Hope Beyond Tribalism with James Mumford

Hope Beyond Tribalism with James MumfordAmidst a culture of political tribalism and personal loneliness, how can we more clearly, creatively, charitably, and faithfully think and engage with our neighbors? What kinds of practices of mind, body, and spirit, might help us to see and act with greater empathy and understanding?In his book, Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, author James Mumford considers these questions and how often our ethical convictions get politically bundled up with others in what he calls a kind of “package deal.”It’s in examining our own convictions, and the exercise of the moral imagination that we can begin to move beyond tribalism into a greater freedom:“The sort of engagement relationally that I'm talking about, it's very different from the sort of combative exchange that we see on social media.  And so it is a counter cultural project, I think, to disengage, to question our own assumptions, and then also to engage with other people about their own assumptions and their own convictions and how those fit together.” - James MumfordWe hope this conversation helps you to think more clearly about your own convictions, and to view your neighbors, even those with whom you disagree, with greater empathy.This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in June 2020. Watch the full video of the conversation here, and learn more about James Mumford.Authors and books mentioned in the conversation:Vexed: Ethics Beyond Political Tribes, by James MumfordThe Righteous Mind, by Jonathan HaidtT. S. EliotRelated Trinity Forum Readings:Four Quartets - T.S. EliotChildren of Light and the Children of Darkness, by Reinhold NiebuhrDemocracy in America, Alexis de TocquevilleBabette’s Feast, by Isak DinesenPolitics, Morality, and Civility, by Václav HavelRelated Conversations:Connecting Spiritual Formation & Public Life with Michael WearThe Kingdom, the Power & The Glory with Tim AlbertaA Life Worth Living with Miroslav VolfTowards a Better Christian PoliticsChristian Pluralism: Living Faithfully in a World of DifferenceWhat Really Matters with Charlie Peacock and Andi AshworthScripture and the Public SquareHow to be a Patriotic ChristianLife, Death, Poetry & Peace with Philip YanceyThe Fall, the Founding, and the Future of American DemocracyFear and Conspiracy with David FrenchWords Against Despair with Christian WimanTo listen to this or any of our episodes in full, visit ttf.org/podcast and to help make content like this possible, join the Trinity Forum SocietySpecial thanks to Ned Bustard for our podcast artwork.