Christianity Today Book Awards finalist

I am pleased to report that my book, Citizenship Without Illusions, which has been out for just over a year, has been designated a finalist under the category of Politics and Public Life for the Christianity Today Book Awards. Read all about it here, along with the winners and finalists in the other categories. I am grateful for this affirmation of my work by what is arguably the premier journal in the evangelical world in the United States.

Philosophy in full colour

This past saturday, 29 November, an event was held to launch a new book: The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977): A Hopeful Philosophy for our Time. Co-authored by Maarten Verkerk, Gerrit Glas, and Suzan Sierksma-Agteres, it was translated into English by David Hanson and published by Amsterdam University Press. From the publisher's website:

The work of Herman Dooyeweerd is currently attracting global interest. From the United States to Korea, from New Zealand to Brazil, and from the United Kingdom to South Africa, professionals across various disciplines—philosophers, engineers, politicians, economists, and others—are expanding upon his ideas within their respective fields. At the same time, his work is becoming increasingly relevant as contemporary society displays characteristics reminiscent of those observed in European culture a century ago. The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977): A Hopeful Philosophy for our Time introduces his most significant concepts and numerous examples of their contemporary applications.

CARE UK conversation

As I have done every year for the past few years, I was privileged last friday morning (afternoon London time) to speak with the latest group of British young people who are part of the CARE Leadership Programme. CARE stands for Christian Action, Research, and Education. According to the organization's website,

At CARE, our vision is to see Politics Renewed and Lives Transformed. We believe that politics and government, at their best, can be a real force for good in our nation. We hold the conviction that the Bible tells a better story for our broken world, a story that benefits society as a whole. By actively participating in politics, we help shape it to be the best it can be. Our vision is to create a society where everyone flourishes, exactly as God intends.

The young people in this programme are working for members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. They recently read my Political Visions and Illusions, which was the principal focus of our conversation together. May God bless them as they seek to serve him in public life.

Robert Putnam and an Italian referendum

One of the more significant studies in my discipline of political science is Robert Putnam's award-winning Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy. I used to have my students reading this book, because it demonstrates the durability of political cultures over many centuries and their power to make or break political institutions. I was reminded of Putnam's study when I recently came across this map:

As many will be aware, the Italian peninsula was politically divided between the end of Roman/Byzantine rule and the mid 19th century, when the Kingdom of Sardinia united the various realms into a single Italian kingdom under the House of Savoy. There was no inevitability to this union, and even today many linguists are wont to speak of the languages of Italy rather than of a single Italian language with dialectal differences.

The poverty of left and right

In chapter 1 of Political Visions and Illusions, I call into question the use of left and right as labels for identifying people's political leanings for three principal reasons: First, the issues covered by these labels are constantly changing and are thus relative to these issues from one age to the next. Second, the notion of a left-right spectrum is one dimensional and thus unable to cover the full diversity of issues by which people measure their political convictions. Third, it does not adequately account for the religious differences underpinning these convictions. I hint at a fourth reason in the book: "Often these terms are used in a derisive fashion as a way of discrediting those with whom we disagree" (19). People caught up in this bipolar categorization are typically unable to see the moments of truth in the convictions of those on the opposite side. Moreover, they tend to engage in a strategy of assigning guilt by association. If Stalin is a leftist, then even moderate socialists are deemed guilty of his crimes against the Russian people. If Hitler is a rightist, then even classical liberals and tradtionalists must bear the burden of his guilt.

Given my general discomfort with using these labels, I find myself resonating with Andres Acevedo's argument in this video. Take 15 minutes to watch it in full.

According to his website, Andres Acevedo is a "Stockholm-based video essayist, motion designer and freelance content creator" who once worked as a lawyer.

Recent activities for November 2025

My Global Scholars newsletter for 2025 is now posted. Included this month are my thoughts on a controversial billboard, two podcast interviews, a response to a question whether a famous Dutchman would wear a MAGA hat, and a round table discussion on Christian Nationalism. Please consider making a contribution to my work as we near year's end. As always, I am grateful for your support.

