James Davison Hunter on Challenges to Democracy

This episode was recorded before the attempted assassination of former President Trump.

What is it that binds Americans together as a nation? 

That’s the question that Russell Moore and his guest, sociologist and professor James Davison Hunter, address on this episode of The Russell Moore Show. With political violence on the rise in America and around the world, Hunter helps us understand the roots of the crisis. They discuss the differences between consensus and solidarity while pondering how humans tend to come alive in times of disaster yet the COVID-19 pandemic produced opposite effects. Their conversation spans history, politics, and religion as Moore and Hunter observe the current state of affairs within Evangelicalism. 

Hunter and Moore talk about the lineage of culture wars and shifts in Christian presence in higher education. Hunter explains why he talks about culture in terms of weather and climate as the two consider hotly contested social issues such as homosexuality, marijuana, and abortion. 

Tune in for an episode that asks deep questions, navigates complex answers, and finds reason to hope.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis by James Davison Hunter
• Culture Wars: The Struggle To Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics In America by James Davison Hunter 
• To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter
• Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture
• “Trump’s Would-Be Assassin and the Twisted Quest for Human Glory”

Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com.

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“The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper

Host: Russell Moore

Producer: Ashley Hales

Associate Producers: Abby Perry and McKenzie Hill

Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens

Audio engineering by Dan Phelps

Video producer: Abby Egan

Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton

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