What does it mean to be an "American Christian"? How does Christianity relate to politics? In an age where public discourse is so toxic, should Christians avoid politics altogether? Should Christians just preach the gospel and leave politics alone?

In the United States, we're just months away from an election year. There's no question that in 2019 our public discourse can be really toxic, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to be faithfully Christian in the political realm in a secular age. It's likely that in a topic that's loaded with hot-button issues, you've had some of the same questions listed above. So what do we do about this?

In this episode of the podcast, Jonathan is joined by Dr. Bruce Ashford, author of the new book Letters to an American Christian. They'll answers these questions, as well as discuss how Christianity speaks to various hot-button issues, whether some issues are more important than others, what it means to balance patriotism with the fact that we are Kingdom citizens, Scriptural passages that help us build a solid theology of political engagement, and how the Bible helps us speak a good word into a difficult moment in American politics.

Dr. Bruce Ashford is Provost and Dean of Faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary where he also serves as Professor of Theology and Culture. He is a Senior Fellow in Public Theology at the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, and a Research Fellow at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is the author of several books including *Letters to an American Christian*, One Nation Under God: A Christian Hope for American Politics, and Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engagement for Christians. You can find more resources from Dr. Ashford online at BruceAshford.net, and follow him on Twitter here.