Innes and Harper Launch New Book with Debate

Dr. David C. Innes, professor of politics at The King’s College, and Lisa Harper held a launch party for their new book, Left, Right, and Christ, Thursday at 7 pm at Union Theological Seminary.

The party was open to the general public, and a wide variety of individuals were present, including some King’s students and faculty. It was held in James Chapel and featured a speech by each co-author and a subsequent debate on various elements of Christian involvement in politics. Present on the debate panel were authors Harper and Innes, Kirsten Powers (moderating), Jim Wallis (Sojourners) and Richard Land (SBC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission).

Left, Right, and Christ attempts to show both sides of the Democrat vs. Republican debate within Christianity. During the debate, Innes, a Christian Republican, and Harper, a Christian Democrat, discussed the interpretation and societal application of Scripture, health care, education, labor unions and laws, and taxes.

A Q&A session followed the debate. Audience members raised questions on topics such as predominance of black Americans in jails, the influence of technology on our values, and the differences in perspective of blacks and whites in reading the Bible.

“Our lives are complicated, distorted by the Fall. We need to look at our experiences through the lens of Scripture,” Innes said. “So we’re looking at politics through the lens of Scripture, but we come to different conclusions.”

Harper says these differences come from the influence of their respective backgrounds—Innes as a white male and a Republican Christian and Harper as a black female and Democrat Christian. “White and black evangelicals are the farthest apart politically,” Harper said, “because [they’re so close theologically and] they’re responding to each other.”

Left, Right, and Christ can be purchased online on Amazon or LeftRightandChrist.com.