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The Good Faith Podcast/The After Party Edition: What Democrats Fail to Get About Christians and Why It Matters (with David French)
Host Curtis Chang and “founding friend” David French engage in a thought-provoking discussion about the relationship between Democrats and Republican Evangelicals. With a nuanced exploration into topics like the “God Gap,” they shed light on why Democrats frequently fail to grasp the perspectives and values of Evangelicals. Also in this episode, David and Curtis address the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and explain whether or not their views on the conflict have changed amidst the widening devastation.
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For some reason, this podcast made me think about ethics, or more precisely, the absence of ethics education in the mainstream. I specifically remember two occasions in which I was taught more deeply about ethics: one was a course during my PhD program, and the other was an article on torture in Christianity Today magazine. These stand out, because, well, I don’t think I was learning about utilitarianism in my general life. (sure, morality, but not the deeper level reasons for why ends do not justify means, and other ethical dilemmas). I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have an ethicist in your friend group — bring him/ her around the campfire so we can broaden our understanding of these principles (and perhaps share them with others!)
I am an American. I am a Christian, who happens to be white and grew up in the Episcopal Church. Politically, I am an Independent. Politically, this country is not divided only into Democrats and Republicans; it most certainly is not divided into “red” and “blue” states. We are 50 united states. Religiously, we are blessed by people of many faiths, and that is the promise of our country. We must not, and can not, play the division game. If we wish to keep our democratic republic, then the majority of us in this country, who believe in the ethics and values of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, then we must be united by those ethics and values. We can disagree, of course – that is how policy becomes good law. But to keep our republic, this grand experiment, we must stand together on our higher ground. Our posterity is counting on us.
Cool. Now that you’ve interviewed a “never-Trumper”, how about interviewing a “one last time-Trumper”? This would represent the vast majority of Christian republicans, as Christians who “wrap their arms around Trump” are a small minority. We “one last time-Trumpers” actually do believe that the ends justify the means, just like they did in 2016-2020 (great economy for all (until the pandemic), criminal justice reform, energy independence, peace in the Middle East, conservative Supreme Court justices, overturn of Roe, etc.). We also play the “long game” in that Trump will only be president for 4 years but the policies enacted could last decades. If you sincerely want to see policies change to align with your values, line up the policies you think are important, decide which side (R or D) is most likely to enact those policies, and vote for the candidate for that party. If I have to judge a candidate based on their morality, which scale should I use? Where is the line? Please, if you truly want to be non-partisan, provide another side to the “never-Trumper”.