A new documentary on CNN sought to understand why supporters of former President Donald Trump believe so many things that aren't true. "MisinfoNation: The Trump Faithful" aired Sunday night on "The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper." You can watch it online if you have access to CNN. The documentary shows clips of AVC's Jan. 29 pastor conference in Phoenix and an interview with AVC board member Pastor Caleb Campbell. AVC's mission is to grow a community of Americans empowered to lead with truth, reject extremism and misinformation, and defend democracy. We do that primarily through relationships, by empowering those with friends or relatives who believe misinformation, and who are becoming more politically extreme as a result, to have those difficult conversations, and to help their loved ones step back from a dangerous path. I'm recommending MisinfoNation to you, not simply because I'm in it (though that's very cool), but because the reporter, Donie O'Sullivan, does a good job modeling how to have those conversations. (Tip: If you don't have access to CNN, YouTube TV offers a 7-day free trial to new subscribers.) O'Sullivan did two important things during his interviews: 1) He never shied away from stating what is true. He clearly and concisely told the truth, but never in a condescending way. In some cases, his interviewees expressed appreciation after being corrected. 2) He demonstrated empathy for those he interviewed. He listened intently and sought to genuinely understand where his interviewees were coming from. Your own conversations may not be exactly the same. People behave different when they know they're on camera. Nonetheless, practicing empathy and defending the truth are two principles to keep in mind in every conversation. Some on the left side aren't happy with CNN's report. One critic complained on Threads that O'Sullivan was "trying to humanize Trump supporters." "Such an ignorant take I see too much on the left. ‘Humanizing’ Trump supporters? … They are humans, you know," O'Sullivan replied. "Dehumanization is a big problem in this country." Most of the responses to O'Sullivan basically confirmed that indeed, there is too much dehumanization on the left. On a similar topic, research published in the Journal of Social Psychology found that personal biases against ideological opponents were three times stronger among liberals than conservatives. A summary and interview in PsyPost notes,
For a positive example of how to treat ideological opponents, check out this video of what happened when Nancy French reached out to one of her husband's biggest online trolls. Trump's second term?Time magazine interviewed Trump and several of his closest confidants to answer the question, what would a second Trump term look like? The results confirm many of my worst fears.
Join Us Tomorrow Night!Is Christian Nationalism a paper tiger whose threats are overblown by left-wing media and political operatives, or is it a serious danger to our democracy? Please join us tomorrow night for our webinar, “Christian Nationalism: How Dangerous Is It Really?” with Professors Mark Hall and Paul Miller. Hall, professor of political science at Regent University, addresses this issue in his new book, Who’s Afraid of Christian Nationalism: Why Christian Nationalism Is Not an Existential Threat to America or the Church. For more of Hall’s views on this topic, check out “Towards a More Reasonable Account of American Christian Nationalism” and “God & Country: A Review.” Miller, professor of political science at Georgetown University, also wrote a book on Christian Nationalism, The Religion of American Greatness: What's Wrong With Christian Nationalism. For more of Miller’s writings on this topic, check out “What Is Christian Nationalism?” and “The Problem with Anti-Anti-Christian Nationalism.” Join us online May 2, 8-9pm eastern. MDA is Half-Off for May!Have you watched your church become divided in recent years? Friends and family torn apart by culture wars, politics, or pandemic policies? You're not alone. We've heard similar stories over and over again. This is why American Values Coalition has created a resource to help churches with some of the major drivers of division. Mending Division Academy (MDA) is a set of six courses for church small groups. They are titled:
Each course offers 3-5 sessions. For each session a small group will watch a 30-40 minute video together and process the information together with provided discussion questions. Use the code MAY50 to get half-off each course for the month of May. |