Fugelsang argues that American Christianity has embraced policies that he presents as contradicting the Bible’s extensive teachings on helping the poor. While Scripture commands generosity, debt forgiveness through the Year of Jubilee, and frequently associates God with the poor, US policy since the 1980s has favored the wealthy through trickle-down economics. He notes the Bible addresses poverty thousands of times, while it does not explicitly forbid abortion, offers no direct justification for excluding immigrants, and records no instance of Jesus condemning homosexuality. Social programs exist, he contends, because Fugelsang suggests that Christians have not fulfilled the level of care for others described in scripture.

He highlights rhetoric that he argues has contributed to the stigmatization of poverty: Jerry Falwell labeled welfare recipients “bums and derelicts” in a 1976 sermon; Ronald Reagan popularized the “welfare queen” stereotype; Paul Ryan advanced a “culture of poverty” (180) theory; and the Trump administration pursued cuts to social programs. Charles Murray’s book The Bell Curve is referenced as attempting to link poverty to intelligence and behavior.

Christian nationalists cite 2 Thessalonians 3:10—“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat” (181)—to oppose welfare. Fugelsang explains that Paul was addressing a specific situation within an early Christian community in Thessalonica, where some individuals had stopped working due to expectations of Christ’s imminent return, rather than issuing a general command about poverty. When opponents claim “taxation is theft” (182), he counters that Jesus commanded paying taxes in Matthew 22. The phrase “the poor you will always have with you” (183) is often misused; Fugelsang interprets Jesus’s statement as recognizing a particular moment while also echoing Deuteronomy’s call for ongoing care for the poor.

The Old and New Testaments repeatedly demand care for the poor: leaving harvest portions, lending without interest, defending their rights, blessing the poor in the Beatitudes, declaring a mission to bring them good news, and commanding invitations to banquets for the poor rather than the wealthy. In the widow’s mite, Jesus praises her sacrificial gift; his cleansing of the temple targets exploitation of poor pilgrims. Both Testaments forbid usury, and Jesus commands lending without expecting repayment. The early church in Acts shared possessions so none lacked.

Fugelsang presents a comparison between social safety nets and trickle-down economics, with Jesus as a framing reference point. Social Security and Medicare are described as providing direct support to the vulnerable, which he associates with care for “the least of these” (198). Trickle-down is presented as relying on indirect distribution of benefits. Matthew 25’s warning that nations will be judged by how they treat the hungry and sick is used to support this comparison. The chapter also critiques the use of “thoughts and prayers” (199) without accompanying action, drawing on James 2 to emphasize practical care.

He contrasts Liberation Theology—which advocates structural change to address injustice—with the Prosperity Gospel, popularized by Joel Osteen, which presents wealth as a sign of divine favor. Fugelsang argues that this interpretation is difficult to reconcile with Jesus’s teachings on material wealth and generosity. The Bible is presented as containing multiple passages that criticize the accumulation of wealth and the exploitation of workers, including those in James.

On healthcare, Fugelsang discusses opposition among some Christian groups to policies such as the Affordable Care Act, while noting its expansion of access to care through programs such as Medicaid. Jesus is presented as healing without financial or social barriers and commissioning his followers to care for others. Pastor John Pavlovitz is cited as emphasizing that Jesus responded to suffering without imposing conditions, which Fugelsang connects to arguments for broader access to healthcare. The chapter concludes that aligning public policy with the values attributed to Jesus would involve prioritizing care for the poor and the sick.

Fugelsang opens with Genesis 38: Onan was commanded to impregnate his deceased brother’s widow. Onan “spilled his seed” (204) to avoid producing an heir for his brother, and God struck him dead. For centuries, this was misread as condemning non-procreative sex, contributing to church teachings against birth control, same-sex relationships, and masturbation—later termed “onanism.” Fugelsang argues Onan’s sin was disobedience to a direct command, not the act itself, a misreading that contributed to sexual shame.

He traces a history of shame-based views of sexuality: the Fall associated nakedness with sin; Levitical purity codes regulated sexual activity; Deuteronomy prescribed stoning for women found not to be virgins on their wedding night. St. Augustine taught that sexual desire arose from humanity’s fallen state, leading to an emphasis on procreation as the primary purpose of sex within marriage. Early monastic movements emphasized celibacy, reinforcing the association between holiness and sexual restraint.

Fugelsang notes Jesus condemned adultery but did not explicitly address premarital sex, birth control, gay sex, or masturbation, and his command to “Do not judge” (208) is central. While the Bible condemns adultery and fornication, patriarchs and kings practiced polygamy—Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon had multiple wives and concubines; Deuteronomy even regulated inheritance among them, and Exodus 21 recognized concubines. The New Testament shifted to promoting monogamy as the alternative to celibacy.

