February 03, 2025

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

1 hour 5 minutes

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.

...more

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