An Evangelical's Guide to Christian Nationalism: posted

Last week's conversation on Christian Nationalism has now been posted online. Listen here:

Social media stardom

The recent tragic death of Charlie Kirk, the young founder of Turning Point USA, prompted these thoughts from me: Social media stardom. An excerpt:

Kirk was one of a number of mostly younger men who have gained a following through astute use of social media. At one time fame and fortune generally came to those who were willing to be slotted into existing institutions and channels associated with the stage, cinema, print journalism, publishing, radio and television. Film stars, for example, were discovered by studio executives or their minions and found their lives circumscribed by the studio system.

Not anymore.

Read the entire article here. 

An Evangelical's Guide to American Christian Nationalism

Tomorrow I will be participating in an online symposium titled, "An Evangelical's Guide to American Christian Nationalism," along with three other participants. The time will be 14:00 UTC -5, or 2 pm EST. I expect this to be a lively discussion about a movement that is in today's headlines. Register here for the event. I hope many of you will be able to make it.

MAGA Kuyper? Why the Dutch Polymath Would Not Wear the Hat

Cateclesia Forum has just published my article: MAGA Kuyper? Why the Dutch Polymath Would Not Wear the Hat. An excerpt:

If the American nation is in a covenant relationship with God, along the lines of ancient Israel, we would then have to inquire which institution is responsible to enforce this covenant’s terms. A nation, especially when conceived in undifferentiated fashion, can never be a responsible agent but only an amalgam of pluriform social structures bound loosely together by certain common elements, such as shared culture and language. Yet generally the nationalist assumption is that this responsibility belongs to the state, viewed as the highest agent in that nation. This again makes entirely too much of the state as an institution, in addition to misapprehending its normative structure as led by public justice—a proximate justice falling well short of God’s final judgement.

Read the entire article here.

Faith Seeking Understanding interview

Last week Allan R. Bevere interviewed me on the subject of my latest book, Citizenship Without Illusions. The interview, which forms a part of his Faith Seeking Understanding podcast, has now been posted online and can be viewed immediately below:

Stop censoring unpopular speech

A recent controversy over a billboard here in Hamilton prompted me to pen this article: Stop censoring unpopular speech. An excerpt:

[T]he use of psychological language to censor unpopular speech has become commonplace as we near the second quarter of the century. A phobia is generally thought to be an irrational fear properly addressed by therapeutic means. In contemporary parlance, however, a phobia is something to be suppressed, often by political means. Accordingly, the term love is misused as a way of stifling needed discussion of an issue of obvious importance to families with minor children.

Incidentally, I have spoken remotely to the staff of the Association for Reformed Political Action, referenced in the article, several times in recent years. 

Correction:  ARPA's Levi Minderhoud has made a correction to this statement of mine in the article: "It is true, of course, that gender reassignment surgery is not permitted for minors." Here is Minderhoud:

Aside from Alberta, that isn't true for most of Canada (which makes this all the more shocking). Every six days on average, one teenage girl has a "gender-affirming double mastectomy" in Canada (sources: Let Kids Be, National Post, attached CIHI data). Bottom genital surgeries generally are not performed on minors, but even there CIHI has stated that at least one minor has received such a bottom surgery in the last few years. Nova Scotia seems to be a big culprit here.  

Thanks to Minderhoud for setting the record straight. 

Recent activities for October 2025

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for October 2025. This includes recent travels within Canada and to the US, a response to Canada's recognition of Palestine, a forthcoming online discussion of Christian Nationalism, and the completion of my guitar journey through the Genevan Psalter. Thanks again for your ongoing support for my work! I deeply appreciate it.

ICE and the rule of law

Three months ago I posted on a topic that has now been published in somewhat modified form in another venue: ICE and the rule of law. An excerpt:

Until recently, I assumed that the rule of law was firmly rooted in the political cultures of the English-speaking countries, uniquely heir to the tradition of the common law, Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights of 1689, and numerous precedents which together are the shared birthright of our several countries. A key principle of this heritage is that the law applies to our rulers as much as to ordinary citizens, who enjoy constitutional protections against abuse by government officials. Such protections apply as well to non-citizens who have entered the country legally. Moreover, even illegal immigrants must be treated in accordance with their shared humanity. How do we know who is who? Great care needs to be taken to distinguish rightly between legal residents and illegal immigrants. Cutting corners for a supposedly greater good inevitably leads to miscarriage of justice.

