209 - Conversation with David Gushee

What happens when the religion that claims to follow Jesus begins to contradict the very things he taught? And what does it take to stand by your convictions—even when doing so comes at a personal cost?

In this episode of Exploring A Course in Miracles, Emily and Robert Perry welcome renowned Christian ethicist, author, and theologian Dr. David Gushee for a wide-ranging conversation about moral courage, the crisis in American Christianity, and the urgent need to recover the teachings of Jesus.

Throughout his career, Gushee has confronted some of the most consequential moral questions of our time—from the Holocaust and the responsibility to resist evil to LGBTQ inclusion, Christian nationalism, and the defense of democracy. His work asks a fundamental question: What is the very best of our faith calling us to do?

Together, we explore:

• Why some people find the courage to resist evil while others remain silent—or become complicit.
• How Gushee’s advocacy for LGBTQ inclusion transformed his relationship with evangelical Christianity.
• The rise of Christian nationalism and what happens when faith becomes entangled with political power.
• Why the actual moral teachings of Jesus have become so marginalized within Christianity.
• What it means to practice forgiveness, enemy-love, peacemaking, and solidarity with the vulnerable in a world filled with conflict.
• Whether Christianity can recover its moral center—and what that recovery might require of us.

Gushee also joins in exploring a question central to Robert’s new book, The Teacher: Reclaiming the Original Message of Jesus of Nazareth, for which Gushee wrote the foreword: What if we approached Jesus not simply as someone to believe in, but as someone whose teachings we are meant to live?

Learn more about David Gushee and his work: https://www.davidpgushee.com/

Learn more about Robert Perry’s book, The Teacher: https://jesus-theteacher.com