Cross Purposes

1. American Christianity Faces a Deepening Crisis, Threatening Democracy.

The alarming answer is that the crisis for Christianity has turned out to be a crisis for de- mocracy.

Shrinking faith. American Christianity is experiencing a rapid decline, with only 25% of Americans identifying as "practicing Christians" in 2022, nearly half the number from 2000. Church membership fell below 50% for the first time in 2021, and almost half of Americans attend church less than once a year, a stark contrast to 17% in 1972. This "Great Dechurching" is a "jolting" shift, not a gradual one.

Widespread decline. This trend affects all denominations, with even white evangelical churches, once thriving, now shrinking. The number of white evangelicals dropped from almost a fourth of the population in 2006 to barely more than an eighth in 2022. Simultaneously, the religiously unaffiliated "nones" have skyrocketed to over 20% of the population, now rivaling all white Protestants combined, and they skew young, indicating a generational shift away from inherited Christian knowledge.

Democracy's peril. This "thinning" of Christianity is not just a problem for the church but for American democracy itself. The Founders, including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, believed that republican government relied on religious underpinnings to foster virtue and make citizens governable. When Christianity, a "load-bearing wall" in American civic life, buckles, democratic institutions come under severe stress, leading to increased cynicism, disdain for institutions, and discontent.

2. Secularism and Faith Are Interdependent, Each Addressing Unique Human Needs.

Although they are always in tension and sometimes in outright conflict, neither by itself will ever be able to satisfy human needs to cope with the world.

Four existential questions. Humans seek answers to four fundamental questions, or "four M's," to feel morally complete, and neither secularism nor spiritualism can fully address all of them independently. These questions are:

• Mortality: How can life have meaning if it ultimately leads to death?
• Morality: What is the ultimate basis for right and wrong?
• Murder: Why is the world so full of suffering, injustice, and violence?
• Miracles: How can we explain the world without recourse to magic?

Secularism's limits. Purely secular thinking struggles with mortality and morality. While it can explain human evolution and our place in the universe, it cannot provide transcendent meaning or purpose beyond oblivion, nor can it offer an absolute, external warrant for moral propositions beyond personal taste or societal norms. This leaves a "God-shaped hole" that secularism has been unable to fill, leading to a rise in "alt-religions" like wellness culture, social justice movements, or Q-Anon, which often lack institutional bases and theological anchors.

Religion's limits. Conversely, religious thinking falls short on the problems of murder (theodicy) and miracles. The "free-will" argument fails to explain natural disasters or the suffering of innocents, often retreating into mysticism that excuses a "capricious, sometimes monstrous divinity." Belief in miracles, by definition, violates natural laws and undermines scientific explanation, leading to a "game of Calvinball" where any claim can be asserted, breaking the universe's coherence and leading to "warring revelations and violent conflicts."

3. "Sharp Christianity" Has Politicized Faith, Betraying Core Values.

“For our church, in the end, the center held,” he says. But will comity survive the next political season? He shrugs. No way to know.

Battlefield mindset. Many evangelical pastors report deep exhaustion and demoralization from a "battlefield mindset" among their congregants, characterized by anger, fear, and a belief that Christianity is under attack. This worldview, amplified by partisan media and the 2016 election, has politicized the Gospel, making it difficult for pastors to guide their flocks spiritually without confronting divisive cultural issues like critical race theory or vaccine mandates.

Partisan merger. The effective merger of the white evangelical movement with the Republican Party, rooted in the 1960s and 70s, has intensified into codependency. White evangelicals now constitute the biggest and most loyal element of the Republican base, with 70% identifying as Republican. This bond has led to a spiral where partisan politics increasingly shapes religious identity, with a growing number of self-identified evangelicals attending church "seldom or never," suggesting that "evangelical" has become more of a political uniform than a religious term.

Spiritual rot. This politicization has led to a "spiritual rot," where theological belief becomes a minor factor in church choice, replaced by lifestyle and political outlook. Pastors lament that their congregations are "not as spiritually mature as we thought," and that they "can’t make them want it." This shift means that party loyalty and cultural anxieties often elbow Jesus aside, leading to a "depravity gospel" that prioritizes winning and fighting over core Christian teachings.