Read the entire article here. 

So many stars

My latest column in Christian Courier describes my boyish fascination with astronomy. In the print edition the title is "So Many Stars," an allusion to this 1967 popular song by the late Sergio Mendes. The online title is: I saw four Galilean moons circle Jupiter. An excerpt:

When I was around 10 years old, my parents bought me a telescope. Although my major adult interests would be in the social sciences, arts and humanities, as a child I had a pronounced affinity for astronomy. Something about those bright celestial objects easily fired the imagination of a schoolboy. . . . I collected a small library on the subject, trying to memorize the constellations and to identify them in the night sky. During the wee hours of the morning, my ever so patient mother would get up with me and join me as I set up my telescope and attempted to view the moon, the planets, and the stars from our suburban front garden.

Read the entire article here.

The Christian Escape from the Partisan Trap

Anthony Bradley has been a great supporter of my work over the years, regularly assigning my first book to his students at the late and lamented King's College in New York City. Now he has reviewed my latest book on his Substack: The Christian Escape from the Partisan Trap. An excerpt:

The escape from this idolatry is not a retreat into political apathy. Rather, it is the retrieval of a more robust and biblical political theology, one centered on the concepts of public justice and societal pluriformity.

Recognizing 'Palestine': right or wrong?

This week Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada would be recognizing a "State of Palestine." Carney, in this statement, explains what this means for the ongoing critical situation in that troubled part of the world:

Recognising the State of Palestine, led by the Palestinian Authority, empowers those who seek peaceful coexistence and the end of Hamas. This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it. Furthermore, it in no way compromises Canada’s steadfast support for the State of Israel, its people, and their security – security that can only ultimately be guaranteed through the achievement of a comprehensive two-state solution.

Recent activities for September 2025

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for September. Included are an especially warm and positive review of my latest book, my most popular writings at academia dot edu, and the contemporary relevance of a 20th-century philosopher's response to developments in his homeland. A heartfelt thanks to so many of you who faithfully support my work both financially and in your prayers!

Watson review of Citizenship

A new review of my latest book recently appeared in Christian Scholar's Review. This one comes from my esteemed Calvin University colleague Micah Watson: A Review of David T. Koyzis, Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement. An excerpt:

This book is a conversational and welcoming invitation to consider a host of enduring challenges for Christians engaging the public square. Koyzis’s voice is personal, and he draws from his own life and experiences in helping the reader grapple with topics like the different roles of citizenship, law, and the competing (and often idolatrous) ideologies that vie for our attention. He moves fluidly from personal reflections based on his own history to more academic (but rarely jargony) mentions of thinkers like Patrick Deneen, Hannah Arendt, Yoram Hazony, and Alexis de Tocqueville. The reader feels almost like Koyzis is engaging us in a conversation on his front porch, drawing from local life in his home of Hamilton, Ontario, as well as from his relatives in Cyprus, his boyhood in Chicago, and his connections in Brazil through the translation of his earlier work into Portuguese. 

I am pleased that Watson has found my approach successful, as I tried as much as possible to communicate something of the flavour of my classroom lectures and discussions with my students over the three decades that I taught undergraduate political science. I am grateful for another (mostly) positive review.

'Our enemies' enemies are our friends': Simon's insight

Yves R. Simon

Bob Sweetman, emeritus professor at Toronto's Institute for Christian Studies, has just posted a brief essay worth reading and pondering: The Enemies of my Enemy are They not my Friends? Sweetman mentions French philosopher Yves René Simon (1903-1961), on whom I wrote my dissertation in the 1980s. Simon left France in 1938 to take up a position as visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame, but when the Second World War broke out the following year, he ended up remaining there for another nine years. In 1948 he moved to the University of Chicago but continued to live in South Bend, Indiana. He taught there until his untimely death at age 58. His son Anthony O. Simon (1936-2012) was a great help to me as I was writing my dissertation.

Recent activities for August 2025

My Global Scholars newsletter for August is now posted. Included are two reviews of my latest book, an interview with a Canadian Tory, a modal analysis of two metrical psalters, an online conversation with a group of young people, and a tribute to a recently departed teacher and scholar.

