U.S. society will continue to fragment into ever-shrinking political and religious clusters as long as Americans continue to shun those with different perspectives, sociologist of religion Ryan Burge said in a Denver Seminary podcast.

The trend has been highly visible in Christian denominations whose worship and ministry once were shared by Republican and Democratic members, but have more recently become known for expelling people over theological and political purity, said Burge, an American Baptist pastor and associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University.

“The easier thing to do is cloister ourselves and bubble ourselves and only surround ourselves with people who agree with us on everything,” he said. “The problem is every institution in America has made that easier and easier for us. We’re not going to mixed organizations anymore. Our workplaces are more politically homogenous than they have ever been. Our churches are more politically homogenous. Our social groups are more politically homogenous.”

Read the full article by Jeff Brumley on Baptist News Global.