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The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. Through the eyes of televangelists and small-town preachers, celebrity revivalists and everyday churchgoers, Alberta tells the story of a faith cheapened by ephemeral fear, a promise corrupted by partisan subterfuge, and a reputation stained by perpetual scandal.
For millions of conservative Christians, America is their kingdom—a land set apart, a nation uniquely blessed, a people in special covenant with God. This love of country, however, has given way to right-wing nationalist fervor, a reckless blood-and-soil idolatry that trivializes the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Alberta retraces the arc of the modern evangelical movement, placing political and cultural inflection points in the context of church teachings and traditions, explaining how Donald Trump's presidency and the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated historical trends that long pointed toward disaster. Reporting from half-empty sanctuaries and standing-room-only convention halls across the country, the author documents a growing fracture inside American Christianity and journeys with readers through this strange new environment in which loving your enemies is "woke" and owning the libs is the answer to WWJD.
Accessing the highest echelons of the American evangelical movement, Alberta investigates the ways in which conservative Christians have pursued, exercised, and often abused power in the name of securing this earthly kingdom. He highlights the battles evangelicals are fighting—and the weapons of their warfare—to demonstrate the disconnect from Contra the dictates of the New Testament, today's believers are struggling mightily against flesh and blood, eyes fixed on the here and now, desperate for a power that is frivolous and fleeting. Lingering at the intersection of real cultural displacement and perceived religious persecution, Alberta portrays a rapidly secularizing America that has come to distrust the evangelical church, and weaves together present-day narratives of individual pastors and their churches as they confront the twin challenges of lost status and diminished standing.
Sifting through the wreckage—pastors broken, congregations battered, believers losing their religion because of sex scandals and political schemes—Alberta If the American evangelical movement has ceased to glorify God, what is its purpose?
Instant New York Times Bestseller
One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year
An Economist and Air Mail Best Book of the Year
"Brave and absorbing." -- New York Times
“Alberta is not just a thorough and responsible reporter but a vibrant writer, capable of rendering a farcical scene in vivid hues.” -- Washington Post
“An astonishingly clear-eyed look at a murky movement.” -- Los Angeles Times
For millions of conservative Christians, America is their kingdom—a land set apart, a nation uniquely blessed, a people in special covenant with God. This love of country, however, has given way to right-wing nationalist fervor, a reckless blood-and-soil idolatry that trivializes the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Alberta retraces the arc of the modern evangelical movement, placing political and cultural inflection points in the context of church teachings and traditions, explaining how Donald Trump's presidency and the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated historical trends that long pointed toward disaster. Reporting from half-empty sanctuaries and standing-room-only convention halls across the country, the author documents a growing fracture inside American Christianity and journeys with readers through this strange new environment in which loving your enemies is "woke" and owning the libs is the answer to WWJD.
Accessing the highest echelons of the American evangelical movement, Alberta investigates the ways in which conservative Christians have pursued, exercised, and often abused power in the name of securing this earthly kingdom. He highlights the battles evangelicals are fighting—and the weapons of their warfare—to demonstrate the disconnect from Contra the dictates of the New Testament, today's believers are struggling mightily against flesh and blood, eyes fixed on the here and now, desperate for a power that is frivolous and fleeting. Lingering at the intersection of real cultural displacement and perceived religious persecution, Alberta portrays a rapidly secularizing America that has come to distrust the evangelical church, and weaves together present-day narratives of individual pastors and their churches as they confront the twin challenges of lost status and diminished standing.
Sifting through the wreckage—pastors broken, congregations battered, believers losing their religion because of sex scandals and political schemes—Alberta If the American evangelical movement has ceased to glorify God, what is its purpose?
Instant New York Times Bestseller
One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year
An Economist and Air Mail Best Book of the Year
"Brave and absorbing." -- New York Times
“Alberta is not just a thorough and responsible reporter but a vibrant writer, capable of rendering a farcical scene in vivid hues.” -- Washington Post
“An astonishingly clear-eyed look at a murky movement.” -- Los Angeles Times
506 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2023
About the author
Tim Alberta
2 books188 followersTim Alberta is chief political correspondent for Politico Magazine, and has reported for National Review, National Journal, The Hotline, and the Wall Street Journal.
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February 16, 2024
4 (edited 1/9 because this topic grows more worrisome every day.)
Exactly what I expected. Sobering. Dismaying. Even more so for the author, I imagine, for these are people he grew up with and with whom he thought he shared values essential to his faith. (His anecdote about how he was treated at his father's funeral is shocking.) Worse, these are people who are -- in the name of Christianity! -- not only repudiating Christianity's most fundamental principles, but they're turning people away from Christianity with their violent rhetoric, worship of the flag and the Second Amendment, apotheosis of Trump, and vulgarity. But he sees hope -- signs of push back against Trump idolatry, threats of violence, and gross hypocrisy. Most of the book focuses on MAGA evangelicals (gotta love the Jesus + guns signs and the astonishing claims that Trump is "God's anointed"), but he also looks at the cover-ups of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Leadership Conference.
One additional point, if I may: This book is getting rave reviews pretty much everywhere. I can understand why. Alberta has a sensitivity to nuances, knowledge of history, and a strong personal connection to his subject that I don't. The things he saw and heard while visiting evangelical churches, along with the conversations he had separately, are remarkable. People opened up to him as they likely would not to an outsider -- as I would be, as I am. Readers of my review should take my star rating here with a grain of salt.
PS: This is from an article by David French in the NY Times as I write this. French actually appears in Alberta's book. In 2018, Paul Djupe, a Denison University professor, and Ryan Burge, a statistician and associate professor at Eastern Illinois University, reported that Republican approval for Trump was positively correlated with church attendance: The more often people went to church, the more likely they were to strongly approve of Trump. By 2020, white evangelicals who attended church monthly or more were more likely to support Trump than evangelical voters who attended rarely or not at all.
PPS: If you can, I urge you to read Alberta’s short but alarming essay on today’s (Christmas Day 2023) web edition of The Atlantic. In it he writes about how, even though church membership is declining and public attitudes toward evangelism are worsening, the dark influence of Christian nationalism is spreading outside the walls of the church. It is now — or soon to become — a greater threat to America than the risk of authoritarianism.
Exactly what I expected. Sobering. Dismaying. Even more so for the author, I imagine, for these are people he grew up with and with whom he thought he shared values essential to his faith. (His anecdote about how he was treated at his father's funeral is shocking.) Worse, these are people who are -- in the name of Christianity! -- not only repudiating Christianity's most fundamental principles, but they're turning people away from Christianity with their violent rhetoric, worship of the flag and the Second Amendment, apotheosis of Trump, and vulgarity. But he sees hope -- signs of push back against Trump idolatry, threats of violence, and gross hypocrisy. Most of the book focuses on MAGA evangelicals (gotta love the Jesus + guns signs and the astonishing claims that Trump is "God's anointed"), but he also looks at the cover-ups of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Leadership Conference.
One additional point, if I may: This book is getting rave reviews pretty much everywhere. I can understand why. Alberta has a sensitivity to nuances, knowledge of history, and a strong personal connection to his subject that I don't. The things he saw and heard while visiting evangelical churches, along with the conversations he had separately, are remarkable. People opened up to him as they likely would not to an outsider -- as I would be, as I am. Readers of my review should take my star rating here with a grain of salt.
PS: This is from an article by David French in the NY Times as I write this. French actually appears in Alberta's book. In 2018, Paul Djupe, a Denison University professor, and Ryan Burge, a statistician and associate professor at Eastern Illinois University, reported that Republican approval for Trump was positively correlated with church attendance: The more often people went to church, the more likely they were to strongly approve of Trump. By 2020, white evangelicals who attended church monthly or more were more likely to support Trump than evangelical voters who attended rarely or not at all.
PPS: If you can, I urge you to read Alberta’s short but alarming essay on today’s (Christmas Day 2023) web edition of The Atlantic. In it he writes about how, even though church membership is declining and public attitudes toward evangelism are worsening, the dark influence of Christian nationalism is spreading outside the walls of the church. It is now — or soon to become — a greater threat to America than the risk of authoritarianism.
December 4, 2023
My non-fiction book of the year. This is a comprehensive look at the American evangelical movement over the past several decades from a writer whose father was an evangelical pastor and is a believer himself. It's not as if Christopher Hitchens wrote this book to mock Christians and anyone with faith. Alberta deftly describes how a mission to serve God, rather than accrue earthly acclaim, has been upended to where it's essentially a combat sport for defacto Republicans so they can "own the libs." The economics of preaching to what people want to hear--right-wing polemics, rather than interpreting the Bible from Jesus' example. Evangelicals have their radio, media, conferences, and book publishers to sell them more of what they already believe and demonize others who don't comply with their prescribed beliefs. Alberta interviews many of the individuals who are surprisingly unable to satisfactorily answer rather fundamental questions--that Jesus knew that those who walked the earth were sinners and that he was more interested in non-earthly matters. Yet evangelical pastors might agree with the premise and go on to focus on political matters that get their congregants worked up about how governments are coming to subvert their faith. ("We had no problem saying that Jesus would have been a Republican. Even though his kingdom's not of this world. How do we get around that.") He then goes on to annihilate the prosperity gospel--that individual wealth accumulation is evidence of God wanting people to be blessed with riches. He also goes on to highlight the abuse that exists in these churches and highlights brave evangelicals who were threatened and essentially ex-communicated because they published these transgressions rather than wanting to settle issues within the governance structures of the church. ("Jesus possessed a uniquely pessimistic view of human nature. Having taken flesh to redeem a fallen mankind, He saw how people continually tried to justify themselves rather than repenting and seeking renewal in God's grace... There is a reason why Paul demands we rebuke sinful church leaders "before everyone, so that the others may take warning." Throughout scripture, God demands a greater accountability from those in positions of spiritual influence.") The genius, I believe, of practical governing is the "separation of church and state." Alberta not only shows what type of individuals we would get governing us if the US adopted a "Christian nation" status (anti-science, anti-democratic, insular, white-male dominated...) but also highlights that the true individual of faith is not seeking earthly dominion over others but looking for grace and his/her acceptance in a non-earthly kingdom. An excellent contemporary history and a forthright examination of the people, ideas, and behaviors in today's evangelical movement. Yet it doesn't insult believers and admires those who try and continue practicing their faith by being humble, decent, and modest in their efforts to reach salvation.
