The Mona Charen Show

Christianity’s Crossroads: Faith, Democracy, and America’s Future

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In this episode of The Mona Charen Podcast, Mona Charen speaks with author Jonathan Rauch about his new book, Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy. They explore the decline of Christianity in America, its impact on democracy, and whether faith can be depoliticized. Rauch, a self-described “atheistic homosexual Jew,” makes the case that Christianity has been a vital “load-bearing wall” for American democracy and argues for a return to its core principles. The conversation touches on political polarization, the role of faith in public life, and what small-l liberals and conservatives alike can learn from the evolving role of religion in society.

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REFERENCES:
Books by Jonathan Rauch:

  • Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy (his new book)
  • The Constitution of Knowledge (his previous book)
    Articles:

    • An article by Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic (2003) celebrating secularization, which he later called "the dumbest thing I ever wrote."
    Books and Works Referenced:

    • Tim Alberta’s The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory (referred to in discussion about the church and politics)
    • A quote attributed to G.K. Chesterton: “When people cease to believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything” (noted as possibly apocryphal).
    • Russell Moore's commentary on the state of the church.
    • The Bible (including references to Jesus’ teachings such as "forgive your enemies" and "the least of these").
    • A quote from John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
    • The Book of Mormon (mentioned in the discussion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
    • Immanuel Kant’s ethical philosophy (used to support moral arguments).
    • Rabbi Hillel’s summary of the Torah: “That which is hateful to you, do not do unto your neighbor. All the rest is commentary. Now go and study.”
      • Legislation and Policies Referenced:

      • The 1964 Civil Rights Act (mentioning its religious exemptions).
      • The Utah Compromise (2015) on LGBT rights and religious freedoms.
      • The Respect for Marriage Act (2022), which protected same-sex marriage while also ensuring religious protections.


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