Reformation, Not Revolution: Why God's Law Matters for Society

In a time of cultural upheaval and growing hostility to Christianity, David Forsythe calls the Church to recover what she has surrendered: a robust biblical worldview that refuses neutrality, resists compromise, and seeks the obedience of the nations to Christ. This is not a manifesto for revolution. It is a blueprint for reformation — grounded in Scripture, shaped by the Reformed tradition, and aimed at the public square.

For more than a century, the Church in the West has retreated from the public square. Christians have privatized their faith, ecclesiasticized their religion, and abandoned 1,500 years of Christian civilization to those who hate Christ and His law. The results are everywhere around us.

Reformation, Not Revolution is a bracing, pastoral response to that retreat — and a call to recover what was lost.

Drawing from Scripture and the Reformed tradition, and engaging the thought of theologians such as John Calvin, Abraham Kuyper, and Cornelius Van Til, David Forsythe argues that God's moral law remains foundational to justice, order, and human flourishing. He challenges both the privatization of faith and the false hope of revolutionary politics, charting a third path: faithful cultural reformation under the reign of King Jesus.

Forsythe writes not as an academic theorist, but as a pastor and former political candidate who has stood for Christ in the public square. After three years as a missionary in Central Africa, he returned home to Canada with a clarified vision — "All of Christ for all of life for all the world!" — and went on to run as a candidate in the 2022 Ontario provincial election, intentionally taking every issue and every doorstep conversation back to Scripture.

This book is the fruit of that vision: a clear, courageous, faithful exposition of why God's law matters for society, and how the Christian must engage the civil sphere under the Lordship of Christ.

Inside the Book

12 chapters of biblical reformation:

• A Law Worth Keeping
• The Original Relationship Between God and Man
• Meet Kuyper and Van Til: Two Giants of the Faith
• Self-Governance
• Family: The First Government in Society Under God
• Sins Versus Crimes
• Church and State: Two Domains Under King Jesus
• God's Design for the State: Romans 13 Unbound
• Rules for Cultural and Political Reformers (Parts I, II, and III)
• Answering Common Objections

With a Foreword by Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot, President and Founder of the Ezra Institute and author of Ruler of Kings.

Early Praise

"David Forsythe helps the Church think biblically about law, culture, and public life… this book is clear, courageous, and faithful."
— Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot, President & Founder, Ezra Institute

"David Forsythe has offered an excellent summary and defense of the theonomic interpretation of God's law for today's Christians. He takes God's law with utmost seriousness, as indeed every saint in the biblical canon and the vast majority until well into the 19th century did. The case he lays out for the continuing authority of God's law is superb and worth every Christian's consideration."
— P. Andrew Sandlin, Founder & President, Center for Cultural Leadership

"I wholeheartedly endorse this bold and principled contribution to the conversation on authority and ethics in the civil sphere. Rooted in years of missionary experience, sharpened by deep worldview formation, and tested in the public arena of political candidacy, Dave Forsythe brings a rare combination of conviction, courage, and clarity. His unwavering commitment to the Lordship of Christ over all of life—especially in the realm of politics—is both refreshing and necessary in our time."
— Steven R. Martins, Director, Cántaro Institute

About the Author

David A. Forsythe serves as an elder-pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada. He and his wife Alyssa are grateful to be raising six children together. A graduate of Peace River Bible Institute (2012, Global Ministries), he has served in three countries on three continents, including missionary work in Malawi, Central Africa.

David has also been active in public life, including running as a candidate in the 2022 Ontario provincial election — a campaign he ran openly as a Christian, intentionally grounding every position in Scripture rather than mere political preference. He is also the author of Vengeance Has Come: A Puritan-Minded Exposition of the Apocalypse for the Modern Church.

Product Details

• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 160
• Publisher: Ezra Press
• Language: English
• ISBN: 979-8-9916932-8-8
• Release Date: June 23, 2026
• Cover Design: Jordan Cecile