662: Why Nazi Comparisons Don't Help & Hosting Cultural Conversations and Lee C. Camp
- Phil Vischer
- Mar 26
- 2 min read
It’s become popular to compare our current political moment with the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930s, but what if the better comparison is Germany in the 1920s? A new article by Paul Miller argues that to avoid the rise of authoritarianism, Christian in the United States should do the hard work now of creating an alternative political narrative rather than the easy work of demonizing one side or the other as “Nazis.” Skye talks to Lee Camp, the creator and host of “No Small Endeavor,” about creating spaces for diverse people to have important conversations and why fear is the barrier to practicing godly hospitality. Also this week—evangelicals aren’t entirely opposed to science. But, just like everyone else, they reject the science that contradicts their politics.
Holy Post Plus:
An Evening with the Holy Post: Kaitlyn Schiess and Shane Claiborne
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0:00 - Show Starts
3:56 - Theme Song
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7:20 - Politics and Believing Science
21:43 - America’s Weimar Moment
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50:55- Interview
57:40 - When Did No Small Endeavor Become so Broad?
1:03:02 - Hospitality vs Fear
1:15:25 - Hospitality Across the Spectrum
1:23:13 - End Credits
Links from News Segment:
Are Evangelical Clergy Outliers on Science? Yes and No
A Confessing Church for America’s Weimar Moment:
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Min 42-45. "We need civic discipleship" - I always love the number of times I hear the hosts throughout many episodes basically say "why not try being ELCA Lutherans?" In this case because the ELCA has a whole civic discipleship practice already and is putting forth a statement later this year to bring clarity to a long-time practice in its ministry.
It's amazing to me how often this podcast wrestles with things where I think, "The conclusion you've come to is exactly where the ELCA is already at." Not that the ELCA is perfect, but it's centered on the Gospel, and that's what matters to me.
Speaking of inappropriate both-sidesism, I also noticed it in the science conversation.
I assume the reference to the left was about gender-affirming care for minors, where some people indeed dogmatically declare on something where the science is not at all settled in either direction. We should not give that side a pass when they do such things.
But this pales in comparison to the abundant and flagrant denials of well-established science on the right. Including denying the existence of intersex people and of gender dysphoria. Denial of anthropogenic (that's the word you wanted, Phil) climate change is a huge problem. Add in denial of geology, evolutionary biology, etc. associated with the creationist movement. And more recently the science around vaccines…
I'm hearing more "both sides" from Phil and the discussed article than seems responsible in the Germany comparisons. I hear very few on the left advocating anything like the extreme of 1920s Communism. To draw moral equivalence between, say, institutions promoting equality for gay people and authoritarian cruelty toward all who are not rich white Americans seems irresponsible. The government did not move closer to authoritarian extremism in 12 years of Obama and Biden, while in the past 2 months we are moving quickly toward authoritarian fascism. As Skye pointed out (that Evangelical Affirmation was a good thing), only one side right now wants to ignore the constitution, pardon unrepentant domestic terrorists, flood the zone with nonstop lies, and ru…
Glad to hear Lee is coming to Reading, PA! Quick note: it's pronounced "Redding." 👍
So, being an historian, I was struck by the take on political sides calling each other "Nazis." I appreciate what was basically respect for Godwin's Law, and the call not to demonize the other side. On the other hand, as they say, if one side says it's raining and the other side says it's not, the reporter's responsibility isn't to report that the two sides are saying these things, but to look outside and find out what the reality is. The real problem with "Nazi" name-calling is that most people's image for that word comes from entertainment media, not history; Nazis are goose-stepping melodrama villains who go around screaming and shooting people. They aren't HUMAN. So when that's your i…