Christian Response to Progressive Ideology and Reexamining the American Idea

In this special Independence Day week broadcast, Kim Monson explores the cultural battle between progressive ideology and traditional American values. Noelle Mering, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and author of ‘Awake, Not Woke,’ analyzes how woke ideology has captured institutions from churches to schools. Producer Luke Cashman provides a 25-year-old’s perspective on the American founding and the proper role of government. Unmasking Progressive Ideology’s Institutional Capture Start listening at 1:51 – Hour 1 Noelle Mering breaks down how woke ideology has strategically captured American institutions over decades. The author and Ethics and Public Policy Center fellow explains that while the movement appears to have exploded onto the scene recently, it represents a deliberate “war of position” targeting churches, Hollywood, academia, K-12 education, politics, media, and the courts. Mering identifies how the movement manipulates Christians by appealing to genuine tenets like compassion and walking with the marginalized, then redirecting those instincts toward ideological ends contrary to the Gospel. She traces the roots to 1960s feminism, which promoted far more radical ideas than average supporters realized, including the systematic undermining of masculinity and family structure. The discussion turns to California legislation targeting parental rights, where bills would allow children to be removed from parents who refuse to affirm gender transition. Mering warns that schools are being used as “training factories to create a new sort of army of revolutionaries” and that transgender story hours in libraries and schools serve a deliberate ideological purpose rooted in queer theory. “The movement doesn’t actually want mutual tolerance. It wants to actually now exert power.” Noelle Mering, Fellow at Ethics and Public Policy Center Courage in Corporate America and the Power of Resistance Start listening at 15:43 – Hour 1 Mering offers practical advice for those feeling silenced by workplace diversity initiatives. The ideology gains power through three mechanisms: appealing to pity, appealing to fear, and ultimately force. She encourages workers to find like-minded colleagues and band together, noting that “silence begets silence and courage begets courage.” The conversation examines the Bud Light and Target boycotts as examples of effective targeted resistance. Mering observes that many corporate leaders are not true ideologues but are coerced by ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) scoring that threatens their lines of credit. She explains how the woke movement makes a virtue out of transgression, pushing boundaries continuously because what is transgressive today becomes boring tomorrow. “Silence begets silence and courage begets courage. So I would just encourage people to really start stepping outside their comfort zone and trying to stop this.” Noelle Mering, Author of ‘Awake, Not Woke’ Theology of Home: A Positive Vision for Human Flourishing Start listening at 32:07 – Hour 1 Mering describes her Theology of Home project, founded with author Carrie Grass to present a positive vision of the good life. The project counters progressive narratives through image-based content, coffee table books with substantial writing, and a blog covering everything from recipes to cultural commentary. The movement targets home and family because they are “deeply humanizing influences” that create stable individuals resistant to ideolo...