American democracy is more than a set of governmental institutions and practices. It rests on a foundation of deeply ingrained values that both shape and reflect our hearts. Some of these values are noble. Other values—including ones we take most for granted—are in direct conflict with the gospel. Historical perspective can help us to see contemporary American democracy with new eyes, in the process helping us think more Christianly as we think and act politically.

Professor Tracy McKenzie is a professor of history at Wheaton College, where he holds the Arthur Holmes Chair of Faith and Learning and is a recipient of the college’s Distinguished Teaching Award. He is the author, among other works, of The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us about Loving God and Learning from History, and We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy. He is currently working on a book tentatively titled “‘The Almighty Has His Own Purposes’: Abraham Lincoln and American Civil Religion.”

Bookmarks 00:00 - Intro 03:48 - Part 1 23:49 - Part 2 46:36 - Q&A