Abstract

All our very welcome to attend our upcoming public lecture with leading sociologist of religion Prof Philip Gorski of Yale University. Prof Gorski will preview his new book on Christianity and democracy in light of right-wing populism.

Writing nearly two centuries ago, Alexis de Tocqueville argued that Christianity and democracy went hand-in-hand in the American Republic. Do they still? One wonders, given the role religious conservatives played in propelling Donald Trump into the White House, and their unwavering support for his Presidency. But perhaps we should not be surprised by this. For the historical relationship between Christianity and democracy has not always been a friendly one. In his lecture, Gorski sets the Trump presidency in the US and right-wing populism more broadly against a deep historical backdrop and speculates on their likely impact on Christianity and democracy in America and elsewhere.