Ep 317: Prophetic Witness as a Faithful Antidote to Christian Nationalism, with Nilay Saiya

In this episode, Doug Stuart speaks with Nilay Saiya, author of The Global Politics of Jesus: A Christian Case for Church-State Separation. They discuss the two primary ways Christians approach politics and what those errors are. Nilay discusses these approaches in juxtaposition to so-called "Christian Nationalism." He posits a third approach which he believes is aligned with historic Two Kingdoms theology and borrows from Catholic social teaching. He called this approach, Prophetic Witness.

Nilay Saiya is assistant professor of public policy and global affairs at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. His research concerns the influence of religion on global politics. He is author of the book Weapon of Peace: How Religious Liberty Combats Terrorism (2018). He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

Main Points of Discussion:
00:00    Introduction
04:19    How is Christian nationalism distinct from Christians having a voice in governance?
05:56    Why can't much political theology cannot be reconciled with the teachings of Christ?
09:53    Is there a proper way to "take America back for God?"
14:00    How does the church see itself? Is it the new (nation) Israel?
15:43    Living as strangers and exiles; Christianism; political detachment
19:43    Two kingdoms theology - kingdom of the world and of the cross
26:46    Third approach: prophetic witness and faithful presence
29:07    The value of Catholic social teaching
29:45    When confusing prophetic witness with political activism (dual citizenship)
32:49    Godless people elected to power and the Christian response
36:37    Do we need elected officials who will listen to Christians?
39:40    Are the Sojourners Christian nationalists but on the left?
42:50    How do we live out the prophetic witness?
44:28    Closing thoughts

Additional Resources:
- https://sites.google.com/site/nilayjsaiya/home?authuser=0 
- The Global Politics of Jesus: A Christian Case for Church-State Separation: https://amzn.to/3ZLxLrd