December 9, 2023
One of the most important books of the year. While others have written about the dangerous syncretism between evangelicals and the Republican Party co-opted by Trump, Alberta does so from a different perspective. The son of an evangelical pastor, Alberta himself is a devoted follower of Jesus who is, by any definition, an American evangelical. His love and genuine concern for the Church comes through in the pages of the book and makes him a credible prosecutor.
At times discouraging and maddening, Alberta carefully exposes the dark powers at work in evangelicalism where too many have exchanged a heavenly kingdom for a finite game of culture warring, all with the hopes of obtaining power and privilege. The book is comprehensive in scope, covering everything from Liberty University to the Southern Baptist Convention, Greg Locke to Charlie Kirk. By doing this, Alberta illustrates that this is not an isolated issue, but a pervasive disease.
However, the book ends on a hopeful note. Alberta shines a light on followers of Jesus who have remained focused on being salt and light to the world. He tells the stories of Russell Moore, Rachael Denhollander, and a professor at Liberty, all people who have maintained their orthodox theological conservatism without bowing the knee to nationalism and the culture war.
What would the world look like if Christians actually followed the way of Jesus, exuding love, patience, peace, gentleness, meekness, and self-control rather than the brash, harsh, and fighting spirit so typical of evangelicalism today? Alberta ends the book with a call to remember that our faith is an infinite game, not a finite battle. God's kingdom is for the marginalized and outcast and can't be reduced to Republican or Democrat. Striving for earthly power is in direct contradiction to the ministry of Jesus. It's time we focused on the Great Commission, discipling ourselves and the nations in the loving way of Jesus the King.
At times discouraging and maddening, Alberta carefully exposes the dark powers at work in evangelicalism where too many have exchanged a heavenly kingdom for a finite game of culture warring, all with the hopes of obtaining power and privilege. The book is comprehensive in scope, covering everything from Liberty University to the Southern Baptist Convention, Greg Locke to Charlie Kirk. By doing this, Alberta illustrates that this is not an isolated issue, but a pervasive disease.
However, the book ends on a hopeful note. Alberta shines a light on followers of Jesus who have remained focused on being salt and light to the world. He tells the stories of Russell Moore, Rachael Denhollander, and a professor at Liberty, all people who have maintained their orthodox theological conservatism without bowing the knee to nationalism and the culture war.
What would the world look like if Christians actually followed the way of Jesus, exuding love, patience, peace, gentleness, meekness, and self-control rather than the brash, harsh, and fighting spirit so typical of evangelicalism today? Alberta ends the book with a call to remember that our faith is an infinite game, not a finite battle. God's kingdom is for the marginalized and outcast and can't be reduced to Republican or Democrat. Striving for earthly power is in direct contradiction to the ministry of Jesus. It's time we focused on the Great Commission, discipling ourselves and the nations in the loving way of Jesus the King.
January 29, 2024
As a Christian myself, the creep and conflation of religion and politics has been one of the things I bemoan most. Reading about how some churches have lost their way or been led astray by glory-hungry, power-addicted people who should absolutely know better is just tragic.
It's written from the perspective of a Christian so there's lots of scripture quoted and lots of talk about the current attitude vs. Christian mindsets so your mileage may vary if that isn't your thing.
It's written from the perspective of a Christian so there's lots of scripture quoted and lots of talk about the current attitude vs. Christian mindsets so your mileage may vary if that isn't your thing.
January 24, 2024
Even after having read this defense of evangelical churches as Alberta ideally imagines them as they should be not as they really are, I have no idea from this book why white evangelical support MAGA insanity. White evangelicals vote for Trump at 85% and they believe that Trump won the last election, vaccines don’t work, and that FBI agents and antifa led the insurrection against America on January 6. Those three MAGA beliefs are pathological and are not tethered to reality. Why do white evangelical Christians (85%) believe that rubbish? This book blames everyone but the people who believe it and their church leaders.
Cultural and political identity are entwined within the zeitgeist of most white evangelicals and they are pushing the church and their leaders towards absurd political beliefs because that is who they are. The church is made up of insane MAGA simpletons and they are not performing a ‘hostile takeover’ of Alberta’s preferred brand of Christianity. Trump is them and they are Trump; there is no mystery to the entanglement of the two. It can’t be a ‘hostile takeover’ as Alberta states, because it’s who they want to be.
Alberta in his pure ideal evangelical bubble never gets that it is not Trump that made white evangelicals crazy but they were already afraid of the world and both hate the same people and they have always reflected each other’s insanity. Please stop blaming the parishioners for the corruption of the church leaders, the church leaders are participating willingly with the insanity. Fox News, Charlie Kirk, Eric Metaxes, Tucker Carlson, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of MAGA simpletons who spout the nonsense that vaccines don’t work, Trump won the last election, or that the FBI and antifa led the January 6 insurrection are not the problem, the problem are the believers themselves.
Alberta says there is ‘too much politics’ in the church. He’s wrong, that’s what the members and the leaders want. They want the political and cultural identity to be a part of their beliefs and hence part of their church. It is not possible for the church to be anything but its members and its leaders, humans create them and Alberta fantasizes an idyllic otherworldly world not of this earthly plane that only exist in his ‘should be’ world and blames others for the rot that MAGA members and leaders have created. White evangelicals want the political and the cultural and their values align with the hate.
I find books like this one incredibly obnoxious. The 85% of white evangelicals who support MAGA’s insanity are to blame, that is who they are. Alberta lives in a fantasy world and tries to imagine an unreal reality. He’s shocked, he can’t believe it that his church is made up of white evangelicals who support Trump. For Alberta abortion is a sin and ‘homosexual behavior’ is too though he hates the sin not the person; I found his theology tiresome. Paul did not write the Book of Timothy as Alberta said at least four times, read Wikipedia as a fact check.
I get creeped out when people use the word 'evil' as a noun. Alberta does that implicitly through out this book. People do evil things, evil is not an entity that exist. Evangelicals believe in evil as a real thing. It creeps me out when they talk that way, or when they talk to imaginary friends as if they are actually present. "There is no vice, there is no virtue, there is just people doing things".
Trump is not the problem with white evangelism; the problem is the white evangelical conservative Christians (at 85% level) themselves. Alberta’s imaginary perfect world of evangelicals doesn’t exist in the real world beyond some minimum level (15%). This book gave me no reason why white evangelical Christians believe the political and cultural nonsense.
Cultural and political identity are entwined within the zeitgeist of most white evangelicals and they are pushing the church and their leaders towards absurd political beliefs because that is who they are. The church is made up of insane MAGA simpletons and they are not performing a ‘hostile takeover’ of Alberta’s preferred brand of Christianity. Trump is them and they are Trump; there is no mystery to the entanglement of the two. It can’t be a ‘hostile takeover’ as Alberta states, because it’s who they want to be.
Alberta in his pure ideal evangelical bubble never gets that it is not Trump that made white evangelicals crazy but they were already afraid of the world and both hate the same people and they have always reflected each other’s insanity. Please stop blaming the parishioners for the corruption of the church leaders, the church leaders are participating willingly with the insanity. Fox News, Charlie Kirk, Eric Metaxes, Tucker Carlson, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of MAGA simpletons who spout the nonsense that vaccines don’t work, Trump won the last election, or that the FBI and antifa led the January 6 insurrection are not the problem, the problem are the believers themselves.
Alberta says there is ‘too much politics’ in the church. He’s wrong, that’s what the members and the leaders want. They want the political and cultural identity to be a part of their beliefs and hence part of their church. It is not possible for the church to be anything but its members and its leaders, humans create them and Alberta fantasizes an idyllic otherworldly world not of this earthly plane that only exist in his ‘should be’ world and blames others for the rot that MAGA members and leaders have created. White evangelicals want the political and the cultural and their values align with the hate.
I find books like this one incredibly obnoxious. The 85% of white evangelicals who support MAGA’s insanity are to blame, that is who they are. Alberta lives in a fantasy world and tries to imagine an unreal reality. He’s shocked, he can’t believe it that his church is made up of white evangelicals who support Trump. For Alberta abortion is a sin and ‘homosexual behavior’ is too though he hates the sin not the person; I found his theology tiresome. Paul did not write the Book of Timothy as Alberta said at least four times, read Wikipedia as a fact check.
I get creeped out when people use the word 'evil' as a noun. Alberta does that implicitly through out this book. People do evil things, evil is not an entity that exist. Evangelicals believe in evil as a real thing. It creeps me out when they talk that way, or when they talk to imaginary friends as if they are actually present. "There is no vice, there is no virtue, there is just people doing things".
Trump is not the problem with white evangelism; the problem is the white evangelical conservative Christians (at 85% level) themselves. Alberta’s imaginary perfect world of evangelicals doesn’t exist in the real world beyond some minimum level (15%). This book gave me no reason why white evangelical Christians believe the political and cultural nonsense.