Cardus NextGen event

Last evening, at the invitation of Stephen Lazarus, I spoke with this year's Cardus NextGen cohort of young people who are being mentored towards service in public life. I have done this annually for a few years now. Those in the programme read selections from two of my books, Political Visions and Illusions and Citizenship Without Illusions, both published by IVP Academic. This is the first group to have read both of these books, given that the latter came out less than a year ago. As before, I enjoyed my conversation with these young people and wish them God's blessings as they seek his will for their lives and work in his kingdom.

The last Koyzis

I've not spent a lot of effort exploring the origins of my exceedingly rare surname, but this is the best I can do: The last Koyzis. An excerpt:

My Dutch Canadian friends and acquaintances tell stories of how, in 1811, Napoleon compelled residents of the Netherlands to adopt surnames. Prior to that year, many people in the Low Countries had gone by patronymics based on their respective fathers’ first names. Assuming that surnames were a passing fashion, many Netherlanders adopted humorous names, with which, two centuries later, their descendants are still stuck.

In my father’s native island of Cyprus, fixed surnames weren’t adopted until the island’s independence in 1960. Thus my father was born with only a first name and a patronymic: Theodoros Antoniou – Theodore son of Anthony.

 Read the rest of the article here.

Calvin Seerveld (1930-2025)

Calvin Seerveld was the longtime senior member in aesthetic philosophy at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. I myself was a junior member (student) there in the late 1970s and had the privilege of sitting in one of his seminar courses. Although he was not my principal mentor, I recall his inimitable teaching style and the enthusiasm he brought to the subject matter.

As I write, I am looking at my notes from one of Seerveld's lectures from 20 September 1978. In my youthful handwriting, I quoted him: "The world is a created theatre of God," and "One finds meaning in Jesus Christ." Seerveld was above all a faithful servant of Christ and a memorable teacher.

Should churches endorse political candidates?

Bruce Barron, of Bruce's gently provocative thoughts, has published a lengthy review of Citizenship Without Illusions, under this title: Should churches endorse political candidates? An excerpt:

Koyzis lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of Christian citizenship by discussing what he calls “pluriformity”—the fact that societies are composed of “a multiplicity of social formations, each of which has its proper place and normative task in God’s world.” We have allegiances to family, church, neighborhood, schools, workplace, social clubs, multiple levels of government, and more. We engage in many spheres of life, such as education, healthcare, and culture. And as Christians, we must balance our responsibilities to our country, to all humanity, and to the kingdom of God.

In this context, politics is one important venue, but not the only one.

Do read the rest of the review here.

The rule of law versus overriding goals

In our era of social media, reasoned dialogue does not fare especially well. Too many of us are tempted to post short pithy memes containing half truths at best, all in an effort to score points against opponents whom we will almost certainly fail to persuade. 

In more than one place I have seen one such meme directed against those who may harbour doubts about the legality of current deportation policies in the United States. It runs as follows: if immigrants failed to respect due process in entering the country illegally, why should they themselves expect to be treated in accordance with due process? On the surface this may sound right to some.  But there is an obvious flaw in this reasoning: what if we were to apply it to ordinary criminals, for example, those who commit theft or murder? It would upend the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial for those alleged to have committed such crimes.

Ron Dart and the High Tory tradition

Not long ago I interviewed Ron Dart, a retired academic at the University of the Fraser Valley on a subject about which he has written extensively: Ron Dart and the High Tory tradition. An excerpt:

What is a Tory? Here in Canada, members and supporters of our federal and provincial Conservative Parties are known as Tories. But what does this mean? Is it similar to the Republican Party to our south? Or is there something distinctive about our Canadian conservative tradition that gives the Tory label a different connotation? Many of our fellow citizens would be at a loss to answer these questions.

But not Ron Dart, with whom I was privileged to talk some weeks ago.

Dart is Canada's resident expert on this country's Tory tradition and an admirer of George Parkin Grant, whom I was privileged to hear on two occasions, and Stephen Leacock, both of whom exemplify the Tory tradition.

