Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies

In the most recent episode of my podcast (Cabernet and Pray), I sat down with Dr. David Gushee. Dr. Gushee is the author, co-author, or editor of twenty-eight books (one of which was a textbook for an ethics class I took for my Master's degree). In the podcast episode, we dove into his recently released book called Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies (see: Amazon link).

Dr. Gushee explains the need for the book like this: "One perennial and very challenging aspect of Christian ethics is political ethics—how Christians should engage government, the state, and politics. In my experience, this is an area in which Christians are generally instructed very poorly by their pastors-if they are instructed at all."

It's fascinating to read a book from a Christian whose argument is that Christians today pose the most significant threat to democracy. "It is not fundamentalist Muslims who today are serious candidates for federal and statewide offices in the United States. It is Christians who are positioning themselves to remake our 240-year-old democratic and church/state arrangements."

He goes on to explain that “Authoritarianism in Christianity is a feature, not a bug, and it is unlikely to change in most Christian quarters anytime soon.”

One of the boldest statements he makes in the book goes back to a deep cultural issue in the United States. "The United States may offer the most pronounced example of a nation that has never been able to overcome its founding racism, and thus has never realized its democratic principles and aspirations.”

It wasn't all serious though. Fun things happen when you get a theologian to drink wine with you while you talk about God. Here's a quick glimpse into some fun moments from the interview:

@jeremy.jernigan A few of my favorite moments from episode 8 with David Gushee. Check out the full episode! #cabernetandpray #podcast #winepodcast #wine #winetasting #christianity #bible #communionwineco #theology #postevangelical #deconstruction #deconstructingfaith #churchhurt #churchtoo #howtodeconstruct #faithdeconstruction #faithreconstruction #reconstructingfaith #exvangelical #exvangelicals #exevangelical #religiousdeconstruction #democracy #author #newbook ♬ original sound - Jeremy Jernigan

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