Can This Man—and the Black Church—Save America?

America is facing the political rerun from hell: a seemingly inevitable rematch between two of the most divisive presidential candidates in recent memory. We’re once again headed for the partisan trenches in this most beloved of quadrennial fiascos: the battle to see which very senior citizen will have access to nuclear codes (and the presidential X account) for the next four years. Yet, amid the chaos of primaries, indictments, and dishonesty, are we losing our self-awareness? In our quests to destroy the lies that offend us, are we overlooking the equal-but-subtle influence of the lies that serve us? Justin Giboney has spent decades of his life trying to separate the two. “No lie can serve the church,” he tells audiences. “Jesus, after all, was the truth.” An attorney and ordained minister in Atlanta, Georgia, Giboney helped found the AND Campaign, a civic organization trying to get Christians to rethink the way they do politics. He’s spoken to audiences ranging from hardcore progressives to staunch Republicans, from black churches to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Giboney got his start in community political organization, even serving as the co-chair of the Gen44-Atlanta initiative during the Obama era. I sat down with him for a conversation on politics, race, and the future of American Christianity.