NEW BOOK LAUNCH - coming summer 2026
Something is off.
The gospel has been hijacked.
And it's time to get it back.
KINGDOM OVER EMPIRE
Recovering the Gospel from Political Captivity
This book took six months to write, five years to live, and twenty-five years in ministry to finally be honest enough to say. Before it reaches the world, I'm looking for a small group of readers who want to be part of getting it there.
No platform required. Just a hunger for something more than what we've been given.
You are not crazy. And you are not alone.
If you've felt it—a low-grade grief you couldn't quite name, faith that still works but feels incomplete, conversations about Jesus that started sounding more like conversations about winning—this book was written for you. Not from a distance. From inside the same formation it describes.
"For years, many of us have been discipled more by outrage than by prayer, more by pundits than by pastors, more by fear than by love. We didn't stop following Jesus. But we allowed other stories to shape our instincts alongside Him."
- Brian Drinkwine, Kingdom Over Empire
updated design pending
This is not a political book. It's a formation book.
Most of us didn't set out to let politics shape our faith. It happened quietly, through the news we consumed, the voices we trusted, the fears that felt too urgent to question.
This book is about that process. It doesn't argue for a party or against one. It asks a more foundational question: what has been forming you, and is it producing someone who looks like Jesus?
Written from inside the conservative evangelical world it describes, Kingdom Over Empire is a pastor's honest confession: part memoir, part theology, part invitation. Not to a new political tribe. To a recovered allegiance.
The kingdom over every empire that demands your loyalty.
From the Book
"You did not lose your faith. You lost your language. You noticed that conversations about Jesus started to sound more like conversations about winning. That fear became a spiritual virtue. That outrage felt productive. That enemies were easier to love in theory than in practice."
"Fear is often the first signal of love. We fear losing what we cherish. We fear harm to those we are responsible for. Fear itself is not a moral failure. The danger is not fear; the danger is what fear is allowed to form in us when it goes unexamined."
"Most people do not wake up intending to trade character for power. They arrive there slowly, telling themselves they are being responsible, pragmatic, or faithful. They convince themselves that the moment is too urgent for idealism, that survival must come before virtue, that integrity can be revisited once the crisis has passed. But the crisis never passes."
"Drift does not mean betrayal. It does not mean bad faith. It often happens to sincere, committed people who are trying to do good in a confusing and threatening world. One of the most subtle shifts that happens in formation is the moment we confuse movement with intention. We assume that direction only counts if it's chosen deliberately."
"Today, my generation is leaving the church in masses. I do not say that with anger. I say it with grief. Most of them desperately want to follow Jesus. What they no longer believe is that the Church wants to. They are not rejecting Christ. They are rejecting a version of Christianity that does not look anything like him."
"Empire does not belong to one party. It is what happens when any political tribe, on any side of any spectrum, begins to confuse power with kingdom faithfulness. Empire always uses religious language when it is convenient. Empire always claims righteousness when it seeks power. Empire always demands loyalty, even from believers. The kingdom, on the other hand, never builds itself on moral compromise."
Before this book is in stores, a select few will have already lived inside its pages. I'm looking for those people now.
Brian Drinkwine is a pastor, theologian, and writer whose work centers on recovering the gospel from the captivity of political and cultural empire. He is the founding pastor of Clarity Church in Corona, California, and the founder of Brian Drinkwine Ministries.
Brian's theological framework—Kingdom Over Empire—has shaped a decade of pastoral ministry and crystallized into a body of work spanning sermons, essays, curriculum, and public writing. His content regularly engages current events through a prophetic, non-partisan lens, and has drawn a significant following of readers who describe themselves as spiritually disoriented by the collision of faith and politics in American life.
He came to this work through honest confession: Brian spent years inside a conservative evangelical formation that taught him to conflate political loyalty with Christian faithfulness. The unraveling of that formation—slow, painful, and clarifying—is the lived ground beneath everything he writes. He does not write as a detached critic. He writes as someone who has repented of what he is describing.
He and his wife Sarah live in Southern California with their two daughters, Shiloh and Eliyah.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
- Free advanced readers copy
- Behind-the-scenes updates from Brian
- Early access to book-related products
- Invitations to expand the team
WHAT I'M ASKING OF YOU
- Read the book (or as much as you can)
- Leave an honest review on launch day
- Tell one person it exists
- No follower count required
"You are not behind. You are not faithless. You are not broken for asking these questions. You are still here. And that matters."
- Brian Drinkwine, Kingdom Over Empire
Do I need a social media following or a platform?
Not even a little. We're looking for genuine readers, not influencers. Your honest review and one conversation carry more weight than ten thousand followers who don't care.What if I don't agree with everything in the book?
Good. Brian wrote the book for people willing to wrestle honestly, not people looking for confirmation.Is this book politically conservative or progressive?
Neither. And that's intentional. Empire has no party. If you want partisan ammunition, this is the wrong book. If you want a genuine reckoning, keep reading.When will I get the ARC (advanced reader's copy)?
Confirmed team members receive delivery details by email. Fill out the form now to be in the first round of notifications."For years, many of us have been discipled more by outrage than by prayer, more by pundits than by pastors, more by fear than by love. We didn't stop following Jesus. But we allowed other stories to shape our instincts alongside Him."
- Brian Drinkwine, Kingdom Over Empire
Work With Brian
The Kingdom Over Empire framework didn't begin with this book. It has been forged through twenty-five years of pastoral ministry, a painful personal unraveling, and a decade of helping individuals, leaders, and teams find clarity on the other side of political disorientation. If you or your community needs that work, here's what that looks like.
Pastoral & Church Consulting
Is your congregation fracturing along political lines? Are you a pastor navigating the collision of faith and politics without losing your people or your integrity? Brian works directly with pastors and elder teams to name what's happening, recover the gospel's priority, and lead their church forward with clarity.
Speaking
Brian is a dynamic communicator with more than 25 years preaching and teaching at churches, camps, and retreats—audiences from a few dozen to thousands. He brings the Kingdom Over Empire framework to life in a single session or a full weekend. Ideal for church series, leadership events, and conferences.
Leadership Coaching
If you're leading in a politically charged environment and struggling to find—or hold—your footing, coaching may be what you need. Brian helps leaders recover vision, gain clarity, and lead with kingdom integrity rather than fear-driven reaction. For pastors, ministry leaders, and Christian executives.
Spiritual Direction
For the individual who is spiritually exhausted, politically disoriented, or quietly wondering if the faith they were handed is the faith they actually want to keep. Brian offers spiritual direction rooted in the ancient practices of intimacy with God, helping you reorient your allegiance and step into your next season with clarity.
Need an outside voice to help your team grow in unity and vision? Brian's Team Training brings the Kingdom Over Empire framework directly to your staff or leadership team, helping them build momentum around a common mission rather than a fractured one.
Coming Soon
Small Group Curriculum
A guided study built around Kingdom Over Empire, designed for churches, small groups, and leadership teams who want to go deeper together.
Preaching Series
Bring the Kingdom Over Empire series into your church for a defined season — a multi-week preaching and formation experience for your entire congregation.