Pastor Raymond R. Roberts to bring unity message to St. Louis book talk

Pastor, professor and author Dr. Raymond R. Roberts will speak Saturday in Ferguson, Missouri, on his new book, which argues that shared principles can bridge political division. The talk comes as Roberts promotes a public theology rooted in faith, democracy and common human dignity.

Why it matters: - Roberts is framing political conflict as a problem of lost shared principles, not just partisan disagreement. - The message lands in St. Louis, Roberts’s hometown, as debate over faith, democracy and polarization remains national in scope. - The event centers on a book that links Christian theology with public life and civic responsibility.

What happened: - Dr. Raymond R. Roberts will speak Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CST during the Education Hour at the Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery Assembly in Ferguson, Missouri. - The book talk is hosted by Cote Brillante Presbyterian Church at Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy, 401 Darst Rd., Ferguson, MO 63135. - Roberts will discuss his new book, A Democratic and Republican Faith: A Public Theology for a Church and Nation in Crisis, published by Wipf and Stock in April 2026. - The event is open to all, and doors open at 9:00 a.m.

The details: - Roberts plans to focus on the religious and secular principles that shaped the American founding. - Roberts argues that people find common ground by identifying shared principles before debating how those principles apply. - Roberts says affective polarization has intensified because people fear their political opponents want to destroy the country. - Roberts says the church has helped weaken democratic culture by failing to pass on its principles. - The book identifies nine principles in Roberts’s public theology: theocentrism, creation, image of God, natural law, sin, hope, vocation, covenant and ecclesiology. - Roberts says democratic institutions rest on ideas such as inherent human dignity, the need for separation of powers and mutual responsibility. - Roberts says the church’s teachings on imago Dei, sin and covenant connect directly to those ideas. - Roberts says recovering theological language would help build a public ethos that defends democracy and its freedoms. - Roberts says shared values can include freedom, fairness, respect and compassion. - Roberts says the country can address immigration and other divisions by returning to higher ground and shared human dignity.

Between the lines: - The book’s core argument is that theology can function as civic glue in a polarized democracy. - Roberts is also trying to reframe American founding principles as rooted in faith traditions without calling for a national religion. - The emphasis on “higher ground” suggests a strategy for moving debate away from personal hostility and toward shared norms. - The Presbyterian Outlook selected the book as a Book of the Month, signaling interest beyond Roberts’s immediate church audience.

What's next: - Roberts has been presenting the book’s ideas at churches and conferences around the country. - The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, according to the release. - Readers can find the book through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Wipf and Stock Publishers. - Roberts’s website is raymondrroberts.org.

The bottom line: - Roberts is using a book talk in Ferguson to make a broader case that shared faith-based principles can help narrow America’s political divide.