American democracy is in danger. How do we protect it from authoritarian reactionary Christianity? 
   
On January 6, 2021, a group of Americans  stormed the Capitol to prevent the certification of their political opponent’s election in the name of Jesus Christ and his representative on earth, Donald Trump.  How could this have happened?
 
David P. Gushee tackles the question in this timely work of Christian political ethics. Gushee calls us to preserve democratic norms of civil rights, rule of law, and shared governance, even as many Christians grow reactionary and antidemocratic. Broadly surveying global politics and modern history, he analyzes the ways Christians have supported authoritarianism today and in the past, aiming to understand why and how this happens—and how to prevent it. Ultimately, he develops a better model of Christian political engagement, looking to traditions of congregational democracy , dissident Black Christian politics, and covenantal theology as a guide. 
 
Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies advocates for sane, ethical, and compassionate politics in a world where many Christians are instigating discord and vying for power. Any concerned Christian will leave its pages with eyes clear to the dangers of our current form of political engagement and with insight into what democracy is truly meant to be.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments  
Introduction 
1. Defining and Defending Democracy 
2. Alternatives and Threats to Democracy 
3. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity 
4. Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions 
5. Reactionary Politics in France, 1870–1944 
6. The Politics of Cultural Despair in Germany, 1853–1933 
7. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity in Putin’s Russia 
8. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity in the Recent Politics of Poland 
9. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity in Orbàn’s Hungary 
10. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity in Bolsonaro’s Brazil 
11. Authoritarian Reactionary Christianity in Trump’s United States 
12. The Baptist Democratic Tradition 
13. The Black Christian Democratic Tradition in the United States 
14. Renewing the Democratic Covenant 
Discussion Questions 
Works Cited