4. Liberalism Is Not to Blame for Christianity's Decline; Internal Choices Are.

If Christians want to know why they are losing adherents and influence, they should look in the mirror.

Post-liberal critique. A "post-liberal" perspective argues that secular liberalism is inherently self-undermining, aggressively godless, and destroys faith and tradition through radical individualism. They claim liberalism's commitment to neutrality is a sham, relentlessly promoting autonomy that bulldozes family, faith, and community, ultimately leading to centralized state power.

Liberalism's self-awareness. Rauch refutes this, stating that liberals have always acknowledged the need for external sources of support and stability for their system. From John Locke to the American Founders, liberal theorists understood they could not create virtue by themselves and warned against trying. Modern liberal thinkers like Francis Fukuyama and William Galston continue to address issues like runaway individualism and civic illiteracy, demonstrating that liberalism's shortcomings are not new discoveries.

Christianity's agency. The decline of American Christianity cannot be blamed solely on aggressive secularism.

• The United States has historically prided itself on a vibrant marketplace of religions fostered by liberal freedoms.
• Capitalism and individualism, while challenging, also create opportunities for spiritual anchors, as seen in the thriving evangelicalism in the Global South.
• Benjamin Franklin's observation: "When religion is good, I conceive it will support itself."
• The current legal and judicial environment is highly protective of religious liberty, with the Supreme Court delivering a "decade-long winning streak" for religious freedom.
• The "war on Christmas" is "entirely made up."
  Ultimately, the crisis is primarily due to "tragic decisions made by Christians themselves," particularly their embrace of figures like Donald Trump.

5. The Embrace of Fear and Retribution Undermines Both Christianity and Democracy.

“Evangelicals were looking for a protector, an aggressive, heroic, manly man, someone who wasn’t restrained by political correctness or feminine virtues, someone who would break the rules for the right cause,” writes Kristin Kobes Du Mez, in her 2020 book Jesus and John Wayne.

Betrayal of Christian tenets. The "Church of Fear" actively undermines both Christianity and liberal democracy by rejecting core Christian principles:

• Don't be afraid: Despite being one of the Bible's most frequent commands, white evangelicalism is consumed by fear of the left, cultural change, demographic shifts, and loss of status, leading to "apocalyptic and hysterical rhetoric."
• Imitate Jesus: Many evangelicals prioritize "winning" or "fighting" in politics over Christlike humility, kindness, and concern for the downtrodden. This creates a "new wall of separation" between personal and public Christianity, rationalizing political cruelty that would be abhorred in church life.
• Forgive each other: The spirit of grievance and vengeance, exemplified by rhetoric like "I am your retribution," directly repudiates Jesus's ministry of grace and forgiveness, which is the "beating heart" of his teachings.

Toxic to democracy. This "Sharp Christianity" is inimical to liberal democracy because it militates against trust, instills hysteria, and adheres to political apocalypticism, viewing every election as a "Flight 93" last stand. It rejects the Madisonian principles of forbearance, civility, and compromise, which are essential for managing disagreement in a diverse society. The movement's embrace of Trump and MAGA, despite his cruelty, lying, and authoritarian tendencies, demonstrates a willingness to sacrifice democratic norms for perceived political power.

Crisis of authority. The politicization of the church has led to a "crisis of spiritual formation" and pastoral authority. Pastors feel "dragged along" by radicalized congregants who are more influenced by partisan media than by scripture. This "emptiness" means that if a pastor's teaching runs counter to right-wing talking points, they face significant pushback, leading to schisms and purges that make the church both "sharper and weaker," further endangering liberal democracy.

6. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Offers a Model of "Thick Christianity" and Pluralism.

“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suggests that a way can be found to reconcile divine and human law—through patience, negotiation, and mutual accommodation, without judicial fiat or other official coercion.”

Countercultural compromise. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) provides a compelling alternative to "Sharp Christianity" by actively embracing pluralism and compromise, even on core doctrinal issues. After a chastening experience with California's Proposition 8 in 2008, the church engaged in quiet, intense negotiations with the LGBT community, leading to Utah's SB 296 in 2015, which extended nondiscrimination protections while providing religious exemptions.

