Against Christianity

Peter Leithart's provocative manifesto emerged from his observation that American Christianity had become something fundamentally different from the biblical faith it claimed to represent. Writing as a Reformed pastor and theologian, Leithart argued that what passes for Christianity in contemporary America is actually a civil religion that has domesticated the radical claims of the gospel into middle-class respectability and nationalist ideology.

Leithart's central argument unfolds as a sustained critique of Christendom—the synthesis of Christian faith with political power and cultural dominance that began with Constantine. He contends that this synthesis has produced not authentic Christianity but a counterfeit that serves the interests of the state and the comfortable classes. Drawing on biblical theology and Reformed insights, he argues for a return to the primitive church's understanding of itself as an alternative polis, a community whose allegiance to Jesus Christ necessarily puts it at odds with the kingdoms of this world. The book calls for Christians to abandon their attempts to baptize American culture and instead embrace their identity as resident aliens whose citizenship is in heaven.

The work gained attention for its willingness to challenge both conservative and liberal forms of American Christianity, arguing that both had been co-opted by worldly agendas. Leithart's critique resonated with younger evangelicals growing uncomfortable with the religious right's political entanglements and with Reformed thinkers influenced by the Radical Orthodox movement. His argument that Christians should be "against Christianity" in favor of following Christ continues to influence discussions about church and state, Christian political engagement, and the church's prophetic role.

Who should read this: Christians wrestling with the relationship between faith and politics, particularly those troubled by the church's accommodation to American civil religion, and pastors seeking to understand why the gospel seems to have lost its transformative edge in contemporary culture. This is not for readers seeking practical political strategies or those satisfied with Christianity's current cultural arrangements.