Free Library review

One more review of Citizenship Without Illusions has appeared at The Free Library website. It's a very brief review written by Alexander Pyles. An excerpt:

Ending on a note that one can see coming, Koyzis affirms that Christians are God's children first, despite any allegiance or feeling of loyalty to a nation. Such feelings come second to our identity in Christ. At a time of rising Christian nationalism and even Christofascism, this is a reminder that Christians must do better for our neighbors, both local and global. 

I am, of course, grateful for another positive review of my book. 

Recent activities for July 2025

I have now posted my Global Scholars newsletter for July 2025. Included is an interview on the subject of my second book, two brief articles on scandal and marriage (separate topics!), and one more review of my third book, Citizenship Without Illusions. Thank you so much for your continued financial and prayer support for my work! I deeply appreciate it.

The good of marriage

The recent wedding of our daughter and son-in-law prompted this reflection on a basic social institution: The good of marriage. An excerpt:

As I am only two generations removed from arranged marriage, I am well aware that past communities were unwilling to leave so important an institution solely in the hands of the prospective partners. If, as the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a supportive community to make a successful marriage.

Read the entire article here.

Peter Bell interview: America and Power

Some weeks ago, Peter Bell interviewed me for a second time, primarily on the subject of my second book, We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God, along with several related phenomena, including Catholic and Reformed Christian social teachings, Christian nationalism, and the perennial temptation to use unjust means for desired ends. You can see the entire interview below. This is part of the second season of Bell's series, Sons of Patriarchy.

Zekveld review of Citizenship

Another review of my Citizenship Without Illusions has appeared, although I'm a little late in posting about it here, as it was published on 15 March 2025 in the periodical, Christian Renewal, which appears not to publish its articles online. However, the review was posted at ARPA's Facebook page and can be found there if you can read the small print. The reviewer is Daniel Zekveld, a policy analyst with ARPA Canada. I should perhaps indicate that I taught Zekveld in one of my introductory-level courses in political science nearly a decade ago. I am grateful for yet another positive review of my book.

Scandal revisited

Christian Courier has published my recent article, Scandal revisited. An excerpt:

In my youth I cut my political teeth on the Watergate scandal, which nearly paralyzed the country of my birth for the two years between 1972 and 74. Although my family generally voted Republican when I was growing up, I began to have doubts about Richard Nixon’s presidency after the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters. As Nixon was implicated in the cover-up, many Americans were increasingly persuaded that he had abused his office, putting his own political fortunes ahead of the Constitution. Three years after his resignation, Nixon admitted in an interview with David Frost that “when the president does [something], that means that it is not illegal.”

Read the entire article here. 

Recent activities for June 2025

My Global Scholars newsletter for June 2025 is now posted. Included are another review of Citizenship Without Illusions, a reflection on George Grant's Lament for a Nation 60 years later, the King's Speech, and the perils of democratism.

When democracy threatens politics

Might democracy threaten ordinary politics? The American founders were not democrats in the contemporary sense of that term but were building a republican constitution with limited democratic elements, embodied especially in Congress’ lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Nearly a century later, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation established a constitution “similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom” (Constitution Act, 1867). Here too the new dominion was to be a careful balance of monarchical, aristocratic, and democratic elements, although the term republic was not used for obvious reasons.

Beginning in the 20^th century, however, both systems came to be described as democracies without qualification. In Canada, the powers of the nondemocratic institutions, especially the governor general (representing the monarch) and the Senate (appointed by the governor general on the prime minister’s advice), effectively atrophied, with the prime minister gaining more power—all in the name of democracy.

Evangelical population growth in Brazil

The seventh largest country in the world by population, Brazil is also the largest Catholic country in the world, but that status is changing quickly, according to this article in The Guardian: Catholics now make up little more than half Brazil’s population, by Tiago Rogero. An excerpt:

Thirty years ago, Catholics made up 82.9% of Brazil’s population but now account for just over half, 56.7%, according to the 2022 census – whose results on religion were only released on Friday.

Meanwhile, the number of evangelicals has continued to grow, rising from 9% of the population to 26.9% over the past three decades.

Although the growth rate has slowed slightly – rising by 6.5 percentage points between 2000 and 2010, and 5.3 since – the new data shows that, for the first time, at least one in four Brazilians identifies as evangelical . . . .

