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Hold the activism. Hold the platitudes. We know something is wrong with our government. As American Christians, we have a rich political inheritance and a strong desire to act. Yet our action is stunted by reactionary politics and a lack of understanding of the systems which govern us.
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It is time for a practical manual on American government written specifically for Christians. In The Forgotten Realm, Elizabeth Landis explains these often ignored structures of government that the average citizen interacts with every day. Starting with the city and working outward to the county, special districts, state, and nation, Landis inverts the way many Americans think about politics and their role as citizens. She demonstrates that there is much we can do to engage with the civil realm and heal our nation. By looking at these structures and learning them well, American Christians will not only become more informed citizens but also more engaged citizens, able to bring the gospel of Christ into an often unreached space.
By faithfully pursuing civics, American Christians can ensure that The Forgotten Realm does not stay forgotten for long.
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List of Figures
vii
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Preface
xiii
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Introduction
1
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Chapter 1: The Realm of Civil Government & Dual Citizenship
15
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Chapter 2: Layers of Law—The Cornerstone Chapter
49
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Figure 2.1 Three Branches of Government
57
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Figure 2.2 Federal Laws
68
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Figure 2.3 State & Federal Judicial Systems
73
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Figure 2.4 Federal Regulations
76
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Figure 2.5 State Session Laws
82
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Figure 2.6 State Codes of Law
83
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Figure 2.7 State Regulations
84
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Figure 2.8 Governance Structure in the United States in Terms of Law
87
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Chapter 3: City Government
93
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Figure 3.1 Governance Structure in the United States
92
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Figure 3.2 Accountability (Who is Accountable to Whom)
115
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Figure 3.3 Commission System
120
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Figure 3.4a Council-Manager System I
122
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Figure 3.4b Council-Manager System II
123
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Figure 3.5 Mayor-Council System
125
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Figure 3.6 (Open) Town Meeting
127
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Figure 3.7 Representative Town Meeting
129
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Figure 3.8 Review of the Systems of City Governance
130
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Figure 3.9 The Types of People You Will Meet in the Civil Realm
136
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Chapter 4: County-Equivalent Government
151
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Figure 4.1 Governance Structure in the United States
150
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Figure 4.2 Commission System
164
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Figure 4.3 Council-Administrator System
166
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Figure 4.4 Council-Elected Executive System
168
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Figure 4.5 Consolidated City-Council System
170
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Figure 4.6 Comparison: Systems of City & County Governance
171
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Figure 4.7 State Judicial System
181
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Chapter 5: Special Districts, Independent Cities, Townships & Regional Governments
193
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Figure 5.1 Governance Structure in the United States
192
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Figure 5.2 All Districts & Special Districts
197
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Chapter 6: State Government
211
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Figure 6.1 Governance Structure in the United States
210
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Figure 6.2 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 1
235
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Figure 6.3 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 2
239
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Figure 6.4 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 3
240
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Figure 6.5 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 4
241
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Figure 6.6 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 5
242
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Figure 6.7 How a Bill Becomes a Law: Phase 6
243
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Figure 6.8 State Judicial System
261
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Figure 6.9 State Systems
265
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Chapter 7: National Government
275
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Figure 7.1 Governance Structure in the United States
274
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Figure 7.2 Apportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives (based on the 2020 Census)
290
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Figure 7.3 U.S. Electoral College
296
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Figure 7.4 Federal Judicial System
306
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Figure 7.5 U.S. Regional Courts of Appeal
308
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Figure 7.6 National System
311
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Chapter 8: Voting, Elections & Parties
317
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Figure 8.1 State Election Offices: What is Yours Called?
332
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Figure 8.2 Reasons for Not Voting: Presidential Elections, 2004–2020 (in percent)
346
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Chapter 9: Christian Diplomacy
353
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Conclusion
379
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Appendix A: The Declaration of Independence
389
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Appendix B: The United States Constitution & Bill of Rights
395
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Appendix C: Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists
427
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Appendix D: Establishment & Enablement of State Agencies
431
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Appendix E: Civic Parenting
435
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Appendix F: All Sorts of Districts
441
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Glossary
451
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Bibliography
483
About the Author
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Elizabeth Landis graduated from The Ohio State University with a master’s degree in French. She and her husband Greg have five children whom they have homeschooled K-12. In 2016, a local issue pulled her into the civil realm, and she has been uncovering the forgotten realm ever since. She currently works as assistant to the president at New Saint Andrews College where she founded the college’s civics club in 2020.