Episode 2212: Jim Wallis on the False White Gospel threatening America
American Christianity appears in a state of disrepair, perhaps even imminent civil war. On the one hand, of course, we have the evangelical right who make up much of Trump’s ideological base; on the other hand, there are progressive American theologians like Jim Wallis who argue that this Christian nationalist wing of the Republican party isn’t quite kosher. In his new book, The False White Gospel, Wallis argues that it’s time to call out genuine faith—specifically the “Christian” in White Christian Nationalism. These people, he says, are not only fake Christians, but their racism and cruelty represents an existential threat to American democracy. True faith, for Wallis, Georgetown University’s inaugural holder of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice, is loving one’s neighbor rather than throwing them out of the country.
Jim Wallis is Georgetown University’s inaugural holder of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice, and the Director of its new Center on Faith and Justice. He served on President Obama’s first White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including God’s Politics. In 2022 and 2023, Washingtonian magazine named Wallis one of the 500 most influential people shaping policy in DC.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Kimmel-Kirk and the End of the Television Age: Why Free Speech Has Never Been Freer
A 107 Reasons to Dislike 107 Days: Kamala Harris Throws Everyone, Including Herself, Under the Bus
Gutted and Glutted: The Dire Economics of Podcasting in the AI Age
The Innovation Paradox Undermining the Digital Revolution: How Magical Technology Isn't Translating into Miraculous Economic Progress
Should Billionaires Be Banned? Why Extreme Wealth Might Be Incompatible with Democracy and the Survival of the Earth
Why Trump Might Be Right About Greenland: How a 57,000-Person Island Became Critical to 21st Century Geopolitics
The Unluckiest Generation: Confessions of a Millennial
Why Humans Have Such Big Brains (No, it's not Because of our Intelligence)
How Should Criminals be Punished? From Bentham's "Enlightened" Panopticon to the Universal Human Rights of Prisoners
Why Misogyny May Be America's Most Dangerous Ideology: The Role of the Manosphere in Political Assassinations and Mass Shootings
Rational Exuberance: Why $3 Trillion in AI Investment is Mathematical Certainty, not Madness
From Dodgers Top Draft Pick to Harvard Trained Middle Eastern Maven: Does the American Dream Still Exist?
We're Burning 500 Million Years of Earth's History in a Few Decades: So Stop Pretending Recycling Will Save the Planet