Beyond Lament: George Grant and Canada's distinctiveness

Christian Courier has just posted my monthly column, titled, Beyond Lament. An excerpt:

After John Diefenbaker’s Conservative government was defeated by Lester Pearson’s Liberals in 1963, [George Parkin] Grant was convinced that Canada’s days as a distinct nation were numbered. Diefenbaker’s reluctance to accept American nuclear weapons on Canadian soil had irked the “ruling class,” whose members determined that he had to go. But Grant believed that Diefenbaker’s only offence was his conviction that Canadian defence policies should be made in Ottawa and not Washington.

I couldn’t help recalling Grant’s Lament as we have been subjected to Donald Trump’s repeated trolling comments about Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States. Grant would express anger at this, of course, but it’s far from clear that he would have rallied the (literal and metaphorical) troops in opposition. His professed purpose in his book was not to make “practical proposals for our survival as a nation,” but simply to lament – to grieve the loss of those traditions that had once made Canada distinctive.

For more than two decades I had my students reading Grant's Lament and writing a paper on it. But at some point I put it aside because of the author's tendency to underestimate the importance of political factors in human motivations. I explain this more fully in something I wrote for Comment just over two decades ago: George Grant and the Primacy of Economics.

U.S. Catholic review

My new book has been briefly reviewed by Alexander Pyles in U.S. Catholic: What we’re reading this month: May 2025. An excerpt:

Citizenship is not at odds with being a Christian. For Koyzis, the reverse is the case: To be a good Christian, one must also be a good citizen. He references the parable of the Good Samaritan and other examples from scripture on taking care of your neighbor and, by extension, your community. This message is important and bears repeating in the months to come, so Koyzis’ encouragement is welcome.

While the book thoroughly covers the idea and issues of citizenship, it is not exhaustive. Koyzis stops short of going into the weeds of political culture and the nation-state superstructure. He focuses on defining conservative and progressive movements, not just in the United States but in Canadian politics as well.

U.S. Catholic is a publication of the Claretian Missionaries USA-Canada Province, "a global Roman Catholic congregation of priests and brothers who tend to the religious and pastoral needs of vulnerable communities."

The King's Throne Speech

In my personal library I have a copy of the June 1959 issue of The National Geographic Magazine which my parents received when I was a small child. In that issue is a colourful article, titled "Queen of Canada," written by journalist Phyllis Wilson with photographs by Kathleen Revis. It recounts the visit of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to Ottawa in 1957. The final photograph in this article is of the Queen and her consort Prince Philip seated on their red thrones in the Senate chamber as she reads the Speech from the Throne. Seated to her right is Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, who had only recently been elected as head of a minority Conservative government. The Queen would repeat this event in 1977 on the occasion of her silver jubilee.

This week her son King Charles III was in Ottawa to read the Throne Speech opening the 45th Parliament in the Senate's temporary facilities in the Senate of Canada Building at 2 Rideau Street. Suffice it to say that, although the monarch is entitled to read the Throne Speech and perform any number of monarchical duties relevant to Canada, most of these functions are handled by his Governor General, currently Her Excellency Mary Simon.

Recent activities for May 2025

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for May 2025. Included are two podcast interviews, a Canadian election postmortem, my initial thoughts on the new pope, and a board meeting in suburban Washington, DC. Thank you for your support for my work!

Canada votes 2025

Canadians went to the polls on monday, 28 April in the 45th federal election since Confederation in 1867. The final results were not unexpected, but they nevertheless represented a stunning turnaround from where we thought a few months ago we would be today. Under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party had become hugely unpopular, with pundits predicting an easy victory by Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives in the election expected sometime this year. Throughout most of the life of the 44th Parliament, the Liberals ruled as a minority government, a supply and confidence agreement with Jagmeet Singh's New Democrats keeping them in power.

Late last year, it became clear that the New Democrats had wearied of this arrangement and threatened to pull the plug on the government. For readers unfamiliar with Canadian politics, parties with only a plurality of the seats in the House of Commons rarely form coalition governments with other parties. The closest we have come to this at the federal level was the Union Government of Sir Robert Borden formed during the Great War between the ruling Conservatives and dissident Liberals outside Québec. It is exceedingly rare for a party to receive a majority of votes cast, and in recent years it has become difficult for a single party to obtain a majority of Commons seats as well. In many other democracies, a party lacking majority support would negotiate with other parties to form a multiparty coalition government. But not in Canada.

