The Baptists had insisted that the way Jesus made disciples was by teaching and persuasion, not by coercion. They held that the government has no competence in religion, and when it seeks to enforce faith it creates wars of religion and hypocrites who claim a faith they do not actually hold… Following a thicker Jesus rules out coercion and thus contributes to religious liberty. The sovereignty of God through all of life requires Christian responsibility in every area and thus bestows democracy to society.
Glen Harold Stassen
I am reading Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies, by David P. Gushee, which has been recommended by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of Jesus and John Wayne. Despite the cutting title, it’s a book written by a Christian, for Christians.
On page 144 we have gotten past secular analysis of “authoritarian reactionary Christianity” in the last few hundred years of history and are moving on to an apologetic of why Baptists have preferred and should prefer democracy over a dictatorship. That’s where the above quote shows up.
See my review on Bookwyrm.