In 2003, Jonathan Rauch—a man who describes himself as an "unrepentantly atheistic Jewish homosexual"—argued that religion's decline in the U.S. was "nothing less than a major civilizational achievement."

Today, he thinks that article was the "dumbest thing I have ever written."

Rauch, still unabashedly atheist, Jewish, and homosexual, believes Christianity is a "load-bearing wall" for American democracy. His book Cross Purposes urges the Church to follow Jesus's teachings so that society can rediscover the civic virtues required for a functioning republic.

Rauch and Mike discuss his book, secularism's failures and why Rauch believes in Jesus as a great moral teacher — but not in God.

Jonathan Rauch is a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program for the Brookings Institute and the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer of The Atlantic and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. He has written several books including “Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy” (2025), “The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth” (2021) and “The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better after 50” (2018).

Mike Woodruff is the author of The Friday Update, a weekly newsletter that combines cultural insight with Biblical wisdom. Subscribe here.

Beneath The Headlines is a Lakelight Institute production.

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