The politics of the Gospel: living responsibly in God’s world

In a country like Italy, where politics is too often viewed with suspicion, disengagement and indifference, is it possible to reconcile it with the Gospel?

In organising the 2025 Theology Days, it was not necessary to ask this question, because the thinking and history of IFED (Istituto di Formazione evangelica e documentazione) start from the positive affirmation that Jesus is the Lord of all reality and therefore also of the political dimension.

The theme of public theology is not new in the history of the Institute. In other editions of the Theological Days (Faith and Society, in 1997, for example) and in several issues of the journal Studi di teologia, various issues have been addressed from a historical, but above all theological, point of view. On this occasion, therefore, reflection on the theme continued, asking instead the question, “What politics can be understood from the Gospel of God?”.

The answer was sought in the Scriptures. Through five contributions, centred on the text of Romans 12-13, the public responsibility of Christian thought emerged clearly. Leonardo De Chirico (IFED lecturer and pastor in Rome) opened by explaining “The politics of non-conformist transformation” (Romans 12:1-2), which highlighted the need for a new worldview, produced by the power of the Gospel in all who believe, in order to offer a true public alternative.

Giuseppe Rizza (IFED lecturer and pastor in Trento) with “The politics of differentiated responsibilities” (Romans 12:3-8), highlighted the ability of the new society represented by the church of the Lord to soberly combine unity with diversity.

Luigi Dalla Pozza (IFED lecturer and pastor in Verona) spoke on “The politics of subversive love” (Romans 12:9-21; 13:8-10), emphasised the concrete dimension of Christian love in public commitment to the common good.

“The politics of vigilant submission” (Romans 13:1-7), presented by Pietro Bolognesi (director and lecturer at IFED, pastor in Padua), helped to clarify the biblical idea of authority. It was invented and legitimised by God himself, who outlines roles and defines tasks, promoting the life of humanity in his world.

Giacomo Ciccone (president of the Italian Evangelical Alliance), in presenting “The politics of evangelical militancy” (Romans 13:11-14), drew attention to the current crucial moment experienced by the Lord's church in affirming without delay the authority of the Lord and the privilege of promoting his plans and values.

The biblical-theological contributions were alternated with historical interventions, testifying to the fruitfulness offered by Christianity to political reflection over the centuries. The figure of Althusius (1557-1638), presented by Lucia Bianchin (lecturer at the University of Trento), as the first theorist of federalism, highlighted the ability of the Protestant Reformation to influence culture in its entirety.

Similarly, Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), presented by Tommaso Manzon (high school teacher, pastor in Lodi), remains an essential point of reference for those who wish to understand how the politics of the Gospel can be lived out in practice.

The round table entitled “Christians and power: itineraries of history, challenges of the present” was very useful, in which Leonardo De Chirico interacted with Marco Settembrini (Faculty of Theology of Emilia Romagna) on issues related to the Roman Catholic view of politics.

The interview with Senator Lucio Malan, conducted remotely by Giacomo Ciccone, not only offered insights into the implications of political engagement by a representative of the Protestant world, but also touched on one of the central issues of the current political situation, namely the state of religious freedom. It is understandable that it remains difficult for the Italian political class to make clear and courageous choices in favour of minorities without paying tribute to the religious component of the majority. The impression remains that there can be no substantial progress without first addressing the current constitutional architecture.

In his passionate final summary, Pietro Bolognesi urged us to understand the politics of the Gospel in God's world, without concessions to the dualistic pathologies that tend to pigeonhole God himself on the right or left. We hope to see new assumptions of “vocational responsibility” on the part of evangelicals, who have the great privilege of being able to express themselves without divisions between authority and freedom.  

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