A "thick" and healthy faith. Unlike "thin" Christianity, the LDS church is a demanding and enfolding faith, requiring high personal investment and offering high communal returns.

• Extensive religious education for youth (Seminary, Institute).
• Significant missionary work (two years for 40% of young adults).
• Reliance on lay clergy and extensive volunteer assignments.
• "Ministering brothers and sisters" program for mutual support.
  This "thickness" allows it to maintain its distinctiveness and values without blending into the surrounding culture or yielding to partisan pressures.

Civic theology of accommodation. The LDS church's approach is rooted in a distinct civic theology that views "patience, negotiation, and mutual accommodation" not merely as tactics but as divine commands. This led them to support the federal Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, which codified same-sex marriage but also included significant religious liberty protections. This stance contrasts sharply with other conservative Christian groups who rejected the bill, demonstrating that a conservative faith can choose a conciliatory, pluralistic posture.

7. Latter-day Saint Theology Provides a Scriptural Basis for Compromise and Agency.

“We should not expect or seek total dominance for our own positions.”

Agency as core doctrine. The concept of "agency" is central to LDS theology, emphasizing that God grants humans the capacity for moral awareness and choice. Unlike the doctrine of original sin, LDS belief holds that Eve's choice to eat the fruit of knowledge was courageous and part of God's plan for human moral development. This means humans are not born guilty but "unformed," and life is a process of learning goodness through consequential choices.

Pluralism as divine plan. This doctrine of universal agency directly leads to Madisonian pluralism.

• Humans must have "maximum freedom for persons to act personally without tyrannical dictate."
• Restricting others' agency, even with good intentions, thwarts their "godlike potential."
• When choices conflict, the solution is "balanced legally and negotiated politically," not through dominance.
  This theological grounding explains why the church actively seeks compromise, viewing it as a way to advance both religious freedom and personal freedom, thereby increasing the net sum of agency and moral development.

Rejecting dominionism. The LDS church's history of severe persecution, including an "extermination order" in Missouri, has fostered a deep appreciation for religious freedom and pluralism. Joseph Smith, the church's founder, championed religious liberty for "all men," including "Mohammedans," and even included non-believers in his Council of Fifty. This historical memory, combined with the doctrine of agency, underpins a civic posture that rejects Christian nationalism and dominionism, instead promoting a "godly pluralism" where no one expects "total dominance for our own positions."

8. A Pluralistic Civic Theology Is Possible and Practical for All Christians.

I am asking evangelicals to emulate what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does, not what it believes.

A viable alternative. The LDS example demonstrates that a pluralistic civic theology is not only possible but practical for conservative Christians in America today. It refutes the post-liberal claim that liberalism is inherently antithetical to traditional Christianity and shows that a divisive, oppositional stance is a choice, not an inevitability. Christians can embrace Madison's constitutional pluralism without surrendering their faith or identity.

Practical benefits. Embracing "patience, negotiation, and mutual accommodation" yields tangible benefits, as seen in the Utah compromise and the Respect for Marriage Act. These efforts, supported by various conservative faith groups, achieved more through collaboration than through purist, confrontational tactics. This proves that while the "fruits of the spirit should not be judged on the basis of whether they 'work,' they often do work."

Doctrinal pathways. While other Christian traditions do not share LDS theology, they have ample doctrinal pathways to pluralism. Core Christian tenets like "don't be afraid," "imitate Jesus," and "forgive each other" align closely with Madisonian principles of trust, intrinsic human worth, forbearance, civility, and compromise. The recent rise of evangelical illiberalism stems from ignoring or selectively applying these dictates, rather than from scriptural necessity.

9. Secular Liberals Must Be More Welcoming and Accommodating to Faith.

We should be welcoming. We should even, perhaps, cherish religion.

Beyond tolerance. While American law is highly protective of religious freedom, secular liberals often fall short culturally. Many progressive activists and cultural institutions struggle to include and understand Christians, sometimes viewing faith-based concerns as trivial, superstitious, or bigoted. This often stems from ignorance of religion and American history, leading to a "tone-deaf" approach to religious communities.