January 26, 2024
I liked this book a lot and think it started out really strong, however the middle lost its way a bit, and pulled together again by the end. I think it could've been shorter and I wished he would have spent a little more time on non-white evangelics in leadership along with women.
December 13, 2023
I’m only halfway through this book but I already feel that if there was one book every evangelical in the US should be required to read, it would be this book. Tim Alberta writes as an insider—His father was pastor of an evangelical church in Michigan and he is a Christian himself.
Mr. Alberta has spent a lot of time interacting with evangelicals who are ardent supporters of Donald Trump (who is disconcertingly frank about his plans for authoritarian rule), Greg Locke, Robert Jeffress, etc. and the people who agree with them which, if polls are to be believed, includes most evangelicals. His interviews with these people seem fair and balanced, though I would agree with Alberta’s thesis that they are exhibiting a frightening form of idolatry that they all seem to be blind to.
Especially disconcerting is one chapter in the book where he and some other reporters are interviewing an orthodox priest who walks them through Putin’s use of religious conviction to justify his invasion of Ukraine (yes, really). The guy they’re interviewing lists three characteristics of this creeping religious totalitarianism : 1. Leaders assert the primacy of an ethnic or cultural identity over shared humanity (Trump’s “those vermin” speech comes to mind). 2. They stress the purification of those identities, inevitably leading to forms of ethnic cleansing (Kash Patel, supporter of Trump just said this week they were going to do this to reporters who opposed them by civil or criminal means); 3. Violence becomes legitimized for the protection of group identities (we aren’t there yet, but we are getting there). Chilling really.
Why would Christians who claim to be following Christ go along with stuff like this? Answering this question is what Mr. Alberta is trying to accomplish with his book. I have a personal interest in this topic because I have good friends who have accused me of being a liberal (because I don’t support Trump) and having “Trump Derangement Syndrome’” etc.
Surely one of the defining moments of our age among evangelicals is how we managed to go all in for a leader who seems to be the furthest thing from Christ’s character in both his personal and professional life. A conundrum that I recognize, but am at a loss to explain.
Unfortunately, the people who most need to read this book will probably be the least likely to do so, which is sad, but unsurprising.
Thanks, Tim Alberta, for writing this book. No evangelical can say the truth wasn’t out there for them to find.
Update. Finished the book on 12/13/23 and my opinion hasn’t changed, it’s a must read for every Christian. In the epilogue, Mr. Alberta says that the public has the lowest view of evangelicals of any religious group in America. This is not (as we evangelicals would like to think) because of our faithfulness to Christ, it’s because of…well, read the book to find out for yourself. Suffice to say that Mr. Alberta points out that the word “evangelical” has become toxic to the public at large and I do not disagree with that assessment (sad to say).
Also, he has an interesting summation of a sermon by Chris Winans who took over for Mr. Alberta’s father at Cornerstone Church, Michigan, that assesses American evangelicalism in the light of modern game theory which is quite thought-provoking.
Good book. Necessary book. Convicting book.
Mr. Alberta has spent a lot of time interacting with evangelicals who are ardent supporters of Donald Trump (who is disconcertingly frank about his plans for authoritarian rule), Greg Locke, Robert Jeffress, etc. and the people who agree with them which, if polls are to be believed, includes most evangelicals. His interviews with these people seem fair and balanced, though I would agree with Alberta’s thesis that they are exhibiting a frightening form of idolatry that they all seem to be blind to.
Especially disconcerting is one chapter in the book where he and some other reporters are interviewing an orthodox priest who walks them through Putin’s use of religious conviction to justify his invasion of Ukraine (yes, really). The guy they’re interviewing lists three characteristics of this creeping religious totalitarianism : 1. Leaders assert the primacy of an ethnic or cultural identity over shared humanity (Trump’s “those vermin” speech comes to mind). 2. They stress the purification of those identities, inevitably leading to forms of ethnic cleansing (Kash Patel, supporter of Trump just said this week they were going to do this to reporters who opposed them by civil or criminal means); 3. Violence becomes legitimized for the protection of group identities (we aren’t there yet, but we are getting there). Chilling really.
Why would Christians who claim to be following Christ go along with stuff like this? Answering this question is what Mr. Alberta is trying to accomplish with his book. I have a personal interest in this topic because I have good friends who have accused me of being a liberal (because I don’t support Trump) and having “Trump Derangement Syndrome’” etc.
Surely one of the defining moments of our age among evangelicals is how we managed to go all in for a leader who seems to be the furthest thing from Christ’s character in both his personal and professional life. A conundrum that I recognize, but am at a loss to explain.
Unfortunately, the people who most need to read this book will probably be the least likely to do so, which is sad, but unsurprising.
Thanks, Tim Alberta, for writing this book. No evangelical can say the truth wasn’t out there for them to find.
Update. Finished the book on 12/13/23 and my opinion hasn’t changed, it’s a must read for every Christian. In the epilogue, Mr. Alberta says that the public has the lowest view of evangelicals of any religious group in America. This is not (as we evangelicals would like to think) because of our faithfulness to Christ, it’s because of…well, read the book to find out for yourself. Suffice to say that Mr. Alberta points out that the word “evangelical” has become toxic to the public at large and I do not disagree with that assessment (sad to say).
Also, he has an interesting summation of a sermon by Chris Winans who took over for Mr. Alberta’s father at Cornerstone Church, Michigan, that assesses American evangelicalism in the light of modern game theory which is quite thought-provoking.
Good book. Necessary book. Convicting book.
March 24, 2024
A few hours after he laid his dad to rest in 2019, Tim Alberta recounts, a family friend and elder at his father’s church wrote him a handwritten letter accusing him of treason. He was allegedly part of an evil plot to undermine God’s ordained leader. The explicit suggestion of the letter was that he could restore himself by using his journalistic talents to expose “the deep state.” It wasn’t just the timing of the letter that felt inappropriate but the certainty and strength of the position.
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism is a New York Times bestseller, national conversation starter, and journalistic exposé. But it’s more…
Read my review at The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/re...
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism is a New York Times bestseller, national conversation starter, and journalistic exposé. But it’s more…
Read my review at The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/re...
December 1, 2023
A book about the changes that have come to religion as devotion to faith has been eclipsed by pursuit of power. The conflict has never been depicted as clearly as the author has done here, and he should be applauded for discussing how difficult it will be to heal the breach.
Read
January 8, 2024A funny thing happened while reading Tim Alberta's new book. I thought about becoming a Christian again.
That's maybe not the reaction you would expect to have to "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory," a deeply reported look at how (mostly white) evangelical Christians have deeply compromised their supposed values to embrace the corrupt and vulgar Donald Trump — not just lending him their votes transactionally, but enthusiastically embracing his slash-and-burn style of authoritarian politics. The corruption, grifting and thirst for power on display is all pretty well-documented by now, but it's still galling (again) to read it all in one place.
Is *this* what Jesus would do?
Alberta doesn't think so.
Jesus "talked mostly about helping the poor, humbling oneself, and having no earthly ambition but to gain eternal life," Alberta writes. "Suffice it to say, the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount ("Blessed are the meek ... Blessed are the merciful ... Blessed are the peacemakers”) were never conducive to a stump speech."
That’s not very Trumpy.
Alberta brings an interesting set of credentials to this book: Yes, he's a reporter for The Atlantic — part of the hated liberal secular establishment — but he's also the son of a pastor, a devoted Christian himself who (we learn late in the book) is studying at seminary. Alberta is a man who wants the church to be the best version of itself, and that means doing everything it can to glorify God.
What we have here, then, — as I've suggested in recent newsletters — might be the most unapologetically Christian book for a general secular audience that I've read in ages.
How Christian? Put it this way: Alberta devotes several passages throughout the book to the exegesis of Greek words found in the New Testament, the kind of exercise I haven't experienced much since I took Bible classes at a Mennonite college some 30 years ago.
It's also not the kind of thing I'm sure readers of The Atlantic have been exposed to much.
***
A question I've had about white evangelical Christians in recent years: If they really believe what they profess to believe — that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and was raised to life again, that God is the creator of the universe, that believers will have the ultimate victory in the form of eternal life, that all of this is temporary and fleeting — then why are they acting like this?
One obvious answer is power. "I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate," the conservative Dana Loesch said during the notorious 2022 Senate race in Georgia. "How many times have I said four very important words. These four words: Winning. Is. A. Virtue."
The only meaningful virtue for some folks, it seems. But power isn't the only factor here.
* For Chris Winans, the pastor of the church where Alberta's dad spent his career, it's idolatry of sorts. "America," he tells the author about his parishioners. "Too many of them worship America." Lots of Christians see the nation as their primary citizenship and allegiance — as opposed to, say, the Kingdom of God — and act accordingly.
* Fear, both real and false. "These people were scared," Alberta observes after visiting conservative activist Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom conference. "They were scared, in part, because of economic and cultural instability. But mostly they were scared because people like Reed were trying to scare them; people like Reed needed to scare them. ... The job of a political is to win campaigns. To win campaigns, Reed realized long ago, his most valuable tool was fear."
* Habits of the mind. Most of the folks in the church pews are there for only a few hours every Sunday, if that. But many of them spend the rest of the week listening to far more hours of conservative talk radio or watching Fox News, marinating in apocalyptic anger that paints Democrats and "RINOs" as enemies instead of people deserving of God's love. That shapes the minds and souls of parishioners accordingly.
