S6, Ep. 05: Secularization and the fracturing of the American left w/ John Compton, Angela Parker, and David Gushee

Today’s episode brings you a special presentation on the politics of secularization, featuring a presentation from Dr. John Compton and responses from Rev. Dr. David Gushee and Rev. Dr. Angela Parker. Given the week after the 2024 presidential election, the lecture and responses explore how rising secularism contributes to the growth of political extremism, how flagging participation in faith traditions correlates to diminishing civic engagement, and the importance of taking a holistic approach to the various issues undermining democracy and dividing progressive movements.

 

Segment 1 (starting at 00:37): Today’s episode

Dr. John Compton was the speaker for the 20th annual Walter B. and Kay W. Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State, presenting three lectures on the politics of secularization Nov. 13-14 on the campuses of Mercer University in Atlanta and Macon, Ga. 

To watch each of the three presentations in their entirety, click on the titles below:

Lecture 1: Democratic Values in a Secular Age

Lecture 2: Secularization and the Rise of Political Extremism

Lecture 3: Secularization and the Fracturing of the American Left (featured in this podcast, including responses from Rev. Dr. Parker and Rev. Dr. Gushee)

You can also read a recap of the lecture series in BJC’s winter 2024 magazine, Report from the Capital.

 

Segment 2 (starting at 03:18): Dr. John Compton

A professor of political science and chair of the political science department at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., Dr. Compton’s lectures focused on the theme of the politics of secularization. Read more about Dr. Compton on his faculty page. 

 

Segment 3 (starting 36:13): Response from Rev. Dr. David Gushee

Rev. Dr. David P. Gushee is Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University, Chair of Christian Social Ethics at Vrije Universiteit (“Free University”) Amsterdam, and Senior Research Fellow at the International Baptist Theological Study Centre. Learn more about him on his website or on his faculty page at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology.

 

Segment 4 (starting 45:24): Response from Rev. Dr. Angela Parker

Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker is associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology. In her research, Dr. Parker merges Womanist thought and postcolonial theory while reading biblical texts. Read more about Dr. Parker on her faculty page. 

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