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# “Divided We Fall,” with David French
- URL: https://mereorthodoxy.com/divided-fall-david-french/
- Published: 2020-12-15T08:30:10.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-20T19:25:03.000Z
- Description: “Divided We Fall,” with David French
- Author: Mere Orthodoxy
- Tags: Matthew Lee Anderson, Politics, Culture, Theology, Church, Mere Fidelity, religion

Can you think of a single issue—political, cultural, religious, or anything—that is uniting Americans more than it is dividing them? [David French](https://thedispatch.com/people/5849328?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to discuss the nature, causes, and responses to our current extreme polarization. [David French’s](https://twitter.com/DavidAFrench?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) new book on this very topic is [*Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation*](https://smile.amazon.com/Great-American-Divorce-Country-Apart-ebook/dp/B07P8H7V6T?ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Mere Fidelity is sponsored by [The Davenant Institute](https://davenantinstitute.org/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Seeking to retrieve the riches of Classical Protestantism and to renew and rebuild the contemporary church, the Davenant Institute provides two graduate-level degree programs in Classical Protestantism through [Davenant Hall](https://davenantinstitute.org/davenant-hall?ref=mereorthodoxy.com). Mere Fidelity’s own Alastair Roberts will be teaching a course on [Exodus and the Shape of Biblical Narrative](https://davenantinstitute.org/product/Exodus-Biblical-Narrative?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) with Davenant Hall.

[Use the code MF20 to receive a 20% discount when you register for Davenant Hall courses before December 28th.](https://davenantinstitute.org/davenant-hall?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

Mere Fidelity is also sponsored by [Lexham Press](https://lexhampress.com/?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and features the Lexham Press Book of the Month.

For the month of December, our listeners will get a 25% discount on their purchase of [*Christ Our Salvation: Expositions & Proclamations*](https://lexhampress.com/product/192843/christ-our-salvation-expositions-and-proclamations?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), by John Webster, edited by Daniel Bush. *Christ Our Salvation* is an edifying and spiritually enriching collection of sermons by the renowned John Webster.

[Be sure to apply the 25% discount to your purchase with the promo code MEREFIDELITYDEC as you checkout.](https://lexhampress.com/product/192843/christ-our-salvation-expositions-and-proclamations?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)

**Timestamps:**

December Promos \[0:00\]

The Many Takes of David French \[1:12\]

Divided We Fall \[2:45\]

“Sometimes realism is bleak.” | What is negative polarization? \[3:59\]

How does social media unite or divide us? | Nut-picking Described \[9:14\]

Violence and Media Reporting \[15:36\]

The systems are sound; the people are not. \[21:04\]

Giving social media its proper blame \[24:18\]

Does winning looks like domination or accomodation? \[30:06\]

Defending the Possibility of Martyrdom \[43:04\]

Trump’s Antibodies to Weaponized Civility \[50:16\]

Festivus Traditions \[57:22\]

**Credits:**

To support Mere Fidelity financially, visit our Patreon [here](https://www.patreon.com/merefidelity?ty=h&ref=mereorthodoxy.com).

Follow [Derek](https://twitter.com/dzrishmawy?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), [Andrew](https://twitter.com/ajwtheology?ref=mereorthodoxy.com), and [Alastair](https://twitter.com/zugzwanged?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for more tweet-sized brilliance. Thanks to [Timothy Crouch](https://twitter.com/program%5Fnotes?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for keeping us organized. Thanks to [Tim Motte](https://twitter.com/biotrom?ref=mereorthodoxy.com) for his sound editing. [And thanks to The Joy Eternal for lending us their music, which everybody should download out of gratitude for their kindness.](http://www.noisetrade.com/thejoyeternal/a-sweet-and-bitter-providence-single?ref=mereorthodoxy.com)