The result? One of the frustratingly hilarious running themes of the book is how often its subjects — some in positions of leadership or influence in church circles, some not — just flat-out contradict the doctrines and scriptures of their religion. They either don’t know or care about the tenets of their supposed faith. "We’ve turned the other cheek,” Donald Trump Jr. says at one point, “and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. Okay?” That thing Jesus said? No longer operational.
* Or maybe it's just a lack of faith. "You see, the kingdom of God isn't real to most of these people," one pastor tells Alberta. "They can't perceive it."
Why don't white evangelical Christians act like what they believe is true? Maybe they don't really believe.
***
This doesn’t seem to be good for the church. The number of self-identified Christians in America is shrinking at a steady clip, and while Trumpist politics don’t explain the whole thing, they probably haven’t really helped.
A book like this isn't just supposed to diagnose the problem. It's supposed to offer solutions. It's here that Alberta struggles a bit — though to be fair, nobody has really figured out how to deal with the problem. He points to conservative Christians like Russell Moore and David French who have been cast out of their communities and demonized for their failure to make Donald Trump the lodestar of their faith. He also points to women in the church — a lawyer and a journalist — who have forced institutions like the Southern Baptist Church to account for sexual predation and corruption in their leadership ranks.
So why, for all the terrible things described here, did I find myself tempted to return to the church while reading Alberta's book?
I think it's because Alberta seems passionate about a kind of faith tradition that I was once immersed in. The Mennonites I grew up around were in America because they believed that Jesus had set an example of nonviolence that they were duty-bound to follow, and so had fled their European homelands rather than serve in the armed forces. They really believed in stuff like "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
And so do I, still. I can't explain it. Absent a faith tradition, those words seem almost illogical. Why would anybody pray for their persecutor? I don't have a good answer. All I know is that this is a violent world, and that the idea of loving your enemies is just so profoundly counter-cultural that it has to mean something, right? (Conversely, that's one thing that bothers me about the current crop of Trumpist evangelicals: If you think God is telling you to do something you already want to do ... maybe it's not God talking.)
If that's the case, why don't I actually return to the church?
Well...because I still don't know if what the church says — about the universe, about God, about itself — is actually true.
I don't have faith. It's kind of a problem. So I am not returning to the church, at this point anyway. I've always left the door open.
But I do want the church to be its best self. That doesn't mean evangelicals would adopt my politics, or suddenly become progressive on issues like women's rights, abortion and LGBT issues. It does mean that you'd see more Christians acting like they loved their neighbors, even amidst disagreement. And that’s what Tim Alberta seems to want, too.
That's maybe not the reaction you would expect to have to "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory," a deeply reported look at how (mostly white) evangelical Christians have deeply compromised their supposed values to embrace the corrupt and vulgar Donald Trump — not just lending him their votes transactionally, but enthusiastically embracing his slash-and-burn style of authoritarian politics. The corruption, grifting and thirst for power on display is all pretty well-documented by now, but it's still galling (again) to read it all in one place.
Is *this* what Jesus would do?
Alberta doesn't think so.
Jesus "talked mostly about helping the poor, humbling oneself, and having no earthly ambition but to gain eternal life," Alberta writes. "Suffice it to say, the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount ("Blessed are the meek ... Blessed are the merciful ... Blessed are the peacemakers”) were never conducive to a stump speech."
That’s not very Trumpy.
Alberta brings an interesting set of credentials to this book: Yes, he's a reporter for The Atlantic — part of the hated liberal secular establishment — but he's also the son of a pastor, a devoted Christian himself who (we learn late in the book) is studying at seminary. Alberta is a man who wants the church to be the best version of itself, and that means doing everything it can to glorify God.
What we have here, then, — as I've suggested in recent newsletters — might be the most unapologetically Christian book for a general secular audience that I've read in ages.
How Christian? Put it this way: Alberta devotes several passages throughout the book to the exegesis of Greek words found in the New Testament, the kind of exercise I haven't experienced much since I took Bible classes at a Mennonite college some 30 years ago.
It's also not the kind of thing I'm sure readers of The Atlantic have been exposed to much.
***
A question I've had about white evangelical Christians in recent years: If they really believe what they profess to believe — that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and was raised to life again, that God is the creator of the universe, that believers will have the ultimate victory in the form of eternal life, that all of this is temporary and fleeting — then why are they acting like this?
One obvious answer is power. "I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate," the conservative Dana Loesch said during the notorious 2022 Senate race in Georgia. "How many times have I said four very important words. These four words: Winning. Is. A. Virtue."
The only meaningful virtue for some folks, it seems. But power isn't the only factor here.
* For Chris Winans, the pastor of the church where Alberta's dad spent his career, it's idolatry of sorts. "America," he tells the author about his parishioners. "Too many of them worship America." Lots of Christians see the nation as their primary citizenship and allegiance — as opposed to, say, the Kingdom of God — and act accordingly.
* Fear, both real and false. "These people were scared," Alberta observes after visiting conservative activist Ralph Reed's Faith and Freedom conference. "They were scared, in part, because of economic and cultural instability. But mostly they were scared because people like Reed were trying to scare them; people like Reed needed to scare them. ... The job of a political is to win campaigns. To win campaigns, Reed realized long ago, his most valuable tool was fear."
* Habits of the mind. Most of the folks in the church pews are there for only a few hours every Sunday, if that. But many of them spend the rest of the week listening to far more hours of conservative talk radio or watching Fox News, marinating in apocalyptic anger that paints Democrats and "RINOs" as enemies instead of people deserving of God's love. That shapes the minds and souls of parishioners accordingly.
The result? One of the frustratingly hilarious running themes of the book is how often its subjects — some in positions of leadership or influence in church circles, some not — just flat-out contradict the doctrines and scriptures of their religion. They either don’t know or care about the tenets of their supposed faith. "We’ve turned the other cheek,” Donald Trump Jr. says at one point, “and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. Okay?” That thing Jesus said? No longer operational.
* Or maybe it's just a lack of faith. "You see, the kingdom of God isn't real to most of these people," one pastor tells Alberta. "They can't perceive it."
Why don't white evangelical Christians act like what they believe is true? Maybe they don't really believe.
***
This doesn’t seem to be good for the church. The number of self-identified Christians in America is shrinking at a steady clip, and while Trumpist politics don’t explain the whole thing, they probably haven’t really helped.
A book like this isn't just supposed to diagnose the problem. It's supposed to offer solutions. It's here that Alberta struggles a bit — though to be fair, nobody has really figured out how to deal with the problem. He points to conservative Christians like Russell Moore and David French who have been cast out of their communities and demonized for their failure to make Donald Trump the lodestar of their faith. He also points to women in the church — a lawyer and a journalist — who have forced institutions like the Southern Baptist Church to account for sexual predation and corruption in their leadership ranks.
So why, for all the terrible things described here, did I find myself tempted to return to the church while reading Alberta's book?
I think it's because Alberta seems passionate about a kind of faith tradition that I was once immersed in. The Mennonites I grew up around were in America because they believed that Jesus had set an example of nonviolence that they were duty-bound to follow, and so had fled their European homelands rather than serve in the armed forces. They really believed in stuff like "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
And so do I, still. I can't explain it. Absent a faith tradition, those words seem almost illogical. Why would anybody pray for their persecutor? I don't have a good answer. All I know is that this is a violent world, and that the idea of loving your enemies is just so profoundly counter-cultural that it has to mean something, right? (Conversely, that's one thing that bothers me about the current crop of Trumpist evangelicals: If you think God is telling you to do something you already want to do ... maybe it's not God talking.)
If that's the case, why don't I actually return to the church?
Well...because I still don't know if what the church says — about the universe, about God, about itself — is actually true.
I don't have faith. It's kind of a problem. So I am not returning to the church, at this point anyway. I've always left the door open.
But I do want the church to be its best self. That doesn't mean evangelicals would adopt my politics, or suddenly become progressive on issues like women's rights, abortion and LGBT issues. It does mean that you'd see more Christians acting like they loved their neighbors, even amidst disagreement. And that’s what Tim Alberta seems to want, too.
December 12, 2023
In the last couple of years I’ve read many books, trying to wrap my head around the question of “what happened?” Where did the church go off the rails? Growing up I was taught that character counts. Now it seems like everything is upside down. Character counts applies only to our enemies. Quite frankly, it shook my faith to the roots, something I’m still grappling with.
This book is the best of the books I’ve read. Parts of it hurt. I felt physically sick to my stomach reading parts of it. How could we have been so blind? I shed tears at other parts. However, I was left with a feeling of hope by the end.
When you read this book, there will be times that you get mad. “How dare the author tip MY sacred cow?” I urge you to keep reading. And praying.
This book is the best of the books I’ve read. Parts of it hurt. I felt physically sick to my stomach reading parts of it. How could we have been so blind? I shed tears at other parts. However, I was left with a feeling of hope by the end.
When you read this book, there will be times that you get mad. “How dare the author tip MY sacred cow?” I urge you to keep reading. And praying.
February 28, 2024
I read this book because I wanted to get some insight into why white evangelical American Christians are so attached to one of the least Christian, or godly, or even merely decent presidents/presidential candidates we have ever seen. Tim Alberta is a Christian, but he also recognizes bad character and immorality when he sees it, and refuses to be pulled into the "god works through flawed vessels" defense. I'm also mystified as to how Christians got themselves aligned with a political party whose stated goals don't seem Christian at all to me.
I did get some insight, and I certainly left this book feeling empathy for pastors who are trying to preach the Gospels to a loud subset of their congregations who just want to hear about how "the enemy" is evil and out to get them. But I also just completely lost patience and dnf'd at about three-quarters through, because I couldn't spend another minute reading about these folks.
