Disarming Leviathan by Caleb Campbell Book Review

About the Book:

Pastor Caleb Campbell has watched as Christian nationalism has taken over large swaths of the United States. And he's suffered the relational fallout of standing against it, both in his community and his church.

Campbell argues that while it's possible to be both a Christian and hold Christian nationalist ideas, Christian nationalism itself is an un-Christian worldview, rooted in ideas about power, race, and property that are irreconcilable with Christian faith. Campbell has come to see himself as a missionary to Christian nationalists, reaching out to them with the love and freedom found in Christ.

Disarming Leviathan aims to:

• provide a deeper understanding of the modern American Christian Nationalist movements and their relationship to American Evangelicalism.
• explore reasons why so many of our loved ones are committed to it.
• equip Jesus-followers with loving, hospitable methods for engaging American Christian Nationalists.
• provide graciously subversive methods for responding to American Christian Nationalist rhetoric, beliefs, and practices.

Christian nationalism has become an established feature of the American political landscape. With Disarming Leviathan, you can be prepared to confront it with compassion and hospitality, and with the truth of the good news of Jesus.

My Review:

Campbell was surprised at what he saw Christians doing and promoting in 2020. He saw people putting hope in Christian Nationalism rather than Jesus. He realized Scripture was being misappropriated by some for their own purpose. He saw some people encouraging acts of aggression, racism and hatred. He decided to get to know the movement and the people involved, attending their meetings and reading their literature.

Why does he call the movement Leviathan? “Early Christians understood Leviathan as a metaphor for evil, a spiritual power that worked to lead people away from God.” (41) “...Christians would be deceived into following leaders and powers that present themselves as godly but are secretly working in ways contrary to the kingdom of God.” (42) The first half of the book is an intense look at the character of Christian Nationalism and how it works. He shows how the movement leverages the spiritual power of Leviathan. (62)

He developed the idea of reaching Christian Nationalists with the hope-filled message of the Kingdom of God, much like a missionary would do in non-Christian environments. The aim is drawing them back to the way of Jesus. That is the focus of the second half of the book. He advocates genuine relationships and gives suggested ways to find common ground, establish dialogue and discuss beliefs, drawing attention to the teachings of Jesus regarding the poor and disenfranchised. He provides a number of suggested conversations.

This is a hard hitting book. I highly recommend it to Christians willing to take a serious look at their beliefs. It is also great for Jesus following Christians who want to know how to talk to their Christian Nationalist relatives and neighbors.  Campbell suggests going to http://disarmingleviathan.com for additional resources such as a list of informative books to read.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

About the Author:

Caleb Campbell has been a pastor at Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona, since 2006 and lead pastor since 2015. He is a doctoral student at Fuller Theological Seminary and serves as the regional director for the Surge Network. He lives in Phoenix with his wife and children.

IVP, 208 pages.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)