The colonial church was critical in training the founding generation on biblical principles for governing justly. When England governed unjustly over a long period of time with no intention of changing course, the leaders of the Continental Congress confronted their civil authority. After many years trying to reconcile, they saw no other option but to follow the biblical template for starting a new nation. They drafted the Declaration of Independence, and God blessed their effort.
For many generations, the church embraced its stewardship role to pass on these principles, but for the last fifty years, the modern church has turned away from this responsibility. Is citizenship optional for Christians? What is the compelling biblical argument for active Christian citizenship? This book lays out this citizenship role in strikingly clear terms backed by thousands of verses. All the common objections to political engagement are addressed, pointing the reader to the unescapable conclusion: The Duty Is Ours.
Mark Burrell is originally from Pennsylvania and grew up in the Episcopal Church where he accepted Christ as a teenager. He attended Penn State University and met his wife, Charlene, in 1980. They married in 1983 and moved to northeast Pennsylvania a year later where Mark began his career in the private sector. While living there they helped start several independent Bible churches that continue today. In 1987 Mark developed a mentoring relationship with an experienced pastor and spent several years studying Systematic Theology. He began a teaching ministry in the early 1990 covering a variety of topics, and in the late 90 became interested in Biblical aspects of the American founding.