I didn't realize what a huge number of Christians are living their lives convinced that a nebulous "enemy" is out to get them. Apparently this enemy is all the rest of us, and we all want to close their churches, take their faith from them, and possibly round them up into concentration camps while we're at it. In this worldview, the Covid shutdowns weren't aimed at all churches, synagogues, mosques, or anywhere else people worship. According to Christians, it was aimed solely at them, because they are so loathed and persecuted. And the quick development of effective vaccines with so few side effects wasn't a miracle that shows that god was working for us; the vaccines are from the devil and may put the Mark of the Beast on recipients. The paranoia runs deep, and everything is somehow about Christianity.
The thing is, I grew up in and remain a member of an actual minority religion. People have felt free to mock my beliefs to my face. I have been invited to all kinds of other faith services by people hoping I'll change my beliefs. I have had my religion challenged every day of my life. And I question it myself, too, because how do you know you truly follow something if you don't examine it once in a while, or think about what it might be like to live with a different worldview? And throughout all of these challenges, I have stuck to how I was brought up, and I believe in it as much as I'm going to believe in anything. So listening to so many Christians asserting that their religion is somehow going to be forcibly "taken" from them just left me wondering if they even grasp what faith is. How does someone take that away from you? Even if the government wanted to and then somehow successfully managed to close every Christian church in the nation, would that actually stop anyone from believing in and following Jesus? Or meeting in closets and basements, like early Christians? How is this conviction that faith can be wrested from you even a thing? Plus, Christianity is a personal religion, so even if your church were to be shut down and you had to keep your beliefs a secret, you'd still go to Heaven. So what exactly are the life-and-death stakes here? The repetition of this assertion of persecution became incredibly tiresome to me. This is one of the safest countries in the world to be a member of a religious minority, and seeing this kind of paranoia from members of the majority religion truly made me lose my empathy for them because it's so patently absurd. (This was a test of my beliefs for sure, because my church says we are to approach other people with love and kindness, no exceptions. But I wasn't feeling at all kindly in the face of all this fear and hatred. It's partly why I had to stop reading.)
I shelved this book as "horror" because a sizable portion of US citizens appears to believe that everyone else is out to destroy them -- and that it might be all right to do to the rest of us first what they believe we want to do to them. The escalating totalitarian threats from that ungodly candidate are aimed directly at assuring these folks that they will win -- and that the rest of us will lose. This whole worldview is horrifying and deeply twisted.
Of course abortion came up over and over. But in my opinion, the majority of abortions are due to economic terror, and if you want to genuinely decrease abortions, one prong of that effort has to involve government policy that will provide support to mothers and children. If we are a country that loves children, then we should be happy to invest in them. But I'm pretty sure that if abortion bans were tied to tax increases to provide maternity care, daycare, health insurance for children, aid to young mothers to finish school, etc., then "pro life" sentiment would plummet, and that's just the cold truth. It's easy to say you love children. But if you won't pass pro-child legislation, and pay for it, then your words are just words, and a lie to boot. And this is the kind of thing that cannot be achieved through individuals, small charities, or even mega churches helping individual women. Abortion bans are creating millions of single parent families that are not starting out in good economic condition, and only government is big enough and has enough reach to improve all of those lives. I do believe that most pro life activists are sincere and truly care about the children they want to see born. But I think they've entered a peculiar political marriage to achieve their goals.
Jumping off the soapbox, I do recommend this book. It gave me much deeper understanding of evangelical churches and evangelical beliefs than I had before I picked it up. And it was hopeful to see that there are pastors and other evangelical influencers who are committed to pulling their flocks back from this paranoid brink. I give the author huge respect for speaking with and listening to some very scary people, all while managing to be polite to their faces (although he is pretty scathing about a good number of them on paper). Tim Alberta's goal is honorable, and this is a solid manifesto.
I did get some insight, and I certainly left this book feeling empathy for pastors who are trying to preach the Gospels to a loud subset of their congregations who just want to hear about how "the enemy" is evil and out to get them. But I also just completely lost patience and dnf'd at about three-quarters through, because I couldn't spend another minute reading about these folks.
I didn't realize what a huge number of Christians are living their lives convinced that a nebulous "enemy" is out to get them. Apparently this enemy is all the rest of us, and we all want to close their churches, take their faith from them, and possibly round them up into concentration camps while we're at it. In this worldview, the Covid shutdowns weren't aimed at all churches, synagogues, mosques, or anywhere else people worship. According to Christians, it was aimed solely at them, because they are so loathed and persecuted. And the quick development of effective vaccines with so few side effects wasn't a miracle that shows that god was working for us; the vaccines are from the devil and may put the Mark of the Beast on recipients. The paranoia runs deep, and everything is somehow about Christianity.
The thing is, I grew up in and remain a member of an actual minority religion. People have felt free to mock my beliefs to my face. I have been invited to all kinds of other faith services by people hoping I'll change my beliefs. I have had my religion challenged every day of my life. And I question it myself, too, because how do you know you truly follow something if you don't examine it once in a while, or think about what it might be like to live with a different worldview? And throughout all of these challenges, I have stuck to how I was brought up, and I believe in it as much as I'm going to believe in anything. So listening to so many Christians asserting that their religion is somehow going to be forcibly "taken" from them just left me wondering if they even grasp what faith is. How does someone take that away from you? Even if the government wanted to and then somehow successfully managed to close every Christian church in the nation, would that actually stop anyone from believing in and following Jesus? Or meeting in closets and basements, like early Christians? How is this conviction that faith can be wrested from you even a thing? Plus, Christianity is a personal religion, so even if your church were to be shut down and you had to keep your beliefs a secret, you'd still go to Heaven. So what exactly are the life-and-death stakes here? The repetition of this assertion of persecution became incredibly tiresome to me. This is one of the safest countries in the world to be a member of a religious minority, and seeing this kind of paranoia from members of the majority religion truly made me lose my empathy for them because it's so patently absurd. (This was a test of my beliefs for sure, because my church says we are to approach other people with love and kindness, no exceptions. But I wasn't feeling at all kindly in the face of all this fear and hatred. It's partly why I had to stop reading.)
I shelved this book as "horror" because a sizable portion of US citizens appears to believe that everyone else is out to destroy them -- and that it might be all right to do to the rest of us first what they believe we want to do to them. The escalating totalitarian threats from that ungodly candidate are aimed directly at assuring these folks that they will win -- and that the rest of us will lose. This whole worldview is horrifying and deeply twisted.
Of course abortion came up over and over. But in my opinion, the majority of abortions are due to economic terror, and if you want to genuinely decrease abortions, one prong of that effort has to involve government policy that will provide support to mothers and children. If we are a country that loves children, then we should be happy to invest in them. But I'm pretty sure that if abortion bans were tied to tax increases to provide maternity care, daycare, health insurance for children, aid to young mothers to finish school, etc., then "pro life" sentiment would plummet, and that's just the cold truth. It's easy to say you love children. But if you won't pass pro-child legislation, and pay for it, then your words are just words, and a lie to boot. And this is the kind of thing that cannot be achieved through individuals, small charities, or even mega churches helping individual women. Abortion bans are creating millions of single parent families that are not starting out in good economic condition, and only government is big enough and has enough reach to improve all of those lives. I do believe that most pro life activists are sincere and truly care about the children they want to see born. But I think they've entered a peculiar political marriage to achieve their goals.
Jumping off the soapbox, I do recommend this book. It gave me much deeper understanding of evangelical churches and evangelical beliefs than I had before I picked it up. And it was hopeful to see that there are pastors and other evangelical influencers who are committed to pulling their flocks back from this paranoid brink. I give the author huge respect for speaking with and listening to some very scary people, all while managing to be polite to their faces (although he is pretty scathing about a good number of them on paper). Tim Alberta's goal is honorable, and this is a solid manifesto.
January 4, 2024
A solid overview of the Evangelical world in the COVID/post-Trump era. At the same time, it’s like a 500 page version of the meme with the movie Nazi looking around asking “Are We The Baddies?”
April 17, 2024
5 stars for the importance of the message—that the American Evangelical church has become too closely aligned with conservative politics, not only forgetting but harming its professed mission of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus and making disciples.
Alberta details numerous painful examples of churches and parachurch organizations who have made corrupt bargains with political powerbrokers. As Christians, the desire of our hearts should be to promote the kingdom of God. Alberta shows that for too many self-identified evangelicals the desire of their hearts is not showing the love of Christ for the lost, but instead obtaining political power, winning at all costs, and “owning the libs.” For these folks, taking a right-wing stand on gun-control, taxes, and Covid masking policies seems to be more important than helping the poor and showing love to their neighbors.
In this political climate some pastors kowtow to the perceived desires of their most radical congregants, preaching sermons that are more akin to monologues by Tucker Carlson. Meanwhile, there are churches that ignore reports of abuse by domineering staff members lest it appear that they are somehow caving in to a left-wing feminist ideology.
Alberta contends that much of the problem is that many American evangelicals have developed a siege mentality, believing that the secular Left is out to destroy them, and they are losing the culture war. It’s this fear of loss that pushes people into taking reactionary positions, and tolerating those among them with even more extreme views. But as Christians we should not be a people of fear.
I have to admit I’ve also been caught up in this way of thinking—that it’s more important to get the political win (regarding Supreme Court justices or abortion laws or whatever) than it is to consider the means that assure victory. And to my great chagrin I’ve come realize that this way of thinking is not only faulty, but also un-Christlike, and wrong. Our eyes should be upon the eternal kingdom of God, not the temporal and earthly sausage factory of politics. When it comes to political battles we should prefer to be good losers rather than bad winners. We should desire that as Christians we would be defined based who and why we love, rather than who and what we hate.
