David French on How the Confederacy Still Shapes America

What Does the Confederacy's Legacy Mean for the Modern South and Christian America?

Host Curtis Chang and New York Times columnist, and Good Faith podcast "founding friend," David French confront the enduring power of the Confederate myth. David reflects on growing up as a white Southerner in a culture shaped by Confederate symbols, revisionist history, racial injustice, and a deeply rooted shame-and-honor code. Curtis, a Chinese American immigrant, brings an outsider's perspective that challenges familiar assumptions about heritage, memory, and belonging. Together, they examine Confederate monuments, the theological defenses of slavery, the meaning of "heritage, not hate," and whether honest historical reckoning can lead to redemption and reconciliation.

02:51 - Curtis Congratulates David on the Birth of His Latest Grandchild

05:54 - Why Does the Confederacy Still Matter?

10:12 - The South's Distinct Cultural Cohesion

22:19 - "Heritage, Not Hate": A White Southern Perspective

29:52 - Race, Religion, and Revisionism in the South

42:13 - The Resurgence of Explicit Racism

47:20 - What to Do with Confederate Memorials

56:32 - Repenting of Southern Shame-Honor Culture

01:01:32 - Institutions Founded on Injustice Can Carry Spiritual Darkness

Sign up for The After Party Informational Webinars

Sign up for The Good List

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Learn about the Tulsa Race Massacre
• Learn about The Great Migration
• Watch MLK50 Conference (video)
• More about General George H. Thomas
• More about the Southern Baptist Convention and slavery
• What is Kinism
• More about the South's resistance to Reconstruction
• Read the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Watch: Selma and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (video)

Scriptures:

• Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
• Colossians 2:15 (ESV)
• Luke 10:25–37 (ESV)
• Matthew 20:16 (ESV)
• Matthew 10:39 (ESV)

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.