One reason for the appeal of Christian Nationalism - either in its current form or its 1980s Moral Majority version - is the loss of moral norms in the wider society. American Christians (Protestants more than Roman Catholics) functioned in their society relatively comfortably with generic Christian morality as the standard for public and private behavior. As a moral consensus has eroded (is Donald Trump up or down stream from Pride Month?), churches may need to be more intentional about the basics of Christian morality than they were in previous generations.

This discussion among the co-hosts - D. G. Hart (Presbyterian), Korey Maas (Lutheran), and Miles Smith (Anglican) goes fairly deep into the weeds of preaching the law with the unexpected twist of the Lutheran leading the charge for application and moral exhortation in sermons.

Later in the recording, the co-hosts also discuss the legitimacy of churches having a one-strike-and-you're-out policy for church officers who commit adultery through sexual sin. Is plagiarism in preaching as bad as adultery? Or do sexual offenses compromise a church officer's integrity in ways unlike other breaches of the moral law?

Apologies to listeners for taking so long to post this recording. Hiccups in schedules and switching podcast platforms are partly to blame.