Why I Write Books About the Kingdom of God
Every once in a while, someone will ask me—usually with a raised eyebrow and a sympathetic smile— “Mick, why keep writing about the Kingdom of God?”
It’s a fair question. Most people don’t leap out of bed thinking, You know what this world could use? More Kingdom of God books!
But here’s what I’ve learned after decades of preaching, teaching, and occasionally tripping over my own sermon notes:
If we don’t intentionally teach the Kingdom, something else will quietly take its place. And whatever replaces it will be smaller than what Jesus intended.
1. Jesus Thought the Kingdom Was Central
Jesus begins his ministry with a proclamation, not a suggestion: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1:15, NRSVue). Not “the church has come near.” Not “a new spiritual brand has come near.”
The Kingdom.
If Jesus placed the Kingdom at the center, then burying it in the fine print of our discipleship is a mistake.
2. People Are Starving for a Bigger Story
We live in a season where conflict, exhaustion, and uncertainty feel relentless. Many people don’t know where their lives fit into the bigger picture. The Kingdom offers a story wide enough to hold all of humanity—a story where:
- justice matters,
- mercy restores,
- the poor are centered,
- the broken are healed,
- enemies are loved,
- and hope has the final word.
Books give us the space to reclaim and breathe in this larger, biblical narrative.
3. Modern Christians Are Often Discipled by Everything Except Jesus
Gently said (with pastoral humor): if discipleship were graded on a curve, many of us would be praying Jesus is in a generous mood that day. Cable news, social media, partisan framing, and spiritual consumerism disciple Christians more effectively than many churches do. Not intentionally—but consistently.
Teaching the Kingdom helps recalibrate the soul’s compass. Books allow us to slow down long enough to let Jesus do the discipling again.
4. Silence Leaves a Vacuum—and Counterfeit Kingdoms Rush In
When thoughtful Christians don’t teach the Kingdom, other narratives take over:
- civil religion
- cultural nationalism
- privatized “me and Jesus” spirituality
- feel-good faith that asks nothing
None of these resembles the reign of God. Writing about the Kingdom places a faithful witness back in the public square.
5. The Kingdom Is Still Good News
The Kingdom of God is God’s ongoing declaration that:
- the world is not forsaken,
- injustice is not final,
- compassion is not weakness, and
- love remains the most disruptive force on earth.
If even one life tilts toward mercy, justice, forgiveness, hope, or neighborliness because of a book on the Kingdom—then the work is worth it.
A Final Word
So yes, I keep writing. I keep teaching. And I keep believing—sometimes stubbornly—that the Kingdom of God is not just the message Jesus preached but the remedy our world still aches for.
And honestly, if I don’t write these books, I’m afraid the rocks might start crying out. And I do not need that kind of competition.
Shalom, Mick Finch