UpNext interview: 'Faithful Citizenship'

Back in January (note my winter beard length) I was interviewed by Tommy Lee, founder and president of Resource Global, for his UpNext Podcast on the subject of my most recent book, Citizenship Without Illusions. We had a good conversation that covered a lot of ground, including two treasured mentoring relationships and my sideline in music and psalm versification. The interview has now been posted and runs for a little over half an hour.

 Here is the description from the YouTube page:

Politics can feel exhausting, divisive, and overwhelming. As Christians, should we engage, or step away entirely? In this episode of UpNext, Tommy Lee sits down with political scholar and author David Koyzis to explore what faithful citizenship looks like in today's polarized world. Drawing from his book Citizenship Without Illusions, David shares why political ideologies often become idols, how Christians can engage politics without becoming cynical, and why lasting change often begins in our local communities. Whether you're passionate about politics or prefer to avoid it altogether, this conversation offers a biblical perspective on navigating disagreement, serving your neighbors, and keeping your ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. 

Citizenship: blessing and burden

I was first introduced to the work of Rick Barry and the Center for Christian Civics by my niece Bethany during a family gathering near Boston late last year. I subsequently met Barry personally at the Kuyper Conference at Calvin University in March of this year. We had some great conversations together at that event, and I agreed to assist him in his work in whatever way I can, including joining and serving on his advisory council.

Recently he interviewed me for his Christian Civics Podcast, and the episode has been posted here: The Blessing and Burden of Citizenship. The length is a little over half an hour.

Four Americas: ideologies & idolatries, part 2

In May Gospel in Life published the first part of the late Tim Keller's analysis of political life in the United States, to which I link here. Among the sources he cites are my own Political Visions and Illusions, which he endorsed several times beginning six years ago. This month the second part has been published here: A Political Case Study: Four Americas: ideologies & idolatries (part 2). Given his enthusiasm for my first book, I hope Keller would have liked my most recent book, Citizenship Without Illusions, as well. We certainly miss his presence among us, but even in death his influence for the kingdom of God continues.

Political Faithfulness in a Polarized Age

Writing in Christianity Today, Kyle Tucker writes about the political polarization besetting both the United States and American churches: Political Faithfulness in a Polarized Age. We are seeing more such articles published today, with pastors and other church leaders attempting, often with great difficulty, to address this divisiveness in their own congregations. Tucker mentions my own work:

In his book Political Visions & Illusions, David Koyzis argues that the dominant political ideologies of our day—from socialism to nationalism—are undergirded by idolatry. By idolizing the individual, the past, the future, or the collective, we transfer our love to false gods. This idolatry fuels identity politics, public discourse that is less about the common good and more about individual performance.

Tucker is a pastor at City on a Hill Church Brighton in Boston, Massachusetts.

Our ancestors hated each other

An anniversary road trip and some genealogical research led my wife and me to a surprising discovery. Read about it here: Our ancestors hated each other. An excerpt:

This year marks Nancy’s and my 30th wedding anniversary. On our honeymoon, we travelled through the mid-Atlantic states, visiting sites associated with our respective family histories. In April and May of this year, we returned to some of these places, especially Baltimore, Annapolis, and St. Mary’s City, the first capital of Maryland in the seventeenth century. 

Read the entire article here.

An extraordinary Hollander

Christian Courier has published my latest: An extraordinary Hollander. The subject? A man who served as mentor for Abraham Kuyper. An excerpt:

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the death of one of the great figures in Dutch – and arguably Western – history. Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer was born in 1801 and was raised in a Netherlands undergoing significant change. When revolution broke out in France in 1789, it would unleash such instability as to plunge Europe into a full generation of war and bloodshed.

Much as Edmund Burke, whom we visited last month, foresaw the Revolution’s trajectory, it fell to Groen to assess it in retrospect. With the advantage of hindsight and under the influence of the Réveil, a Christian revival then sweeping Protestant Europe, Groen was persuaded that the Revolution was rooted in a rejection of God and in misplaced faith in political ideologies and their false promises of earthly salvation.

Read the entire article here. 

Recent activities for July 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for July 2026 is now posted. Included are a tribute to my work in French, continued work to format my next monograph, my review of a book related to Maryland's history, and a book on Herman Dooyeweerd's philosophical legacy, which I will be reviewing in the near future. I remain grateful, as always, for your support for my work!