Check out these reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Alberta details numerous painful examples of churches and parachurch organizations who have made corrupt bargains with political powerbrokers. As Christians, the desire of our hearts should be to promote the kingdom of God. Alberta shows that for too many self-identified evangelicals the desire of their hearts is not showing the love of Christ for the lost, but instead obtaining political power, winning at all costs, and “owning the libs.” For these folks, taking a right-wing stand on gun-control, taxes, and Covid masking policies seems to be more important than helping the poor and showing love to their neighbors.
In this political climate some pastors kowtow to the perceived desires of their most radical congregants, preaching sermons that are more akin to monologues by Tucker Carlson. Meanwhile, there are churches that ignore reports of abuse by domineering staff members lest it appear that they are somehow caving in to a left-wing feminist ideology.
Alberta contends that much of the problem is that many American evangelicals have developed a siege mentality, believing that the secular Left is out to destroy them, and they are losing the culture war. It’s this fear of loss that pushes people into taking reactionary positions, and tolerating those among them with even more extreme views. But as Christians we should not be a people of fear.
I have to admit I’ve also been caught up in this way of thinking—that it’s more important to get the political win (regarding Supreme Court justices or abortion laws or whatever) than it is to consider the means that assure victory. And to my great chagrin I’ve come realize that this way of thinking is not only faulty, but also un-Christlike, and wrong. Our eyes should be upon the eternal kingdom of God, not the temporal and earthly sausage factory of politics. When it comes to political battles we should prefer to be good losers rather than bad winners. We should desire that as Christians we would be defined based who and why we love, rather than who and what we hate.
Check out these reviews:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December 14, 2023
I’m an ex-evangelical. Really an ex-institutional religion person. I think this book was very well written and honest about the author’s own history as the son of an evangelical pastor and as a confused observer of the current mashup of politics into religion. He does a good job of describing the history leading to this moment in time. Also reminds me of the good that evangelicalism can do when their focus is authentic.
December 20, 2023
I finished this book in three days. I couldn't put it down. While depressing at times as Tim details the evangelical scandals and embrace of political extremism over the past number of years, this book also has a streak of hope running through it. For those of us disillusioned with what we have witnessed and experienced in the past number of years as friends and even brothers and sisters in Christ have been bitten by the bug of conspiracy theories and right- wing extremism we can be encouraged by the strength of leaders like Russel Moore and the countless other brave souls that have stood for truth and justice against the overwhelming tide of vitriol and hate that have been directed the way of anyone who dared to dissent from the narrative of extremism.
If you think I'm being hyperbolic, please read this book. Check the pages of notes and direct quotes of what prominent evangelicals have said in their support and advancement of the worst of the lies swimming about in current right-wing politics. And how they have been malicious and downright hateful in their treatment of those who spoke out against the tide of extremism.
If you think I'm being hyperbolic, please read this book. Check the pages of notes and direct quotes of what prominent evangelicals have said in their support and advancement of the worst of the lies swimming about in current right-wing politics. And how they have been malicious and downright hateful in their treatment of those who spoke out against the tide of extremism.
December 5, 2023
Religious nationalism has taken over many evangelical churches and pulpits. How has this happened? Trump has helped many to think that if you have a vote for anyone else but him, you are voting away religious liberty. This often translates that a vote against Trump is a vote against God? Yet, Trump has lied, cheated, and is a person rather unworthy of the evangelical backing. The evangelical view doesn’t make sense from a point of view outside of the evangelical church.
The author notes that it seems as if evangelicals see the kingdom of USA on earth is God’s kingdom. Rather, the kingdom of God is in heaven not on earth.
This book needed to be written. It describes how some churches have moved away from Christ’s teachings, of Jesus at the heart and center of Christianity.
Personally, I have felt that the USA recent political climate has pushed the values of church away from their foundations. Consequently, many feel the church has left me, not the other way around. Many feel abandoned from their church at a time where a major decline in church attendance had started.
The author notes that it seems as if evangelicals see the kingdom of USA on earth is God’s kingdom. Rather, the kingdom of God is in heaven not on earth.
This book needed to be written. It describes how some churches have moved away from Christ’s teachings, of Jesus at the heart and center of Christianity.
Personally, I have felt that the USA recent political climate has pushed the values of church away from their foundations. Consequently, many feel the church has left me, not the other way around. Many feel abandoned from their church at a time where a major decline in church attendance had started.
April 10, 2024
Having grown up attending church regularly in a denomination that's main message was 'God is love', I've been perplexed to witness the amount of support that evangelical churches have been giving to a political candidate who, from my viewpoint, is dishonest, immoral, untrustworthy and self-serving, and whose behavior is in every way un-Christian. This confusion on my part led me to this book, purportedly a conservative Christian's study of the politicization of modern American churches. I'm very glad I did.
Tim Alberta is clearly more conservative than I am and did explain his views on occasion in the book, often views that I disagree with. I have no problem with that. People can disagree with each other and can still respect their opinions. But where Alberta and I strongly agree is on the roll of the church in society. He sees the rise of Christian Nationalism as an evolutionary process, having arisen largely in the past few decades. Per Alberta,
While much of his book focuses on the church, he does make sure to express his views on politicians who try to use the church’s influence to further their agendas. He described Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert as
Alberta ultimately holds out hope that the church will come to its senses and return to the rock on which it was founded. I took some comfort that on the day I finished this book, I read a Bloomberg article headlined Trumpism Is Emptying Churches that laid ‘the drop in the percentage of Americans saying religion is important in their lives’ largely at the feet of the MAGA movement and the gaudy corruption of Trumpism.
Alberta condemns the very notion of Christian nationalism by quoting scripture.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
Tim Alberta is clearly more conservative than I am and did explain his views on occasion in the book, often views that I disagree with. I have no problem with that. People can disagree with each other and can still respect their opinions. But where Alberta and I strongly agree is on the roll of the church in society. He sees the rise of Christian Nationalism as an evolutionary process, having arisen largely in the past few decades. Per Alberta,
There was a reason Christian views writ large were now summarily dismissed as “inherently intolerant and undemocratic.” for generations, white evangelicals had been overwhelmingly supportive of both immigrants and refugees entering the United States; by 2020 they were, far and away, the least likely of any religious subgroup to advocate for either one. And this was not some outlying development. In the year after Trump left office, polling repeatedly showed there was one demographic group most likely to believe that the election had been stolen, that vaccines were dangerous, that globalists were controlling the U.S. population, that liberal celebrities were feasting on the blood of infants, that resorting to violence might be necessary to save the country: white evangelicals.But he still holds out hope that these radical elements are the exception, rather than the rule. I’m not sure I believe this but I’ll grant that he has an insider’s vantage point that I lack. In his opinion,
None of this justified the sweeping censure of tens of millions of people. Having spent Trump’s presidency traveling the country, meeting religious voters in small towns and big cities alike, I knew how many serious, sane evangelicals were still out there. These people have no place in the left-wing fever dreams that inform cable news punditry and op-ed pages. They are reasonable and realistic, making prudential political judgments that often reflect something quite limited about their core values, their commitment to others, their complex set of religious convictions. They are dismayed by the hysteria and hyperbole that has captured their movement and want nothing more than to reclaim it.
While much of his book focuses on the church, he does make sure to express his views on politicians who try to use the church’s influence to further their agendas. He described Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert as
"A small-town restaurant owner who’d been arrested four times in the decade before seeking political office, Boebert was fond of boasting that God told her to run for Congress because her unlikely victory 'would be a sign and a wonder to the unbeliever.' If the unbeliever paid attention to Boebert, the only signs they saw were of psychosis. "He called Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to account for
frequently invoked the Book of Ephesians while traveling the country in 2022 to raise money and rally the conservative base. “Put on the full armor of God,” DeSantis would say, “and take a stand against the left’s schemes.” In substituting “the left” for “the devil,” DeSantis wasn’t just counting on the biblical illiteracy of his listeners. He was banking on a nationalist fervor that rendered scriptural restraint irrelevant. He was confident that evangelicals in the audience would agree that he knew better than Paul; that the real enemy is the left; that the real struggle is against flesh and blood; that the real power belongs to a politician who can ignore Anthony Fauci’s coronavirus protocols and eliminate Disney World’s tax exemptions.He also spoke at length about how the Christian Nationalists were “glorifying Donald Trump like he was an idol.”
Alberta ultimately holds out hope that the church will come to its senses and return to the rock on which it was founded. I took some comfort that on the day I finished this book, I read a Bloomberg article headlined Trumpism Is Emptying Churches that laid ‘the drop in the percentage of Americans saying religion is important in their lives’ largely at the feet of the MAGA movement and the gaudy corruption of Trumpism.
Alberta condemns the very notion of Christian nationalism by quoting scripture.
Champions of Christian nationalism would have you believe that these efforts to rule the country are inherently theological; that they are in service of a broader effort to reclaim America for God. This is a lie. Christian nationalism is a contradiction in terms: Paul told the Galatians, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. This assurance—transcends all known racial, ethnic, and national identities.
FYI: On a 5-point scale I assign stars based on my assessment of what the book needs in the way of improvements:
*5 Stars – Nothing at all. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
*4 Stars – It could stand for a few tweaks here and there but it’s pretty good as it is.
*3 Stars – A solid C grade. Some serious rewriting would be needed in order for this book to be considered great or memorable.