On masturbation, the Catholic Church and some evangelicals view it as sinful, influenced by Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, though it is not explicitly addressed in Scripture. On contraception, Fugelsang recounts an example from his own experience at a Catholic-run facility where birth control was used in practice despite official opposition. He notes Pope Innocent II instituted priestly celibacy in 1138 for financial, not theological, reasons. Progressive Christian perspectives are presented as viewing family planning as consistent with stewardship and poverty reduction; figures including Martin Luther King Jr., Pastor Tom Hicks, and Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. are cited as expressing support for the use of contraception in certain contexts. The command to “be fruitful and multiply” (212) is presented as reflecting an earlier historical context shaped by a much smaller population.

St. Paul is presented as shaping New Testament attitudes toward sexuality, viewing celibacy as superior and permitting marriage in 1 Corinthians 7 in response to concerns about sexual conduct, within a context influenced by expectations of an imminent end of the age. This contributed to an enduring distinction in which celibacy is treated as spiritually elevated, while marriage is framed as a permitted alternative.

Scripture includes explicit passages: the Song of Solomon uses sensual imagery to celebrate lovers’ bodies; Ezekiel 23 employs graphic metaphors; Genesis 19 recounts Lot’s daughter’s actions; Proverbs describes a seductive adulteress. Fugelsang uses these examples to suggest that the Bible contains material that does not consistently align with later purity-focused interpretations.

Fugelsang concludes with sex-positive Christianity, which he describes as an approach that rejects shame-based teachings and presents sexuality as part of human life and relationships. This approach is presented as potentially supporting individuals affected by sexual shame, while also encouraging a reconsideration of how sexual ethics are interpreted, noting that many commonly debated behaviors are not directly addressed in Jesus’s teachings.

Fugelsang argues that capital punishment directly contradicts Jesus’s teachings, yet with rare exceptions like Jimmy Carter, most US presidents have professed Christianity while supporting it. Joe Biden campaigned on abolishing the federal death penalty and in 2024 commuted most federal death row sentences.

Fugelsang examines claims that the Bible supports the death penalty through “eye for an eye” (221) passages from Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. He responds that these belong to Mosaic Law and that Jesus explicitly overturns this principle in the Sermon on the Mount, commanding nonretaliation and forgiveness—framing this shift as a move from legal retribution to mercy and reconciliation. While the Old Testament prescribed death for murder, it also mandated it for worshiping other gods, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking, adultery, and disobedience to parents, even as God protected Cain from vengeance. Fugelsang frames these laws as part of the legal code of ancient Israelite society rather than guidance for New Covenant Christianity.

The United States has executed over 1,570 people in five decades, ranking with countries such as China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia. Capital punishment costs more than life imprisonment due to trials and appeals. Studies estimate at least 4.1 percent of condemned inmates are falsely convicted, with 150 freed by DNA evidence. In 2024, Alabama executed Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen hypoxia after a botched 2022 lethal injection attempt. Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, Smith’s spiritual advisor, described the prolonged suffocation as torture; the UN condemned it as “State-sanctioned torture” (227). Fugelsang also highlights examples of public figures advocating extreme uses of capital punishment to illustrate how such logic can extend beyond criminal justice.

Fugelsang acknowledges that secular arguments—such as cost, lack of deterrence, constitutional concerns, and the execution of mentally ill prisoners—are often insufficient to persuade Christian audiences, and therefore turns to Jesus’s teachings as the decisive authority. In John 8, when a woman caught in adultery faced stoning, he challenged: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (230), then offered forgiveness and a fresh start. Fugelsang presents this episode as a direct rejection of legally sanctioned execution and as a broader statement on humility and the universality of sin. Jesus commanded unlimited forgiveness (Matthew 18), blessed the merciful (Matthew 5), and taught, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (230). His parables of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, and the unforgiving servant emphasize redemption. Jesus himself was executed, praying, “Father, forgive them” (232).

The modern Catholic Church opposes capital punishment. Pope John Paul II called for its end in 1999, and in 2018 Pope Francis revised the Catechism to declare the death penalty “inadmissible” as “an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” (233). Rev. Jeff Hood warns that state executions make all citizens complicit. Fugelsang concludes that the permanence of execution rejects Jesus’s central message of redemption and eliminates the possibility of repentance and transformation that his teachings emphasize, and that supporters cannot claim to believe all life is sacred.