American Democracy Is Always in Crisis - Trump's Just the Latest Cause
Plus, "Cafeteria Catholicism" (and Evangelicalism) Are the Norm
Hi all,
We’re going to try something new starting this week, a simple question to help us get to know you better and hopefully generate some conversation. One thing that’s always interesting to us is our readers span the spectrum from weekly churchgoer to people who haven’t been in a worship service for years. So here’s the question. Answer anonymously, and feel free to add more in the comments!
Our highlights this week include:
- How “Cafeteria Catholics” (and Protestants) are the rule, not the exception
- Demanding justice and humanity in mental healthcare
- How the American Revolution was elite, and not particularly democratic
- Reclaiming Cinco de Mayo from beer commercials
- And Sy keeps us grounded with a reflection on nature and the power of narrative
Sy's Recommendations
“Cafeteria” Christians Are the Rule, Not the Exception
is a political scientist and ordained minister known as an authority on data about trends in American religion. His Substack, , is always interesting. In a recent post, he contextualized the label conservative Catholics often place on Democrats in their church like Joe Biden: “Cafeteria Catholics,” meaning those who elect which church teachings to follow and reject according to their personal policy preferences. But Burge notes the overwhelming majority of Catholics explicitly reject one or another of their church’s core teachings. Indeed, it is rare for polling to show that even five percent of American Catholics toe the line on just three issues: abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia. Evangelicals are no different, with nearly half believing Jesus was not divine, about a quarter rejecting the notion that the bible is literally true, and a small majority stating God accepts worship from people of any religion. If you ask enough questions of the person sitting next to you in the pews, you will likely find points of sharp disagreement on significant issues. Rather than a problem to eliminate, I believe this is an inevitable reality to grapple with as we create healthy communities of people with differing doctrine, the way Jesus did with his disciples.Demanding Justice and Humanity in Mental Healthcare
An article I read recently makes the case that justice for disabled people requires the abolition of carceral treatment for mental health. I like this article because it analyzes our system from a series of simple truths that are undeniably accurate but counter-cultural. For instance, that society has trained most of us to be afraid or uncomfortable when people with psychiatric disabilities are in crisis, but those people are no more likely to be dangerous to you than anyone else. And they are much more likely than you to be in danger. Another example: police do not have training about how to handle mental health crises, and the best possible outcome of calling them in crisis situations is that they will serve as a taxi to the ER, which is often still traumatic. One mor: if we wanted to, we could all learn how to help someone in a mental health crisis, just as we would help anyone else in a crisis. I love when people talk about mental healthcare from premises like these. Partially because they often end up imagining new and humane solutions to problems. But also because they are doing the crucial work of humanizing a feared group of people. When I was a public defender in family court, many of my clients had psychiatric disabilities. The clients who had crises would sometimes talk to me about those moments with surprising (to me anyway( insight. One sobering thing I learned was that every one of them knows exactly what everyone thinks about them, and it deeply affects their hope and self-image. We need to dramatically change how we view mental illness. The straight-forward and realistic viewpoint of the author in this piece is a good example of how to do that.
Jonathan’s Recommendations
The American Revolution: Rich Men Rebel
Is our democracy under threat from another four years of President Trump? For many the answer is a resounding, “YES!” But the podcast Scene on Radio took a more critical approach to answering that question. In a season of the show called The Land That Never Has Been Yet, it examined the many ways in which American democracy has always been in crisis. It begins with an episode called “Rich Man’s Revolt,” focusing on the Cherokee system of participatory government, comparing it to that of the colonial settlers. The episode lays out how the founders never offered participation in democracy to most people, and whenever participation expanded, the wealthy and well-connected apply great pressure to reclaim the power the Constitution originally intended for them alone. As I wrote in chapter five of Twelve Lies that Hold America Captive, anti-democratic forces are just as integral to the American system of government as any other. But God desires for all to flourish, not just a few, and we must work towards that end.
- Listen to “Rich Man’s Revolt"
Reclaiming Cinco de Mayo from Beer Commercials
The commercialization of holidays in America is not new. But this past Sunday was Cinco de Mayo, and the history of this holiday is not widely known. A 2022 episode of the podcast Not Past It tells the story of how the holiday originally celebrated the victory of outnumbered Mexican troops against French colonial forces at the Battle of Puebla, and evolved into a celebration of Mexican heritage in California. Later, it became a way for Corona to sell beer. The show interviews Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, whose ancestor fought at Puebla, and who helped create the modern version of the holiday in the US. But it also features a conversation with the marketer who coopted the holiday so beer producers could make a buck. And finally, we hear Dr. Hayes-Bautista trying to reclaim the tradition after souring on its commercialization. The story is an illustration of how to handle difficult circumstances well—creating something deeply personal, experiencing discouragement and disappointment, and processing our circumstances in a way that lets us still work toward a future we desire.
- Hear the story of Cinco de Mayo
Staying Grounded with Sy
I recently read a beautiful meditation on nature and narrative by historian Bathsheba Demuth that I’m sharing to metaphorically ground us in the literal ground. The article is, on one hand, a picture of life among indigenous people living in one of the northernmost parts of the land we call Yukon, Canada. It’s slow, deliberate descriptions of the natural beauty there are immersive and fantastically written. But the article is also a reflection on what kinds of narratives promote life, and which kill. She discusses Western stories about the artic, involving brave White men who adventure through and defeat the dangers of nature. With these men as heroes, it is no surprise colonialists believed that owning land meant seeking to subdue and exploit it, or that displacing the indigenous people who sought harmony with nature was not theft. But indigenous knowledge and narratives about the land help local people survive and live on the land without the damage caused by extractive and agricultural industries. I always like sitting with stories and ideas from far outside my own culture. It helps me feel rooted to understand reality from more perspectives than my own. And it provides fodder for more imagination and creativity, two things that mark us as children of the creator.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy