The author suggests that younger and former evangelicals raised in Republican homes are shifting toward the Democratic Party, driven by disillusionment with the evangelical-GOP alliance, Christian nationalism, racism, and policy concerns. He argues that evangelicalism has been harmed by political alignment and has lost its prophetic voice. He draws on Hauerwas, Carl Henry, Hunter, and Balmer to argue that Christians should not seek to coerce society through political power and that faith is better served from the margins.
Reviewed
Teaches1
Positions the Doxa Score counts against.- 1
Progressive evangelicals are undeniably growing in number.
Many younger evangelicals raised in strongly Republican homes are now voting Democratic, flipping their parents' votes, though the author cannot prove it.
Abortion was turned into a dogwhistle and platform issue that politicians manipulated to attract evangelicals and to signal identity.
The Founders designed the Supreme Court and political persuasions to remain separate.
Many deconstructors want to leave their particular church for a more Jesus-shaped one, not to leave the faith, and a major reason is their parents' and mentors' questionable alignment with the GOP.
Evangelical support for Trump will likely fall to about 70-75% from the former 80%, as younger and former evangelicals shift Democratic.
Belief in universal health care is held for good, solid Christian reasons.
Runaway capitalism is ruinous to American society.
Evangelicals and the GOP show a lack of compassion for minority immigrants.
White supremacy and racism are real and significant realities in American politics.
Evangelical leaders have failed to speak out against the rise of Christian nationalism and white supremacy, and the evangelical-GOP has lost its prophetic voice.
- Adopts· Stanley Hauerwas
Jerry Falwell challenges the Christian mainstream not because he differs from it but because he basically accepted its political agenda.
Christians should not try to coerce or influence the public into their viewpoint through political agitation and majority rule; this is the Constantinian temptation.
- TeachesFaith belongs at the margins of societyExplicit
American democracy cannot be the kingdom of God until it submits to Jesus as redemptive king, which will not happen.
- Adopts· Carl Henry
Christians who use political means to achieve goals the church should advance by preaching and evangelism will be disillusioned and discredited, and should not legislate all scriptural principles; the Moral Majority achieved little.
Evangelicalism has suffered immensely for aligning itself with the GOP, and the alignment is vacuous.
- Adopts· James Davison Hunter
Evangelicals need to become a faithful witness rather than seek power.
- TeachesFaith belongs at the margins of societyImplied
- Adopts· Randall Balmer
Religion functions best from the margins of society rather than in the councils of power, and identifying faith with a candidate or party ultimately harms the faith; compromise suits politics but not faith.
- TeachesFaith belongs at the margins of societyExplicit
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