Why Christians Should Be Leftists

Review

Phil Christman has written a book that will land exactly where you already stand. It sharpens the ground under people already committed to Christian leftism far more than it moves anyone toward that ground. I'm the target audience, a Christian Socialist reading this in 2026, and even I kept noticing the places where an argument leaned on conviction I already held rather than building one from scratch. If I'd picked this up skeptical, I don't think it would have changed my mind. That's a real limit. It doesn't erase what the book does well within the world Christman is writing for. It's insightful and entertaining in a way good theological argument rarely manages to be, and it's exactly the conversation so many Christian circles need to be having right now, whether or not you end up agreeing with him. He makes his case with real theological depth and historical range. And he's warm about it, not preachy. He's also clear-eyed about what politics can and can't actually deliver right now, promising no utopia and no easy wins. The practical stuff is where the book earns its keep. Christman is specific about what to prioritize (care for the poor, opposition to nativism), concrete about how to live it out, and generous with reading recommendations for anyone who wants to keep going. His chapter on enemies, who counts as one and how to think about them theologically, is some of the clearest writing in the book. And for anyone tired of watching large swaths of American Christianity make peace with fascism, spending a few hours with a writer who clearly sees what's happening feels less like an argument and more like relief. This is a strong, faithful book for the people already in the room. I just wish it had spent a little more energy trying to open the door.