According to Catholic biblical scholar Scott Hahn, religion is not meant to be kept private and Christians have a duty to shape public life through friendship, evangelization, and the Church’s longstanding teaching on society’s obligations toward true religion.
Hahn made the remarks in an interview with Erika Ahern on Zeale’s show “The Deep.” The conversation centered on faith, civic responsibility, and the book It Is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion, which Hahn co-authored with Brandon McGinley.
Ahern, framing the discussion around what she called rising “civilizational anxiety” among young Americans, pressed Hahn on how Catholics should approach politics without sliding into theocracy.
Hahn said the word “theocracy” is often used as a conversation-stopper, and he rejected the idea that Catholics bringing their convictions into public debate amounts to imposing religion by force.
“We’re not imposing our morality upon other people,” Hahn said. “It isn’t our morality. We're not imposing it. Christ, who is the source of moral truth, is proposing it.”
Ahern said many Catholics feel pressure to treat faith as a private matter and fear accusations of trying to establish a religious government. Hahn responded by distinguishing between secular life and what he called “secularism,” which he described as an ideology that attempts to privatize religion or treat material concerns as the highest reality.
The pair also discussed how Catholics can pursue holiness while engaging in politics — a tension Ahern said she hears frequently, including from parents who view politics as “dirty” or distracting.
Hahn said the Christian life is “always a both-and,” pointing to the biblical figures Mary and Martha as complementary examples of contemplation and service. He also cited his family’s experience, including his wife’s past service on a city council, which he said involved extensive door-to-door outreach and relationship-building.
“It will be through friendship that the new evangelization really grows,” Hahn said.
Asked what advice he would give Catholics living in places they perceive as politically and culturally hostile, Hahn pointed listeners to biblical passages he said offer guidance for life “in exile,” such as Jeremiah’s counsel to Israelites in Babylon and the line “The joy of the Lord is our strength,” which he attributed to Nehemiah.
“Joy is the one thing that is irrefutable,” Hahn said. “People are starving for joy.”
The episode concluded with Hahn and Ahern previewing Hahn’s forthcoming book, Kingdom Come.