Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies: A Conversation with David Gushee and Kristin Du Mez

This is a recording from a conversation between Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of New York Times bestselling book, Jesus and John Wayne, and David P. Gushee, author of Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies. The event occurred on March 15th in the Loosemore Auditorium at Grand Valley State University.
David and Kristin discuss the main premises of David's latest book with Eerdmans and offer insights into how Christians can take action to preserve and uphold the democratic values enshrined in our constitution, especially in today's political climate.
Many thanks to our co-sponsors for this event:
The Kaufman Interfaith Institute at Grand Valley State University - www.gvsu.edu/interfaith/
and Schuler Books - www.schulerbooks.com
📚 Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies - www.eerdmans.com/978080288293...
📚 Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation - kristindumez.com/books/jesus-...
📫 To stay in the know about more upcoming events with Eerdmans authors, please subscribe to our mailing list! mailchi.mp/eerdmans/email-list

[@GeoffSutton]

Thank you David and Kristin for this conversation. David, I appreciate your humour and gentle way of presenting information. I hope others learn to appreciate the value of personal contact with people who are not part of our subcultures but are vital to a full functioning democratic society.

[@kimsteinke713]

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. That was us gay people LGBT rainbow children crying out in the desert and David Gushee like some kind of hero angel popped out of the internet and popped up just at the time just at the right time I thank God for you David and Kristen 🙏😇🌈

[@jamesklein1278]

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.

[@kimsteinke713]

You're exactly right about that analogie. Authoritarians; end the game and start a new one😢

[@mjordan79705]

The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction. W B Yeats

[@lindsayhudkins9027]

Wish I could have joined in person! Thank you both for your work.

[@mvcchoreo]

I get the motivation behind the question about how to interact on a level playing field with Christians who are more focused on eternal/ethereal issues. It's funny because I think David Gushee's disagreement is well-founded and accurate, so how can both be true? My amateur answer is influenced by Daniel Hummel's book The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism. I think there are still strong vestiges of "Left Behind" thinking in our collective imagination and when it's more convenient to focus on "saving the soul" vs "tending to physical needs" folks can easily revert to the former. And then dance back and forth as it suits them. Hummel mentioned that Tim LaHaye concocted a new eschatological facet, where Christians can play a role in holding back the coming judgment, which went hand in glove with the Moral Majority. It reminds me of how Hitler's scapegoat had to be simultaneously weak and powerful - powerful enough to be perceived as a threat by aryans, yet weak enough for Hitler to subdue. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else understands/sees it this way.

[@kimsteinke713]

Yes David very well said like popping mushrooms in the field. I always like on them to the lollipop kids on The wizard of Oz but poisonous mushrooms in between the field of popping mushrooms. I laugh out loud but I pray 🙏😇🏳️‍🌈

[@twilajoyful]

You addressed so many things I need to know. I want the hope you have!

[@enigma1865]

Reminds me of the Evangelical efforts in the 1860s to make the US Constitution more Christian as a response to the Confederate Constitution which used more obvious religious language.

[@StellaLunora]

What the emperor was and the greatness as it seems was rome that state of mind which once was is now Europe being england as its central where emperor once was. Matthew 5-23 Revelation 17 Revelation 18

[@kimsteinke713]

Erdougon in Turkey just got voted out That's a good sign and they say that authoritarianism is out and they said that orbin is next. That's what they said. Who's they all the people on the message board in Turkey.

[@StellaLunora]

Roman 1 Romans 13 He has but a short time Does it say that you can be gay? I mean literally go read I hope you ly with conviction