortion was not really an option. Off of that, the importance of life is expressed greatly in the Bible. Jeremiah writes that before we were even born, God had a plan for us. As he formed us in our mother’s womb, he knew us and loved us. He called us His children. The Bible expresses that life is to be valued, and life begins in the womb. In the Old Testament, when a man got a woman pregnant leading to an injury or death to the mother or baby, the man was to have his life taken. In terms of abortion, this points to God stating that abortion is not sound or just. Many argue that Abortion helps the lives of the mother and protects children from harmful and unwanted situations. But how can we judge the condition of one’s life if they aren’t even born yet? From a biblical standpoint, abortion is not okay and not God’s will. God’s will bring mercy and justice, while abortion (which is also sin) does not. Although, this biblical standpoint is not supported by everyone. Bandow argues that making abortion illegal would not solve the issue alone. Instead. We as Christians need to be diligent and raise awareness about the effects of abortion, support single or unwed parents, have counseling