Jocelyn and I are working through a devotional exercise in 2026 of answering random questions.
From Germany to Texas
One recent query was, “What are you reading?”
I’m following a trail of writing that took me from stories of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Nazi Germany to James Talarico in Republican Texas. (Talerico is the Democratic nominee for the Texas Senate 2026 election and a Presbyterian seminarian.)
The trail started with the transcript of Kristen du Mez’s commencement address at Knox College in Toronto in which she referenced Victoria Barnett’s work about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Barnett teaches and writes extensively about Bonhoeffer at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Barnett is considered a leading expert on Bonhoeffer’s resistance to fascism in Nazi Germany and the Lutheran Evangelical Church’s alignment with National Socialism.
I love her review of Eric Metaxas’ work on Bonhoeffer. She begins rather bluntly. “This is a badly flawed book.” Ha!
Redemer and Talarico
Connecting to Barnett and researching Christian ties to fascism led me to Colin Redemer’s writing on James Talerico’s theological beliefs. Redemer is a Teaching Professor at St. Mary’s College of California, Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Renewing America, and Director of Education at American Reformer and a “National Conservative.”
Are you keeping up?
Redemer is highly critical of Talerico. He shreds his theology and his politics.
I hold a deep appreciation, which borders on envy, for persuasive communicators. Talarico is exceptional at his craft. Redemer, not so much.
Redemer gave a speech at an Edmond Burke Foundation event in 2024. That led me me to research the EB Foundation which led me to literary resources on National Conservatism. Two featured books are:
National Socialism/Conservatism
Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents (2020), Rod Dreher
“Progressives marginalize conservative, traditional Christians, and other dissenters.”
The Sin of Empathy: Compassion and its Counterfeits (2025), Joe Rigney
“The so-called virtue of empathy is the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st century.”
Summaries of those two books gave me helpful insight into the basis of the values of the Trump administration and evangelical pastors who are MAGA.
Green and Growing
Still with me?
All that to say, it appears the Right and the Progressives accuse the other of ushering in totalitarian governments, and each declares themselves the champion and sole protector of liberal democracy.
I am humbled because the more I learn, the less I seem to know. My biases are exposed.
And that’s where reading the work of Pieter de Vos, is consoling. De Vos is an adjunct prof at the U of A in political science and social health. He and Jared Wesley, a U of A political science professor, teach a course on Resisting Rage Bait. De Vos says, “Even at the best of times, humans can be tricked by a series of biases that we’re all vulnerable to.”
“Part of the work is creating space for humility.”
He offers 5 skills to become “conflict intelligent leaders.”
- Get fluent in your own conflict pattern.
- Separate content, emotion and identity.
- Listen for needs and values, not just positions.
- Use process interventions, not persuasion.
- Turn conflict into learning and agreements.
I’ve still got a lot to learn. But that’s OK.
When you’re green, you’re growing. When you’re ripe, you rot.
How about you? What are you reading? Where are you growing? Please join the conversation and post a comment below.
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