Pope Leo XIV

Now that our daughter is married as of last saturday, I will be gradually getting through a backlog of items that have accumulated during the period of preparation for this event. These include the recent Canadian election, on which I will shortly publish my thoughts; the political chaos south of the border; and the new pope. In many ways, the third item is more readily addressed than the first two, so I begin with that.

I have now lived through eight papacies. Given that successive conclaves of cardinals generally choose older men to fill the office, the length of a particular papacy is typically fairly short. Pope John XXIII reigned for only five years, yet his legacy has endured in the form of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The recently departed Pope Francis was on the papal throne for a dozen years. John Paul II reigned for an unusually long 27 years, during which he managed to contribute to the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and its bloc of client states, including his native Poland. In the 19th century, Pius IX broke the record for length of tenure, reigning for 31 years, during which he convened the First Vatican Council (1869-1870), setting the agenda for the Roman Catholic Church into the mid 20th century.

God's Story Podcast interview 2

Earlier this year I was privileged to talk for a second time with Brent Siddall on his God's Story Podcast. Here is the new interview, which is now posted: David Koyzis — Political Visions and Illusions. I would love one day to travel to Brent's native New Zealand (Aotearoa) and spend some time taking in the spectacular scenery of this stunning if remote Commonwealth realm.

Carmen LaBerge interview: church splits

My recent conversation with Carmen LaBerge aired today, on Maundy Thursday. The subject is my recent Cateclesia essay, By Schisms Rent Asunder: The Four Seasons of Church Splits. My previous interview with her can be found here. The programme is called The Reconnect on Faith Radio. I've set the video to begin at approximately ten minutes into the broadcast when our conversation begins.

Recent activities for April 2025

My Global Scholars newsletter for April is now posted. Included are a guitar performance of a beloved Holy Week hymn, another review of my Citizenship Without Illusions, speaking at a local church function, and posts on the Bible and eschatology.

Holy Week: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

'Bob on Books' review: Citizenship Without Illusions

Bob Trube reviews my new book on his Bob on Books blog: Review: Citizenship Without Illusions. An excerpt:

For years I’ve found myself in this place. I recognize that we need good governance from the officials we elect. But I cannot fully endorse what either of our parties propound nor give unquestioning allegiance to person or party. What is difficult is that I have friends on both sides of the partisan divide who seem to give unflinching allegiance to their party and the people they have elected or want to elect. Often, I find conversations with such individuals futile. There is no questioning allowed and only one side is right on everything. It is particularly disconcerting when my friends resort to lies and character assassination to buttress their political allegiance. I grope for a different kind of political engagement or want to just withdraw.

Citizenship Without Illusions is written for people like me.

Why I'm Not a Postmillennial

Although I'm tempted to make a punny reference to the generation born in the 1980s and 90s, my recent Christian Courier column actually has to do with the finer points of Christian eschatology: Why I'm Not Postmillennial. An excerpt:

Only in recent years have I made the acquaintance of postmillennialists, who expect a gradual advance of the kingdom of God in the present age to be followed by a long period of widespread obedience to his will before Christ returns. As attractive as this prospect appears, I do not find the position persuasive.

Find out why.

Incidentally, I have also written on the topic here—more than can be fitted easily into a 500-word column: Revelation 20 and the thousand years. As for one of the best books on biblical eschatology, you would do very well indeed to read James Skillen, God's Sabbath with Creation, which I reviewed here.

Bible versions

My latest column has been posted at Christian Courier: Bible versions. Here is an excerpt:

Having grown up with the King James Bible, I was briefly enamoured of the paraphrases of the Bible, including J. B. Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, from which my mother read to us. Ken Taylor’s complete Living Bible was published when I was 15. (My parents knew him slightly, as we lived in the same town.) I received a copy for Christmas. Over the next months I eagerly devoured it from cover to cover. As easy as it was to read, I was put off to read that “your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me” (Psalm 119:105) and repeated references to Asia Minor as “Turkey.” Such obvious anachronisms ruined the paraphrases for me. 