*2 Stars – This book needs a lot of work. A good start would be to change the plot, the character development, the writing style and the ending.
*1 Star – The only thing that would improve this book is a good bonfire.
February 18, 2024
Sort of baffled by the rave reviews for this one. Alberta writes in a journalistic way that reads well and moves along fast enough; although by the middle, I was frankly exhausted and bored by the repeated "this church was like this and then it got like this because Trump but actually not just Trump because, well, decades ago..." I suspect it's because he's telling conservative white Americans what they want to hear, which is that Trump and some amorphous idea of "extremists" are an aberration. In contrast, every chapter has facts and history detailing how Trump is nothing but a symptom; he grew out of white conservative American values, and those values are discriminatory and, well, not conducive for the flourishing of a diverse society, one that sees people as valuable in and of themselves regardless of race or sexuality or ability to conceive and raise a child and not as a means to an end of building a kingdom for Jesus or anyone else. To put it mildly. But then again I am a raging agnostic leftist. I hope to read White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America sometime soon, as I suspect it's the corrective to Alberta's perspective.
January 16, 2024
This was an interesting book about the history of the American Evangelicals and it's turn towards extremism. I was hoping that this book would delve deeper into the psychology, of the shift but it did not. The book explore a wide range of corruption, but didn't really delve into the mindset and the willingness of those who choose to follow. Overall it was a good read if you're looking for a historical persecutive on how we go here, but not as interesting if you're looking to understand the shift in mindset, attitude and psychology of the American Evangelicals.
November 21, 2023
An excellent overview of religion and politics in America today. Highly recommended.
And this was an advance copy from the publisher
And this was an advance copy from the publisher
February 16, 2024
Growing up the son of an influential evangelical preacher and a true believer in the preachings of the gospel, church insider and journalist Tim Alberta brings an unassailable legitimacy to the ways in which he takes the figures in the book to task. He speaks with countless evangelical church pastors (and ex-pastors) about their mutually beneficial relationship between dubiously moral and often downright bonkers far-right extremist GOP politicians.
In his sophomore follow up to American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump, in The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, Alberta has the same concerns, but approaches the problem from a distinctively new angle: the theological, rather than the political side.
Naturally, politics is a consistent theme, as the book does question how, exactly, the same demographic who once exhorted that only men with impeccable moral uprightness, paragons of virtue, should be allowed to set national policy in the most powerful office in the country - the same ones that lost their minds over former President Clinton’s extramarital affair - could not only back, but seemingly revere morally degenerate candidates like Donald Trump and Herschel Walker.
Trump, who has had numerous extramarital affairs and countless scandals involving but not limited to: trying to overthrow a democratically elected president, calling his most loyal colleague (a lifelong REAL Christian) a traitor and cheering on fanatics who called for his hanging - after that colleague refused to be complicit in the overthrow, committing uncountable crimes in and out of office involving embezzlement, corruption, tax evasion and fraud, sexual assault, etc., as well as constantly mocking the disabled, refugees, and war veterans.
WWJD? He had embraced the downtrodden. Pretty sure not only would Jesus not give a shit about politics, lol, but he most certainly would not approve of any humanly vessel using his name to justify their actions, when they’ve had no semblance of remorse and certainly no pleas for forgiveness.
Herschel Walker would be even more horrifying, a GOP candidate running for Senate, whose sole claim to fame was as his small town high school football team’s offensive lineman. Oh, that and ranting about his liberal opponent being the “devil incarnate” - which was very interesting, given his opponent was a virtuous preacher with a healthy and happy marriage, while Walker, in the words of his own son (the only one of four he publicly acknowledged) quipped on Twitter after his defeat:
”Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples heads, fund abortions…leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family - and then maybe you can win a Senate seat.”
I’m getting carried away here.
The important thing is, when confronted with the problematic behavior of the candidates and when asked legitimate questions by a journalist who knew the Bible (unlike the many voters, politicians, even congregants the pastors spoke to) - their answers ran the gambit, from having much regret and personal struggling with the clashing of church and politics, to shamelessly agreeing with Alberta’s concerns, yet simply shrugging them off or changing the topic in an attempt to further avoid their transparent hypocrisy.
My only issue with the book was that it sometimes came off almost as a little too clean, too holy for me… more importantly though, many of the same points and stories were repeated and circled back to throughout the book. Much like with my last finished book by Antonia Hylton, I also wasn’t a fan of the lack of footnotes, leaving the reader to fend for themselves when checking sources in the back.
Beyond that, I do believe this is an important read… although as usual, the people who need to read it most likely will not. I think a great summary of the book comes in one of the statements in the epilogue:
”Trump’s legacy in the sweep of western Christendom was already secure. More than any figure in American history, the forty-fifth president transformed evangelical from spiritual signifier into political punchline, exposing the selective morality and ethical inconsistency and rank hypocrisy that had for so long lurked in the subconscious of the movement. To be fair, this slow-motion reputational collapse predated Trump; he did not author the cultural insecurities of the Church. But he did identify them, and prey upon them, in ways that have accelerated the unraveling of institutional Christianity in the United States.”
4.5 stars.
In his sophomore follow up to American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump, in The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, Alberta has the same concerns, but approaches the problem from a distinctively new angle: the theological, rather than the political side.
Naturally, politics is a consistent theme, as the book does question how, exactly, the same demographic who once exhorted that only men with impeccable moral uprightness, paragons of virtue, should be allowed to set national policy in the most powerful office in the country - the same ones that lost their minds over former President Clinton’s extramarital affair - could not only back, but seemingly revere morally degenerate candidates like Donald Trump and Herschel Walker.
Trump, who has had numerous extramarital affairs and countless scandals involving but not limited to: trying to overthrow a democratically elected president, calling his most loyal colleague (a lifelong REAL Christian) a traitor and cheering on fanatics who called for his hanging - after that colleague refused to be complicit in the overthrow, committing uncountable crimes in and out of office involving embezzlement, corruption, tax evasion and fraud, sexual assault, etc., as well as constantly mocking the disabled, refugees, and war veterans.
WWJD? He had embraced the downtrodden. Pretty sure not only would Jesus not give a shit about politics, lol, but he most certainly would not approve of any humanly vessel using his name to justify their actions, when they’ve had no semblance of remorse and certainly no pleas for forgiveness.
Herschel Walker would be even more horrifying, a GOP candidate running for Senate, whose sole claim to fame was as his small town high school football team’s offensive lineman. Oh, that and ranting about his liberal opponent being the “devil incarnate” - which was very interesting, given his opponent was a virtuous preacher with a healthy and happy marriage, while Walker, in the words of his own son (the only one of four he publicly acknowledged) quipped on Twitter after his defeat:
”Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples heads, fund abortions…leave your multiple minor children alone to chase more fame, lie, lie, lie, say stupid crap, and make a fool of your family - and then maybe you can win a Senate seat.”
I’m getting carried away here.
The important thing is, when confronted with the problematic behavior of the candidates and when asked legitimate questions by a journalist who knew the Bible (unlike the many voters, politicians, even congregants the pastors spoke to) - their answers ran the gambit, from having much regret and personal struggling with the clashing of church and politics, to shamelessly agreeing with Alberta’s concerns, yet simply shrugging them off or changing the topic in an attempt to further avoid their transparent hypocrisy.
My only issue with the book was that it sometimes came off almost as a little too clean, too holy for me… more importantly though, many of the same points and stories were repeated and circled back to throughout the book. Much like with my last finished book by Antonia Hylton, I also wasn’t a fan of the lack of footnotes, leaving the reader to fend for themselves when checking sources in the back.
Beyond that, I do believe this is an important read… although as usual, the people who need to read it most likely will not. I think a great summary of the book comes in one of the statements in the epilogue:
”Trump’s legacy in the sweep of western Christendom was already secure. More than any figure in American history, the forty-fifth president transformed evangelical from spiritual signifier into political punchline, exposing the selective morality and ethical inconsistency and rank hypocrisy that had for so long lurked in the subconscious of the movement. To be fair, this slow-motion reputational collapse predated Trump; he did not author the cultural insecurities of the Church. But he did identify them, and prey upon them, in ways that have accelerated the unraveling of institutional Christianity in the United States.”
4.5 stars.
February 7, 2024
I wasn’t ready for this book to end, which is saying a lot considering the audiobook was more than 18 hours long!
As a political journalist, a practicing Christian, and the son of an evangelical pastor, the author is perhaps uniquely qualified to investigate and critique the American evangelical church’s alliance with right-wing politics. And much of what he discovers was truly shocking to me.
I appreciated the thoroughness that went into researching this book. The author conducted what must have been dozens, if not, hundreds of interviews, and attended church services and political rallies. He also wisely deploys Scripture and orthodox Christian teachings, not to preach, but to give context for the ways some elements of right-wing evangelicalism actually contradict the teachings of Christ. I also appreciated that he profiled those within the evangelical tradition who are trying to fight against these forces, like Russell Moore.
This book will be fascinating - and disturbing - to anyone with an interest in American politics or the Christian faith.
As a political journalist, a practicing Christian, and the son of an evangelical pastor, the author is perhaps uniquely qualified to investigate and critique the American evangelical church’s alliance with right-wing politics. And much of what he discovers was truly shocking to me.
I appreciated the thoroughness that went into researching this book. The author conducted what must have been dozens, if not, hundreds of interviews, and attended church services and political rallies. He also wisely deploys Scripture and orthodox Christian teachings, not to preach, but to give context for the ways some elements of right-wing evangelicalism actually contradict the teachings of Christ. I also appreciated that he profiled those within the evangelical tradition who are trying to fight against these forces, like Russell Moore.
