Review: “The After Party”
I have reviewed “The After Party” in detail and can recommend it for any church or Bible study. I felt challenged and convicted in several places. The curriculum is getting some negative reviews from people who notably haven’t even cracked the cover. I’ll answer some of the objections below.
“The point of this is to convince Christians to abandon voting and politics.”
To the contrary, the curriculum encourages Christians to be politically engaged and specifically challenges those who are apathetic, uninterested or too exhausted to remain engaged.
“Doesn’t the name of ‘The After Party’ imply they want Christians to abandon the Republican party?”
The name is a reference to the Feast of the Lamb in the Book of Revelation. It’s a pun about the final party after we pass from this life into the next. It’s also a reference to the need to care about Christ’s Kingdom more than any political party. There is no instruction to abandon a political party or politics, but rather to make sure they are correctly prioritized.
“They got non-Christians to fund this, so there’s no way this wasn’t influenced by the funders.”
They couldn’t find a Christian publishing house to touch it because the topic of politics was too hot. David French says that they wrote it in full before seeking funding for publishing. One potential funder liked it and asked them to add something to it. They refused that suggestion and walked away. The funder is a secular organization that promotes healthy inter-religious dialogue. Because of the nature of their work they interact with LOTS of other religious traditions. Everything I saw in the curriculum is Biblical and promotes a Christian worldview. If the funding organization influenced the curriculum, I couldn’t find it. If you doubt it, I challenge you to get a sample (it’s free) and pick it apart.
“The authors hate Trump. This is designed to convince people not to vote for Trump.”
It’s true that each of the authors has spoken publicly in opposition to Trump’s character or his policies in one way or another. This curriculum doesn’t mention any political party’s policy positions or try to convince you which party is more aligned with a Christian worldview. It’s not about policies. It’s not about the “what” of politics. It’s about the “how” of politics. What does Christian virtue and character look like while passionately engaging in the public square for things Christians care about? There is one mention of “the Trump-era” by Russell Moore and a passing reference to authoritarian personalities by David French (of which Trump isn’t the only one, remember how people treated Obama like the Messiah?). This curriculum is meant to be evergreen outside of current or American politics. You could use this 40 years from now or in a completely different country.
“Curtis Chang is a Democrat.”
Yes, he is a pro-life Democrat. They do exist. This might come as a surprise to you, but there are many theologically conservative Evangelicals who are Democrats. The Black Church is dominated by them. You might also notice that political engagement on the Left isn’t always healthy or aligned with the Fruit of the Spirit. The curriculum is aimed at every Christian despite their policy positions or political affiliations. Democrats need this curriculum as much as Republicans. Chang is here to speak to them.
“Curtis Chang tells pastors to let him say the things they are too scared to say themselves. Shouldn’t we be encouraging pastors to be courageous rather than passive wimps who let other people say the hard things for them?”
A sermon isn’t always the best place to have a conversation. It’s a one-way lecture that doesn’t allow for engagement, push-back, or questions. It’s easy for people to assume you mean something that you didn’t intend, particularly in a polarized context. This can be a HARD conversation. A small group setting is a healthier place to have the conversation. Most of what Chang is saying is that there’s a better place to have this conversation than a sermon and most pastors know this to be true.
The curriculum is aimed at the idolatry of politics. As I said earlier, I felt challenged and convicted by it. There are people (and you know who they are) that have absolutely made an idol out of their politics. They are going to hate this. They will not go through it and they don’t want you to go through it either. Nobody wants their sacred cows tipped over. In addition, there are people who view their antagonistic and confrontational approach to politics as more important than even the policies they care about. They too will hate this curriculum. The humble character of Christ and his call to love our enemies is an anathema to their politics. This curriculum is something they need, but nobody is fooling themselves to think they’re likely to be interested in it. You should go through it even if you aren’t like them and even if they won’t go through it with you.
