In this episode, we explore a surprising claim: God's loving goodness in Jesus is at work not only in the church but also—hidden, yes—in our government. Drawing on the Lutheran Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, we consider how God rules both the spiritual kingdom (through Word and Sacrament) and the earthly kingdom (through institutions, laws, and ordinary civic life) for the sake of the common good. We look at Romans 13, Isaiah's witness to King Cyrus, and Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 to see how God uses even imperfect governments to create the peace that allows life and faith to flourish. And we confront distortions like Christian Nationalism, which collapse the two kingdoms and shrink the common good. Ultimately, this episode invites us to resist cynicism, embrace our civic responsibilities, and recognize how our political life becomes a hidden stage on which God prepares us for the peace to come.
