David French: Dual State America and Authoritarianism - Renee Good and the Trump Administration

What Can Christians Do and Will It Work?   In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang and David French name what's happening to American democracy right now: "Dual State America," where life feels normal—until the Trump administration's lawless prerogative power snaps into place. From the Renee Good case to Orwellian spin and rising political violence, they trace how authoritarianism spreads by redefining reality and daring ordinary people not to resist. French's gut-check: stop waiting for someone else to save the country—do something your grandkids will recognize as courage.   02:40 - What Is The "Dual State"? 06:25 - What Does The Renee Good Shooting Show Us? 11:03 - Potential For Resistance and Change 15:32 - The Dangers of Rotating Elected Authoritarians  20:03 - The "Gradually, Then Suddenly" Collapse 24:30 - What Can Individuals Do? 35:31 - The Risk and Uncertainty of Action 37:10 - Embracing Faithfulness Over Effectiveness 47:27 - Christians and The Integrity of Words 47:58 - What Sustains David French?   More about the Religious Landscape Study pewresearch.org/rls   Register for the Illuminate Arts + Faith Conference   Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter     Mentioned In This Episode: David French: An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good Ernst Frenkel's The Dual State: A Contribution To The Theory Of Dictatorship (pdf) Ernst Frenkel's Legal Sabotage: Ernst Fraenkel in Hitler's Germany Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letters from a Birmingham Jail George Orwell's 1984 Re-read the Declaration of Independence Read The Loosening of American Evangelicalism (article)     More From David French: David French's New York Times pieces HERE Follow David French on Threads   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook     The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.