Reconsidering separation. Liberal ideology has drifted towards a rigid cultural and attitudinal separation of church and state, beyond legal requirements. This leads to counterproductive efforts to police religious incursions into the public sector and a tendency to see accommodating faith as a zero-sum game. The First Amendment specifically carves out religious observance as a distinct and privileged category, and historical civil rights laws have included religious accommodations without controversy.

Learning from compromise. Secular liberals, particularly the LGBT community, can learn from the LDS church's approach to compromise. When demanding universal service from all businesses, regardless of faith, they risk "doctrinaire totalism." A balanced approach that allows for accommodations for a modest number of small, faith-based businesses, while ensuring broad access to services, de-escalates tensions and strengthens the fabric of pluralism.

Cherishing faith. Liberals should not just tolerate or accept religion, but actively welcome and even cherish it. This means:

• Exposing students to comparative religion courses.
• Eagerly seeking accommodations with faith-based communities.
• Including people of faith in diversity and inclusion efforts.
• Ensuring news coverage is informed by religious perspectives.
• Cultivating Christian friends and approaching their faith with curiosity.
  Recognizing that liberalism is not self-sufficient and leans on faith traditions for moral grounding will make liberalism itself "deeper and truer."

10. Christians Must Reclaim an "Exilic Mindset" and Reject Dominance.

“The church would be more faithful, more distinctly Christ’s people, if we actually understood that we don’t live in the promised land; we live in exile.”

Peculiar, not ordinary. For Christianity to move to a healthier place, it needs a spiritual formation that embraces an "exilic mindset," recognizing that Christians are called to be peculiar and countercultural, not to seek dominion or blend into consumerism. This means rejecting the fear and aggrievement that define the "Church of Fear" and instead becoming "better neighbors" by laying down the "love of dominance and getting its own way."

Blessing in exile. The exilic mindset, familiar to Jews, homosexuals, and atheists, views outsider status not as a curse but as a blessing. It fosters humility, compassion, and the ability to see injustice from society's margins. This perspective allows Christians to be "faithful exiles" who reveal "the reality of the love of God" and act as "light and salt" in the world, rather than being defined by persecution or nursing grievances.

Dissent and regeneration. The current crisis of the Trump era, while disruptive, can be a "sign of grace" and an "invitation to a new way of understanding our location." Regeneration will likely come not from fixing a monolithic movement, but from a "splintering" where small groups of people "dissent in ways of saying, 'I don't have to conform myself to that.'" These groups can model a different, more Christlike way, fostering new collaborations and mission strategies that are meaningful and transformative.

11. Spiritual Formation for Public Life is Crucial for Democracy's Health.

“The Christian’s responsibility for our politics is special, but not because Christians are or should be privileged by law or because America is a ‘Christian nation.’ For too long, Christians have asserted special status for this country, all while avoiding special responsibility.”

Beyond private virtue. The crisis in American Christianity is fundamentally a "spiritual formation crisis," where secular influences are shaping Christians more than the Bible. While many evangelical churches do well in discipling members in private character, they have failed to disciple them in "public character or public virtue." This has created a "wall of separation" between personal and public Christian values, leading to a "domesticated, personalized, and privatized Jesus" inadequate for public challenges.

Pastoral leadership. Pastors are crucial in addressing this crisis, but they often feel paralyzed by job insecurity and the fear of further dividing their congregations. They need to move beyond waiting out the "Church of Fear" and actively engage in civic discipleship. New initiatives like the Center for Christianity and Public Life, the One America Movement, and The After Party are emerging to equip pastors with a scripturally based, Christlike civic theology that reframes political identity around virtues like mercy, humility, and justice, rather than divisive partisan ideologies.

Stewardship of institutions. A constructive Christian civic theology must cultivate an ethos of care and stewardship for civic institutions. The nihilistic view that institutions are merely "broken tools" to be discarded if they don't deliver desired outcomes, as seen on January 6th, is antithetical to a Christian understanding that human institutions, in their collective form, also mirror the image of God and deserve dignity and intrinsic value. Christians are called to be a "blessing to the cities and nations," actively working to improve and redeem flawed institutions with grace, rather than treating them as evil.