This book will be fascinating - and disturbing - to anyone with an interest in American politics or the Christian faith.
Read
January 2, 2024I do not know how to rate this book in the SLIGHTEST. It's a really fascinating deep dive into a topic that I'm really invested in, with interviews and access that folks with viewpoints I agree with couldn't ever get! BUT ALSO THIS MAN VERY MUCH WOULD WANT TO SAVE MY SOUL IF HE EVER MET ME AND KEEPS UNIRONICALLY USING "JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES" AS A PHRASE. So, uh, this Jew can't decide what she thought of it. It was certainly a thing I read.
April 27, 2024
This book hurt. It peeled back the walls and looks at the failures, flaws, and pains inside a church run by broken people. Far too often we reject the calling of scripture to not put our trust in "man" or "princes."
I believe all Christians should read this book. We must be reminded that people are not perfect. Only one Man was perfect and only that Man deserves our full trust and praise.
I believe all Christians should read this book. We must be reminded that people are not perfect. Only one Man was perfect and only that Man deserves our full trust and praise.
January 21, 2024
yikes! oof! ouch! owie!
March 22, 2024
Alberta approaches his topic through personalities and individual experiences; the narrative appeal of that approach is obvious, but it interferes with any kind of larger or more probing analysis of the sources of the problems he presents. In particular, he seems reluctant to come to grips with exactly what it is about this type of Christianity (conservative, culturally homogeneous, evangelical, isolated from the larger culture through its retreat from the larger community and into its own institutions--schools, colleges, media, closed communities, civic organizations) that makes it so vulnerable. Churches like the one his beloved father pastored proved fertile fields in which the dysfunction he so convincingly and passionately decries took root and flourished, and he is ultimately reluctant to examine exactly why that is.
December 28, 2023
__________________________
Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.–– Mathew 12:17
When I turned 6-years-old, my grandmother insisted I start accompanying her to Sunday school. I didn’t see much point in it: I was already spending 5 days a week at school, which I figured was more than sufficient. But I didn’t mind it much because the Sunday school gave out medals for such tasks as perfect attendance, knowing the books of the Bible by heart, and being able to recite the Lord’s Prayer, the 10 Commandments, and various Presbyterian minutia. By the time I reached 8th grade, I had more medals pinned on the chest of my Sunday school suit than a major general in the Soviet Army would have had on his uniform. In the late 1960s I attended a church-affiliated college where I was required to go to chapel once a week. I also had to take a couple of courses in Judeo-Christian Tradition taught by a professor whose PhD thesis advisor had been the renowned theologian Paul Tillich.
Unfortunately, none of that academic fire power and none of those Sunday school medals prepared me for the sea change in American religion that took place the day Jerry Farwell discovered that there was more power in politics than in saving souls.
Farwell’s revelation came more or less by accident. He was a typical fundamentalist pastor whose church services were also broadcast on regional radio. Then one day, for some reason, he offered his opinions on some recent politics during a sermon. His flock seemed to like that, so he did it again. The results were surprising. The donations to Farwell’s ministry, both from radio listeners and from his brick-and-mortar church, increased significantly, as did the numbers of people who attended his church or listened to him on air. Farwell had struck gold. His sermons became more and more political, the money began pouring in [eventually millions and millions], and Farwell himself became a national political powerhouse.
Soon other ministers, especially those in evangelical megachurches, began to copy Farwell’s stratagem, and the naturally right-wing conservative congregations loved to hear that their political beliefs were celebrated by God himself and that Democrats and moderate Republicans were literally [not kidding] thralls of Satan. They wrapped themselves in the American flag and said that they supported the beliefs of America’s founding fathers, while insisting they wanted to eliminate some of the basic tenets the founding fathers felt essential––for example, separation of church and state and religious freedom for everyone.
They became an army who took the idiom “holier than thou” very, very seriously. Conservative politics had become their religion. Here are a few examples: One nationally renowned megachurch pastor had his music director write a hymn called “Make America Great Again.” Others demanded that all laws in the U.S. be based on biblical teachings. After the 2020 presidential election, one popular tweet proclaimed: “As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will @realDonaldTrump.” They have, over the last 40 years, become a very influential––and to me, disturbing––force in American politics.
This is a very informative book, but for me, too long. It could have scared the bejesus out of me at half its current length.
3 Stars.
Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.–– Mathew 12:17
When I turned 6-years-old, my grandmother insisted I start accompanying her to Sunday school. I didn’t see much point in it: I was already spending 5 days a week at school, which I figured was more than sufficient. But I didn’t mind it much because the Sunday school gave out medals for such tasks as perfect attendance, knowing the books of the Bible by heart, and being able to recite the Lord’s Prayer, the 10 Commandments, and various Presbyterian minutia. By the time I reached 8th grade, I had more medals pinned on the chest of my Sunday school suit than a major general in the Soviet Army would have had on his uniform. In the late 1960s I attended a church-affiliated college where I was required to go to chapel once a week. I also had to take a couple of courses in Judeo-Christian Tradition taught by a professor whose PhD thesis advisor had been the renowned theologian Paul Tillich.
Unfortunately, none of that academic fire power and none of those Sunday school medals prepared me for the sea change in American religion that took place the day Jerry Farwell discovered that there was more power in politics than in saving souls.
Farwell’s revelation came more or less by accident. He was a typical fundamentalist pastor whose church services were also broadcast on regional radio. Then one day, for some reason, he offered his opinions on some recent politics during a sermon. His flock seemed to like that, so he did it again. The results were surprising. The donations to Farwell’s ministry, both from radio listeners and from his brick-and-mortar church, increased significantly, as did the numbers of people who attended his church or listened to him on air. Farwell had struck gold. His sermons became more and more political, the money began pouring in [eventually millions and millions], and Farwell himself became a national political powerhouse.
Soon other ministers, especially those in evangelical megachurches, began to copy Farwell’s stratagem, and the naturally right-wing conservative congregations loved to hear that their political beliefs were celebrated by God himself and that Democrats and moderate Republicans were literally [not kidding] thralls of Satan. They wrapped themselves in the American flag and said that they supported the beliefs of America’s founding fathers, while insisting they wanted to eliminate some of the basic tenets the founding fathers felt essential––for example, separation of church and state and religious freedom for everyone.
They became an army who took the idiom “holier than thou” very, very seriously. Conservative politics had become their religion. Here are a few examples: One nationally renowned megachurch pastor had his music director write a hymn called “Make America Great Again.” Others demanded that all laws in the U.S. be based on biblical teachings. After the 2020 presidential election, one popular tweet proclaimed: “As Christ was crucified, and then rose again on the 3rd day, so too will @realDonaldTrump.” They have, over the last 40 years, become a very influential––and to me, disturbing––force in American politics.
This is a very informative book, but for me, too long. It could have scared the bejesus out of me at half its current length.
3 Stars.
June 30, 2024
"Many right-wing pastors simply cannot stomach the notion of their churches being accountable to secular actors—legal bodies, law enforcement agencies, media outlets—because their vision for Christianity is one of absolute supremacy. The Church, in their view, answers to no one but God; they are the authority to which the rest of culture must answer."
I think this is good view from a believer himself into the cancer that has spread like wild fire through the American Evangelical Church. It is quite evident to any one paying attention that for a large number of their church leaders and members the gospel of Jesus Christ has been replaced by idolatry of #45 and the spread of his warped, vile mandates of hate and blatant lies.
I appreciate the author's positivity in expressing his hope and belief that the "crazy ship" can be turned around, personally I think he's naive. If the different poll numbers provided in the book are correct, the ship is headed for the rocks at warped speed.
I think this is good view from a believer himself into the cancer that has spread like wild fire through the American Evangelical Church. It is quite evident to any one paying attention that for a large number of their church leaders and members the gospel of Jesus Christ has been replaced by idolatry of #45 and the spread of his warped, vile mandates of hate and blatant lies.
I appreciate the author's positivity in expressing his hope and belief that the "crazy ship" can be turned around, personally I think he's naive. If the different poll numbers provided in the book are correct, the ship is headed for the rocks at warped speed.
March 8, 2024
On one hand, this book made me pretty nervous about the upcoming political season. On the other, it reaffirmed my hope in the Kingdom not of this world. So, in that sense, I think this book accomplished exactly what it set out to do. I won't lie though, reliving all of the LU sagas was both cathartic and a bit exhausting.
Favorite Passage: But individual triumphs do not offset institutional tragedy. If a megachurch pastor is exposed for misconduct-if he and his staff are proven to be liars, bullies, scoundrels, enablers of abuse-then what good is the testimony of thousands of people who insist that the pastor brought them closer to Christ? One must take a comically small view of God to believe that these people could not have drawn closer to Christ while attending another church-one not guilty of systemic misbehavior. After all, was it the pastor who had brought them closer to Christ or was it the work of the Holy Spirit? Does Jesus need the help of our broken institutions or do our broken institutions need the help of Jesus?
Favorite Passage: But individual triumphs do not offset institutional tragedy. If a megachurch pastor is exposed for misconduct-if he and his staff are proven to be liars, bullies, scoundrels, enablers of abuse-then what good is the testimony of thousands of people who insist that the pastor brought them closer to Christ? One must take a comically small view of God to believe that these people could not have drawn closer to Christ while attending another church-one not guilty of systemic misbehavior. After all, was it the pastor who had brought them closer to Christ or was it the work of the Holy Spirit? Does Jesus need the help of our broken institutions or do our broken institutions need the help of Jesus?
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