Dual Citizens is a collection of nearly one hundred editorials and articles on politics from the past half-century of Christianity Today magazine. The collection demonstrates a continuous evangelical engagement with political issues of moral import over the past fifty years. Both Republican and Democratic voices are included, but the dominant perspective in the collection is a nonpartisan centrist evangelicalism that combines opposition to abortion and racial injustice with support for foreign wars against moral evils (such as communism or international terrorism) and, above all, encouragement for Christians to bring their moral concerns into politics.
As with many primary source anthologies, the concerns of the present often influence what is highlighted from the past. Potentially embarrassing editorials are generally omitted. The selections on race relations present a consistent condemnation of racial discrimination; Christianity Today's editorials against Martin Luther King Jr.'s “lawbreaking” in the mid-1960s are not included. Likewise, on abortion, the collection does not mention evangelicals’ cautious openness to abortion liberalization efforts in the late 1960s and instead showcases editorials that suggest a more consistent pro-life stance.
Despite these minor caveats, this is a treasure trove of evangelical primary source material not found in other anthologies. Dual Citizens shows that evangelical politics have often been more thoughtful and nuanced—and less uniformly partisan—than many assume. For those who want to look beyond the Religious Right and hear the voices of the more moderate evangelical center-right, this primary source collection will be of interest.
