How do we overcome polarization in American society? How do we advocate for justice when one side won’t listen to the other and cycles of outrage escalate? 

These questions have been pressing for years, but the events of January 6, 2021 and the emergence of a vocal, virulent Christian nationalism have made it even more urgent that we find a way forward. 

In her incisive new book, The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People Are Drawn In and How to Talk Across the Divide, Pamela Cooper-White uncovers the troubling extent of Christian nationalism and explores its deep psychological roots. 

Join Malcolm Young for a conversation with Cooper-White about the ways in which advocates for justice can safely and effectively attempt to talk across the deep divides in our society. 

The Forum will be posted on our Youtube and Apple Podcast channels.    

Watch

Interview with Pamela Cooper-White

Buy The Book

“This brilliant and courageous book is the best treatment we have of the complex psychological dynamics of the dangerous Christian nationalist movement in America. Without losing sight of the humanity of even the most racist and sexist of our fellow citizens, Pamela Cooper-White has given us a powerful and needed text on just how close we are to losing our democratic experiment.” — Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary 

About the Guest

Pamela Cooper-White is the Christiane Brooks Johnson Professor of Psychology and Religion at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She holds PhDs from Harvard University and the Institute for Clinical Social Work, Chicago, and is the author or coauthor of five books and over seventy scholarly and professional articles. An Episcopal priest and pastoral psychotherapist, Dr. Cooper-White is a certified clinical fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a national board-certified counselor, and a licensed clinical professional counselor in the state of Illinois. 

About the Moderator

The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young is the dean of Grace Cathedral. He is the author of The Spiritual Journal of Henry David Thoreau and The Invisible Hand in Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God, and is a regular contributor on religion to the Huffington Post and San Francisco Examiner.    

About The Forum

The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. We invite inspiring and illustrious people to sit down for a real conversation with the Forum’s host and with you. Our guests range from artists, inventors, and philosophers to pop culturists and elected officials, but the point of The Forum is singular: civil, sophisticated discourse that engages minds and hearts to think in new ways about the world.  More about Grace Forum Online.

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