Read the entire article here.

Recent activities for March 2025

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for March 2025 is now posted. Included is a 30th anniversary celebration of the organization I serve, podcast and radio interviews, and an essay to mark the 1,700 anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea.

The Idolatry of Politics

Last summer Peter Bell interviewed me on the subject of my two best-known books, Political Visions and Illusions and Citizenship Without Illusions. In this conversation I discuss two events in my youth that pushed me to the study of politics and, much later, how I came to write my books. The length is just under 50 minutes.

Faith Today review of CWI

Another review of my Citizenship Without Illusions has been published in the March/April 2025 issue of the Canadian periodical Faith Today. The author is David Daniels, a retired Baptist minister. An excerpt:

Balancing political engagement with ultimate allegiance to God’s Kingdom has always challenged Christians. Tackling that challenge, Koyzis draws from the experiences of people and movements ranging from biblical antiquity to the present. He addresses the legitimacy (or not) of civil disobedience, providing guiding principles for those who choose to resist governments. He warns readers of the ever-present danger of falling prey to political illusions imbedded in an over reliance on ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, conservatism and nationalism, to name a few. He reminds Christians that allegiance to the Christian gospel “may come to be regarded as an affront to the jealous gods of expressive individualism” so evident in western democracies today.

The full review can be found here.

Assessing 'Hopeful Realism'

One of the benefits of being an author with InterVarsity Press is that the publisher occasionally sends me other books it has published in my field. One of these is Hopeful Realism: Evangelical Natural Law and Democratic Politics, written by my esteemed colleagues Jesse Covington, Bryan T. McGraw, and Micah Watson, whom I regularly see at the biennial Henry Institute Symposia at Calvin University. The co-authors here undertake to address the relative paucity of evangelical political reflection and the tendency of flesh-and-blood evangelicals to embrace dubious political positions without engaging in the due reflection necessary for wise political judgement and action. Thirty years ago historian Mark Noll wrote that the "scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind." As we approach the quarter-century mark, our co-authors express a similar lament:

Kesler on national conservatism

I have written before in this space and elsewhere on the American-Israeli political philosopher Yoram Hazony and his distinctive approach to nationalism and conservatism. A principal difficulty with Hazony's approach is that his defence of his purported national conservatism, as he calls it, is basically historicist, assuming that norms for political action are reducible to traditions specific to given national communities. This leaves him fundamentally unable to challenge injustices occurring elsewhere in the world and leaves him without any norms to judge these traditions.

First Things articles archived and reposted

The journal First Things recently revamped its website and in the process deleted virtually everything I wrote for them as an occasional blogger between 2009 and 2023. Although many of these posts were already crosslisted with this blog, others were not. I have thus created a page with links to nearly 40 of the more significant of these: First Things posts. An archived list of links to the original posts can also be found here. (Oddly enough, even the temporally-specific pop-ups have been archived too!)

I assume that items written by other past bloggers have been deleted as well and that my 21 January post, FT's evolution: 'populism' overtakes 'highbrow', didn't play a role. But who knows?

How To Wisely Engage Politically

Here is the conversation that I had with the incomparable Jason Scott Montoya two days ago. Although our discussion was about my new book, Citizenship Without Illusions, it ended up being more wide-ranging, covering several related topics, particularly the new administration in the United States.

How Modern Ideologies Replaced Divine Authority

Here is another snippet of a past conversation with Jason Scott Montoya. Jason interviewed me again yesterday about my new book, Citizenship Without Illusions. I will link to that interview once he has posted it.

Word 101.5 FM interview

On monday of this week, I was interviewed by John Hall and Kathy Emmons over Word 101.5 FM, a Pittsburgh radio station. They are the hosts of The Ride Home with John and Kathy. I believe this is the second or third time they have interviewed me. Click here to listen to the programme: The Ride Home - Monday, February 17, 2025. Our conversation begins approximately 30 minutes in. 

Incidentally, near the end, they mentioned that I would be speaking at the annual Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh, sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Unfortunately, I suffered an attack of "benign" vertigo this week and was unable to go after all. Perhaps next year.