• Faith without action is dead.
• The early Christian community emphasized caring for one another's needs.
• Treating all people equally is important and goes against favoritism.
• Love for our neighbors and living out the social vision of Jesus is crucial.

Find us on the web: https://liminalliving.simplecast.com/

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liminalliving

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCseqDsKpQv2r7AbFfrWF0ow

Follow us on Patheos: patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/liminal-living

All Music for this episode composed by Axeltree

Takeaways

• Faith can provide an organizing center, meaning, and purpose in life.
• Gushee's journey of faith involved a conversion experience as a teenager and a broadening of perspectives through studying Christian ethics.
• Democracy is a system of government that belongs to the people and is based on a constitution and the rule of law.
• Authoritarianism poses a threat to democracy and can be fueled by religious or ideological beliefs.
• It is important to defend and uphold democratic principles, including free and fair elections, an independent judiciary, and the protection of individual rights. Support for democracy among Christians has eroded since the 1960s, leading to a sense of alienation and fear among conservative Christians.
• Conservative Christians perceive culture and politics as dominated by their enemies and feel oppressed, which has been exploited by political figures like Donald Trump.
• Identity-oriented politics and the rejection of pluralism are not aligned with the teachings of Christianity.
• The rise of authoritarianism in countries like Hungary and Russia follows a pattern of a once-dominant majority group feeling threatened by societal changes and mobilizing for action.
• Preserving the rules of democracy and the constitutional order is crucial to prevent further erosion of democratic values.

Chapters

• Introduction and Background
• Gushee's Journey of Faith
• Broadening Perspectives
• Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies
• The Threat of Authoritarianism to Democracy
• The Erosion of Support for Democracy Among Christians
• The Rise of Authoritarianism and the Threat to Democracy
• Preserving Democracy and the Constitutional Order

Links:

www.DavidpGushee.com

Buy His Latest Book [click here]

Support Links:

Square 2 Course from Quoir [click here]

Find us on the web: https://liminalliving.simplecast.com/

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liminalliving

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCseqDsKpQv2r7AbFfrWF0ow

Follow us on Patheos: patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/liminal-living

All Music for this episode composed by Axeltree

• Reinterpreting scripture passages can help avoid harmful and wounding interpretations that have been used in a religious and fundamentalist context.
• Understanding the cultural context in which scripture was written is crucial for interpretation.
• Every good and perfect gift comes from God, and it is important to recognize and appreciate the goodness in the world.
• Being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry can lead to better understanding and more compassionate interactions.
• Religion should be demonstrated through actions, such as caring for those in need and avoiding power schemes.

Find us on the web: https://liminalliving.simplecast.com/

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liminalliving

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCseqDsKpQv2r7AbFfrWF0ow

Follow us on Patheos: patheos.com/editorial/podcasts/liminal-living

All Music for this episode composed by Axeltree