Not only do we fail as a country regarding the constitutional principle of separation of church and state but we also increasingly fail at a related concept analyzed by John Fugelsang in his new bestseller Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. “In the spirit of George Carlin and Christopher Hitchens, the son of a former Catholic nun and a Franciscan brother delivers a deeply irreverent and biblically correct takedown of far-right Christian hatred—a book for believers, atheists, agnostics, and anyone who’ll ever have to deal with a Christian nationalist,” says the publisher.
Some of the best Christians I know are non-believers, Fugelsang has often said, including in his recent interview on The Daily Show with atheist Jordan Klepper. This is consistent with my own experience. Like Fugelsang, I grew up immersed in the type of Christianity that follows the teachings of a man thought to be an accepting helper—as opposed to a rejecting bigot. Like Klepper, I am not now aligned with Christianity. However, I am among the many who reject religion but who regularly show caring and compassion.
“…I was taught—relentlessly—that Christianity was about the things Jesus prioritized: Service to others. Forgiveness. Caring for the poor, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner,” states Fugelsang. “Fighting injustice with nonviolence, like Dr. King and Gandhi. Standing up for the less fortunate, like Dorothy Day and Catholic Charities. Love. Empathy. Compassion.”
Selected Reviews of Separation of Church and Hate
Publishers Weekly: “…(H)e posits that white nationalism is expressly contradicted by Jesus’s interactions with Samaritans, prostitutes, and marginalized groups, and that support for the death penalty goes against Jesus’s emphasis on compassion and forgiveness. Far more relevant, he asserts, is the biblical refrain of fighting poverty and welcoming strangers—an imperative ignored by conservatives because such ‘inconvenient’ teachings are harder to adhere to and undercut the human desire for ‘earthly power’ that’s been supercharged by right-wing politicians. While the author’s potshots at Republican lawmakers (‘Jesus… rejected earthly materialism, renounced the idea of revenge, and commanded us to welcome the stranger. I know, right? Just like Donald Trump’) might alienate some of the readers he claims to want to reach, the author’s blend of theology and humor energizes his thought-provoking talking points. Christians looking to push back against fundamentalist teachings will find plenty of ammunition in this acerbic and accessible treatise.”
Anne Lamott, author of several books on spirituality: “God, I love this book. So brilliant and wise, rich in spiritual knowledge and humor, an exhilarating response to Christian nationalists, and a master class in Jesus, the true and Jesus-y Jesus, of love, caring and forgiveness.”
Jon Cryer, actor/filmmaker: “Many non-Christians like myself hear the pronouncements of evangelical leaders and think, ‘Welp, they’re the experts on Christianity, so this must be what Jesus laid down.’ Turns out, the man himself had very different ideas. Fugelsang gets into the specifics with razor-sharp wit as well as tremendous empathy for those for whom Christianity has given life-changing meaning. It’s a tour de force comedic repossession of biblical Christianity from those who would twist it into unrecognizable ugliness.”
