Princeton Theological Seminary

October 13, 2022 The Future of American Democracy: The Challenge of Polarization Where Americans once saw neighbors, they now see enemies. Increasingly, Republicans and Democrats alike see members of the other party as not just wrong on key issues, but — according to the Pew Research Center — as immoral, dishonest, closed-minded, and a threat to the nation’s well-being. The reverberations of extreme polarization are felt far from the realm of formal politics, in schools and churches and local communities where some seem ready to give up entirely on the age-old art of persuasion. How did we get so divided? And where do we go from here? This panel was moderated by Heath Carter, associate professor of American Christianity at Princeton Seminary, featuring panelists Jane Coaston, columnist for The New York Times and host of The Argument; Peter Meijer, Republican congressman representing Michigan’s 3rd district since 2021; and Symone D. Sanders-Townsend, former chief spokesperson for the Vice President of the