Loneliness and isolation are up; church attendance is down. America is becoming a post-Christian nation, while politics becomes ever more divided and vitriolic. What if these trends are related—and what do they portend? In this groundbreaking, richly illustrated lecture, journalist, author, and lifelong atheist Jonathan Rauch explains why Christianity’s contemporary crisis is making America ungovernable. Drawing on philosophy, history, scripture, and today’s headlines, his inspirational talk reveals what Jesus and James Madison have in common and how, together, their teachings can help to heal our politics—and maybe Christianity, too.

Rauch addresses Christian Americans who blame secular culture for their grievances and secular Americans who think Christianity can be abandoned. The two must work together, he argues, to solve our present crisis. He calls on Christians to recommit to the teachings of their faith that align with Madison, and to understand that liberal democracy, far from being oppressive, is uniquely protective of religious freedom. At the same time, he calls on secular liberals to understand that healthy religious institutions are crucial to the survival of the liberal state.

After the talk, Rauch will take questions and a panel discussion will follow.