I love it when someone much, much smarter than me and much, much more respected than me (not that getting into either of  those categories is, um, difficult. . . ) and even more CONSERVATIVE than me supports a position I've tried to communicate.  OK, here it is my right-leaning friends who have hammered this position recently (and controversially) brought into the Evangelical discussion by some modern forward-thinking Christian writers (I refuse to designate them or even use the word "postmodern."  I also acknowledge the danger of taking too lightly the power and impact of sin).  John Piper his own bad self suggesting that we have no Biblical mandate to make a secular world act like a Christian world.  We have to understand that is where we are currently operating, and by sitting". . . evangelical ghettos, and they stick their heads out just long enough to yell at the rest of us and tell us what a mess we're making of everything"* we are doing more harm than good.  OK, he doesn't really go that far, but that's my conclusion. . .

Make clear that God is the foundation for our commitment to a pluralistic order--not because pluralism is his ultimate ideal, but because in a fallen world, legal coercion will not produce the kingdom of God.  Christians agree to make room for non-Christian faiths (including naturalistic and materialistic faiths), not because commitment to God's supremacy is unimportant, but because it must be voluntary or it is worthless.  We have a God-centered ground for making room for atheism.  "If my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight" (John 18:36, RSV).  The fact that God establishes his kingdom through the supernatural miracle of faith, not firearms, means that Christians in this age will not endorse coercive governments--Christian or secular.

John Piper

*Randy Alcorn