MSI Press Blog

  Religion can sanctify compassion—or sanctify cruelty. When faith becomes a badge of identity rather than a path of conscience, it can turn moral conviction into moral exclusion. America’s current struggle with religiously charged politics is not new, but it is newly volatile. Understanding how we arrived here—and how we might move forward—requires tracing the spiritual roots of division as carefully as the political ones. 1. Where we are now Across the United States, religious language increasingly shapes political rhetoric. Candidates invoke divine favor; voters interpret policy through moral absolutes. Surveys show that religious affiliation now predicts political alignment more strongly than class or geography . Evangelical Christianity, once a diverse movement of revival and service, has become a major partisan identity. Meanwhile, secular Americans often define themselves in opposition to that identity, creating a moral binary that mirrors the political one. The result is a...

  Today's Publisher's Pride is  When Liberty Enslaves  by Jerry Aveta, which reached  #1 in campaigns & elections and #1 in abolition history of the US. Book Description There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago.  The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities.  Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president.  Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions. Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality.  Some people of faith believed all men were equal, some did not. Part 2 focuses on our present times and how liberty centers on the sanctity of life concerning ...

  Every generation faces its own temptations. Ours includes the rise of Christian nationalism — the belief that a nation’s identity and destiny are tied to a single religious tradition. Many scholars and faith leaders have warned that this fusion distorts both Christianity and democracy. It narrows the gospel into a cultural identity and narrows citizenship into a religious test. Christian nationalism is not the same as Christians participating in public life. People of faith have always contributed to civic conversations. The concern arises when Christianity becomes a political brand, a boundary marker, or a tool for exclusion. When that happens, the faith’s universal call — to love neighbor, welcome stranger, and seek justice — becomes overshadowed by the desire to preserve power. Pluralism is fragile. It requires humility, restraint, and the willingness to share public space with those who believe differently. When any group claims divine authority for its political agenda, the ...