John Fugelsang, Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds
Avid Reader Press, 2025
Comedian and writer John Fugelsang, host of the call-in show “Tell Me Everything” and “The John Fugelsang Podcast” — and a keynote speaker for AU’s 2026 Summit for Religious Freedom — infuses sarcasm, irony, and a little irreverence into his book, a “resource to help you use the Bible to engage with the Christian fundamentalists in your life.”
The son of a former nun and a Franciscan brother, Fugelsang learned early that “Christianity was about the things Jesus prioritized: Service to others. Forgiveness. Caring for the poor, the sick, the stranger, the prisoner. … Love. Empathy. Compassion.” He recognized that a theology of hate is rooted in questionable interpretations of the Bible, contrary to the broader life and teachings of Jesus.
Fugelsang is hopeful that the good faith and good works of people like his parents — people of grace, gentleness, and generosity — can push back and prevail, that the hate message of some “Christians” can be drowned out by the love message of “Christ followers,” and that the Bible can be reclaimed.
When Christianity became the official state religion of Rome in 380 A.D., “The merger of Christianity with imperial power led to it becoming a tool for political control, with countless spiritual teachings twisted for authoritarian purposes.” Sound familiar?
“Fundamentalists have used the Bible to manipulate their way into our government, all over our school boards, and onto our airwaves.” While Christian Nationalists focus on the Seven Mountain Mandate, they overlook the Sermon on the Mount — Jesus’ message of blessing the meek, merciful, and peacemakers — something “you’ll never see a right-wing Christian politician or group fight to post” on the walls of a classroom or courtroom. “Ask your fundamentalist or Christian nationalist to read the Sermon on the Mount and then look at what their church fights for. Is their faith community working for the stuff Jesus talked about, or is he just a mascot for a mean little club that preaches superiority over service?”
They disguise themselves as defenders of Christianity, while Jesus’ teachings are conspicuously missing from the Christianity they defend. In their efforts to break down the wall between church and state, they’ve blurred the line between church and hate. Instead, Jesus called his followers to love their neighbors and summarized the Ten Commandments in only two, love God and love other people as much as you love yourself.
In Matthew 7:12, commonly known as the Golden Rule, Jesus teaches his followers to treat others the way they would like to be treated. Forbidding “all cruelty, exploitation, domination, and discrimination,” Jesus makes it clear that his followers are not to hate “anybody, ever, for any reason, no matter what.” Bigotries require rejecting the teachings of Jesus.
Fugelsang’s volume focuses on “taking Christianity back from the haters, not curing them.” He provides tips for debating right-wing Christians, appealing to them with the words of Jesus. He suggests, regardless of one’s own beliefs about Jesus’ divinity, to know “just a bit” of the Bible. By anchoring conversations in Biblical scripture, you use their own playbook to question their game plan. Rules of engagement include “model respectful dialogue,” “be open to listening” and above all — “remember to not give in to any hate they may throw at you.”
Fugelsang offers his own commandments to explain the chasm between Christ’s teachings and the targets of fundamentalist “Christian” hatred. Those commandments call for a biblical reconsideration of the legislating of abortion rights, gay rights, women’s rights, gun control, the death penalty, immigration — as well as issues of poverty, racism, and true religious liberty.
Atypically, readers are invited to skip around and choose their “own adventure” by reading chapters in any order, each providing eye-opening historical context and scholarly translations debunking the misuse of scripture to promote political objectives.
Separation of Church and Hate encourages a perspective of compassion for people — especially the vulnerable, marginalized, mistreated people that Jesus called his followers to love, serve, protect, and welcome without judgment. After all, “Christianity began as a nondiscriminatory movement that ostracized no one… Because the early church was established in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Imagine that.
Rachel Hinnant is a retired public school teacher. (This article represents the personal views of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Americans United.)