An extended review of a 2026 book by David Haskell
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College Press, 2026. 586 pages. $37 (ebook $30)
How, if it all, should Christianity influence politics? This book makes an original Canadian contribution to the intensifying conversation about this question taking place throughout the Western world.
Author David Haskell teaches journalism and religion at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. He is best known for sounding alarms about the erosion of free speech on public university campuses.
In this new book he argues traditional Christian principles provide the best foundation for human flourishing – not only for individuals, but for whole nations. Much of the freedom, prosperity and safety we enjoy in North America, Haskell argues, is because of how previous generations applied Christian principles to law and government.
Likewise many of our problems – family breakdown, educational chaos, malfunctioning justice systems, and shrinking tolerance for Christianity itself – stem from the recent abandonment of these principles. Moving forward, we face a choice between “Christ and collapse.”
The book begins by outlining a political philosophy Haskell calls traditional conservatism, his updated version of the principles that guided governments in the English-speaking world in the two centuries before 1960. It makes a case, using evidence from the social sciences, that following these principles produces enormous societal benefits.
The book then combines historical precedents and Haskell’s own innovative proposals to sketch a roadmap for the application of traditional conservatism to various issues. It concludes with practical advice for Christians on how to advance traditional conservatism in the public square, drawing on Haskell’s own experiences as an activist and political candidate.
Throughout, Haskell appeals to both Christians and others on the basis of reason and empirical evidence of the social benefits of Christianity, while also citing the Bible and Christian history to bolster his case. It is fascinating to read about Haskell’s personal journey from left-liberal views to orthodox Christianity and political conservatism, which was sparked by his own encounter with these arguments. (Full disclosure: Haskell and I collaborated on research projects in the 2010s, so I witnessed this journey first-hand.)
The book supports its core argument with compelling social-scientific and historical evidence. Christianity, especially traditional Protestantism, is one of the most powerful forces we know of for promoting strong families, high interpersonal trust, economic prosperity, accountable governments, low crime rates and a high level of individual freedom. Nearly all of the societies that lead the world in these categories today were historically shaped by Protestantism.
In North America today, Evangelicals tend to lack a coherent political program. Mainline Protestants long ago outsourced their politics to the campus left. But Haskell’s book is a reminder that Protestantism previously generated its own political tradition – one that merits thoughtful retrieval.
In making his case, Haskell sometimes stretches the links between Scripture and contemporary political applications, and there isn’t much engagement with Christian political thought prior to 1700. The traditional conservatism outlined in the book is basically Haskell’s own adaptation of 19th-century conservatism and classical liberalism – good stuff, but not the first or last word in Christian politics. Some of what he advocates, like a much more selective immigration policy, has more to do with lessons from history and social science than specifically Christian arguments. Nevertheless, the overall philosophy has solid roots in biblical principles, Christian history and the Anglo-American political tradition that formed the US and Canada.
The book is more likely to raise questions and disagreements when it comes to the specifics of traditional conservatism as a political program. Many of Haskell’s policy proposals are persuasive, though since we are here dealing with matters of prudential judgment rather than basic principles, even conservative Protestant readers like me will disagree at times.
The book mostly addresses the flashpoints where traditional conservatism is in direct conflict with current orthodoxies (e.g., abortion, criminal justice, immigration, sexuality). These are hugely important issues, but readers are left wondering what traditional conservatism has to say, for example, about international trade, foreign policy, natural resources or AI.
The book devotes particular attention to immigration, which is one area where its proposals are likely to be controversial. Though Haskell opposes high levels of immigration and antiracist DEI policies, he consistently rejects racial prejudice. National belonging should be about proven commitment and shared culture, not skin colour.
Haskell pulls no punches in calling out the damage progressivism has inflicted on North American institutions and society. This directness is refreshing. He goes too far, however, when he accuses most Christian clergy of being cowards in the public square, likening them to ancient pagan priests who emasculated themselves. He’s right that too many pastors are silent about controversial issues, but this kind of demeaning characterization is unlikely to convince them of the error of their ways. It’s more likely to play into the hands of bad actors online.
In fact, one danger of such rhetoric is that it will give an excuse to Canadian Evangelicals – who tend to worry overmuch about appearing nice to their cultured despisers – to dismiss Haskell’s powerful analysis of the worsening state of our country and what we can do about it. Simply by writing this book in today’s Canada, Haskell is risking professional ruin and punishment by human rights tribunals. That should be a call to action for all of us.
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