In today’s polarized society, many of us who consider ourselves moderate or progressive Christians know someone—a relative, coworker, or friend—whose understanding of Christianity differs sharply from our own. Ignoring the issue is one way to deal with it, but if you’re able to have a respectful conversation with the person, this book should prove useful.

Author John Fugelsang has subtitled his book A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds. It’s his way of trying to reclaim the Bible from far-right groups and restore Jesus’ message of love. Fugelsang’s writing style in Separation of Church and Hate is funny, clever and sometimes irreverent, but he supports his positions with strong scriptural evidence along with a commonsense approach to the Bible.

Fugelsang discusses the rise of the Moral Majority and Christian far-right at the end of the 20th century and how they used selected scripture passages to promote their political views. This led to the Christian nationalism and extremist theology we see today. These “fundamentalists, fascists, and flock-fleecing frauds” have distorted the teachings of Jesus for their own ends and taken in the gullible; they’ve also given the haters and racists justification for their views. Yet, many of these people don’t have a scholarly knowledge of the Bible, and they count on others not to have that knowledge either, so Fugelsang provides readers with the information they need to refute their claims.

He looks at the life and teachings of Jesus, who emphasized loving our neighbors and enemies, associated with outcasts, welcomed the stranger, and preached against materialism. It is difficult to reconcile this with the religious far-right’s racism, persecution of immigrants, and willingness to eliminate the social safety nets that many depend on for survival–so that the rich can gain more wealth.

The book continues by examining specific arguments of religious conservatives about topics such as feminism, abortion, LGBTQ marriage, gun control, the death penalty, and immigration. The original texts cited by the conservatives are examined in light of the culture of the times, and how many of the texts have been taken out of context and distorted over the years. At the end of each chapter on these and other topics, the author summarizes the biblical arguments of conservatives, comparing their claims with the reality of what the Bible says or doesn’t say.

These summaries will be helpful for anyone trying to refute the claims of those who have co-opted the Bible for their own purposes, resulting in a large segment of society antithetical to the biblical mandates to love others, welcome the stranger, act justly, and love mercy. Speaking to the minds and hearts of those who have been taken in by false teachings may be one way we can reclaim a genuine Christianity. Many will not listen, but if we are patient and act with love, some may be open to looking at the Bible in a new way.

In our own churches, we may need to reconsider how we teach about the Bible to children, as well as adults. Should we still call the Bible “the word of God”? Or might it be more helpful to explain that it was written by many different authors across diverse cultural settings—people who, though perhaps inspired, also brought their own humanity into their writings? We need a new way of looking at the Bible if we hope to know how we are truly meant to live. Separation of Church and Hate invites us to reimagine our faith with compassion and honesty.

Separation of Church and Hate will be published on September 9, 2025, by Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, which provided a digital review copy of this book.