The Gap in God’s Country
A Longer View on Our Culture Wars
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2024
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
Laurie M. Johnson argues that America's culture wars may seem to have erupted in the past couple of decades, but they go back centuries. For those who think that Christian nationalism (or right-wing populism) is the problem to be solved, that some people simply need to understand Christianity or politics better and become reasonable, read on. Christian nationalism and other ideological extremes are symptoms of major economic, technological, spiritual, and psychological shifts that have left too many people uprooted, disenchanted, and precarious. There are no easy answers, but Johnson tries to show a path out that enlists not only individuals, but also church and state. Without leadership and structure provided at the levels of the church and state, Christians, and those impacted by them, will remain part of the problem and not the solution. Johnson says to Christians: change is not talk, it's action, and Christian action can only happen with leadership that creates a context where we can work together, rather than wasting our time in culture wars.
Endorsements (3)
“Don’t read this book if you simply want your priors confirmed. Laurie Johnson draws on her deep study of neglected streams of wisdom to imagine genuine alternatives to our dysfunctional ways of living and working together. If you’re exhausted by the cant and talking points that dominate cultural and political discussions, you’ll find Johnson’s sanity bracing and hope-giving.”
“At a moment when America’s culture wars have dragged public thought and discourse into the realm of the vacuous and insipid, Laurie Johnson speaks to us as a thoughtful political philosopher and committed follower of Jesus. Instead of the shallow zingers of social media, The Gap in God’s Country is a careful analysis of the culture wars and sets forth a far better way of pursuing the common good. This is an important book.”
“Laurie Johnson has dared to draw upon various streams of thought that often seem to be at odds with one another—conservatism and progressivism, economics and religion, modern psychology, and Christian theology—to diagnose the deep maladies in our divisive culture. This well-researched book is timely and thoughtfully articulated, providing cultural analysis for those who want to go below the surface of blame-shifting and finger pointing.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem