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American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
An award-winning journalist probes the bitter divisions threatening to fracture American evangelicalism in this rigorously reported and introspective new book.
As a practicing Christian raised by a preacher, Tim Alberta comprehends evangelicals as few can, unveiling their profound complexity for a secular America that increasingly eyes them with suspicion. Through perspectives of televangelists, small-town pastors and everyday devotees, he constructs a troubling portrait of a faith degraded by fleeting fears, partisan manipulation and perpetual scandal.
For millions of conservative Christians, America represents their rightful kingdom – a covenanted land set apart and uniquely blessed. However, such nationalist fervor has devolved into a reckless, trivializing idolatry that abandons the gospel of Jesus Christ. Alberta traces modern evangelicalism’s arc, contextualizing its alignment with divisive political issues as deviations from scripture and tradition, accelerated by Donald Trump’s presidency and COVID-19. From half-empty churches to overflow conventions, he documents escalating fractures between Christians pursuing cultural relevance versus spiritual meaning.
Granted unique access, Alberta investigates evangelicals’ power pursuits and abuses while highlighting the widening gap between their worldly methods versus biblical teachings. Contradicting New Testament guidance to resist temptation and fear no earthly authority, today’s believers instead seem fixated on achieving fleeting power and privileges relevant only to this temporal kingdom. Lingering at the intersection of cultural displacement and perceived persecution, Alberta weaves an empathetic portrait of believers and individual churches struggling to retain relevancy and standing amidst the tide of secularization.
