Podcast: Where Are We in This Cultural Moment? An Historical Perspective
Breakpoint
Colson Center
4.8 • 3.1K Ratings
🗓️ 15 July 2020
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the last month, we witnessed momentous—and disappointing--Supreme court decisions concerning abortion, transgender rights, and religious freedom. Many are wondering what the implications are for religious business owners and nonprofits and even churches in a country where radical sexual and gender ideology or becoming protected categories in law.
What can we learn from history? Does our cultural political moment resemble any other in the past? And if so, what can we learn from that time period?
Today on the BreakPoint Podcast, Colson Senior Fellow Dr. Glenn Sunshine joins Shane Morris to discuss these and other questions. Dr. Sunshine is a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University and is the author of numerous books, including Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I'm Shane Morris. Welcome to the Breakpoint podcast. In the last month, some momentous Supreme Court decisions have come down. Two of them, huge disappointments for a lot of conservative Christians. |
| 0:12.0 | In the June Medical Services decision, Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the majority in ruling that a common type of pro-life law, a requirement that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at a local hospital is unconstitutional. |
| 0:26.1 | And in the Bostock ruling, one of President Trump's star appointees, Neil Gorsuch, wrote an opinion that effectively redefined sex and gender identity in law. |
| 0:36.5 | It's a particularly discouraging moment for conservative Christians, |
| 0:39.8 | many of whom have voted for decades based on the hope that turning the Supreme Court would turn |
| 0:46.4 | the tide in the so-called culture wars, or at least overturn some wicked and unjust precedent, |
| 0:52.6 | especially Roe versus Wade. Now, not only does that look like a |
| 0:56.2 | distant dream, but many are wondering what the implications are for religious business owners |
| 1:00.9 | and non-profits and even churches in a country where radical, sexual, and gender ideology are |
| 1:06.7 | becoming protected categories in law. What can we learn from history? Does our cultural and |
| 1:13.1 | political moment resemble any other in the past? And if so, what can we learn from that time period? |
| 1:18.9 | Joining me today is one of my favorite experts on that topic. Dr. Glenn Sunshine is a professor |
| 1:24.2 | of history at Central Connecticut State University and is the author of numerous |
| 1:28.4 | books, including why you think the way you do, the story of Western worldviews from Rome to home. |
| 1:34.6 | He's also a longtime columnist here at the Colson Center and an expert we've tapped many times |
| 1:39.1 | on early modern European and church history. Glenn, welcome to the Breakpoint podcast again. |
| 1:44.8 | It's always a pleasure to have you on. |
| 1:47.1 | Always a pleasure to be here. |
| 1:49.1 | Well, let's start off here. |
| 1:50.5 | What do you make of all that's going on legally and culturally right now in America? |
| 1:55.6 | And where do you think we are on the historical map? |
| 1:58.3 | Is this the beginning of a post-Christian age, or are we already well into one? |
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