The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America by Frances Fitzgerald was a very hard book to read for me and not just because there were some editorial problems I felt should have been addressed before publication. No, I found this book hard to read because I identify myself as an evangelical Christian. I grew up in an evangelical church and was baptized there. Many of my best friends are evangelical Christians and they are the nicest people I have had the privilege of knowing. However, evangelical Christianity has jumped into the messiness of worldly politics in America for one particular side of the political spectrum and now not only have many evangelical Christians become disillusioned with politics in America, but the Gospel message has been discredited in the eyes of Millennials, if the surveys cited in here are correct. If the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is the salvation of man in a fallen world, then the church's inability to attract younger men and women is a problem. That's why Christians must examine our history and draw some conclusions about where things went wrong. Having read this book, here are a few lessons I will be taking away from this book:- Unity is something evangelical Christians must strive harder for- This book is divided into two halves. The first half deals with the evangelical movement from the days of the First Great Awakening in the early 18th century through the culture shocks of the 1960s. Evangelicals of this era were focused mainly on theological differences such as the inerrancy of the Bible, the Virgin Birth, and the divinity of Christ. These are serious core issues that every church and denomination must sort out in the light of Scripture, but as Ms. Fitzgerald makes clear in this, evangelicals were very quick to denounce anything seen as liberal theology or "secular humanism" and secede from different denominational organizations. One of the great things about America is that it is very easy to set up new social organizations, particularly if they are religious. But for Christians we are exhorted by Scripture to remain united in Christ: "I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement." (I Corinthians 1:10, ESV). The disunity of the church in America today would have stunned the Apostle Paul as English theologian N.T. Wright stated at the end of a talk he gave for the Veritas Forum (You should listen to the whole talk by downloading the whole podcast. It is well worth your time.) Ultimately, our country's freedoms have made it possible to practice our faith freely, but it has also made it easier for us to become disunited. Now, there will always be differences between faithful people about the meaning of Scripture and whatnot, but division should be an option of last resort. Evangelical Christianity has been too quick in its past to disassociate itself with anything that appears even a little heretical. Perhaps we should be more careful about how we approach theological disputes.
- Closely identifying with one side of the political aisle only leads to the discrediting of the Gospel message- Around the 1970s, Ms. Fitzgerald's book shifts away from the theological battles that defined evangelical Christianity and focuses instead on how a religious and social movement morphed into a purely political movement. Gone are the days of the Billy Graham crusades that brought in thousands of people into churches and baseball stadiums to hear the Gospel. In its place comes a new faction dedicated to gaining influence within the Republican party and pushing through a series of conservative laws such as pro-life amendments and the Defense of Marriage Act. This all culminates in the end with the ascendance of George W. Bush to the Presidency and the Christian Right becoming one of the most powerful political movements in the country during those years. However, when the Christian Right backed the Iraq war and the Bush presidency begins to falter due to its mishandling of the conflict and Hurricane Katrina disaster relief, the Christian Right becomes just as tarred as Pres. Bush. Even worse, the identification of such a prominent group of Christians with a failed presidency leads to a discrediting of the entire Gospel message. Ms. Fitzgerald points this out when she cites several different studies showing that the number of Americans identifying themselves as Christians, particularly among Millenials, starts to drop. "According to one Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings survey of 2013.... a large proportion of millennials were unaffiliated with any church- 35 percent compared with 23 percent of the whole adult population" (p. 633). Even worse, the nasty connotations of Christians as bigots or homophobes started to crop up too. The evangelical movement had become so focused on bringing back school prayer, banning abortion, and outlawing same-sex marriage that it forgot to preach Jesus Christ's message of hope and redemption for all of God's fallen creatures. Today there are many liberal evangelicals advocating for the end of human trafficking, measures to combat climate change, dialogues on racism, and many other social goods. But with the evangelical movement so discredited, will anyone listen?
- Neglecting to preach the pure Gospel to the masses in favor of political advantage leads to the rise of unsavory new leaders- After the George W. Bush years, Ms. Fitzgerald points out how the Christian Right ultimately became consumed by the Tea Party movement in the Republican party. Being so discredited by the Bush years and overwhelmed by the Tea Party, the Christian Right had no moral authority to push back against the rise of a new force within the Republican party: Donald Trump. She points out that most Christian Right leaders opposed Mr. Trump. And yet, 81 percent of evangelicals voted for Mr. Trump, a thrice-divorced womanizer and bully who appears to be biblically illiterate and refuses to acknowledge that he needs forgiveness for anything. Any good Christian knows that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23. ESV) We are all in need of forgiveness. So why did so many evangelicals vote for him? Probably because so many evangelical leaders had used up all their authority in the Bush and Obama years that no one wanted to believe them. For a heartbreaking corollary to this, I highly recommend you listen to Act One of an episode of This American Life, a radio series on NPR, where a radio pastor tries desperately to warn his listeners about Trump, yet not only do people not listen to him, they intentionally thumb their noses at him on air.
Christians in American can and must have a positive influence on the country. Our Gospel tells us to preach the name of Jesus to the ends of the Earth. But when we become too enmeshed in the politics of the times, we risk risk losing sight of what we were called to do in the first place. Christians of all denominations need assess what is the best way to share the Gospel in the days of a Trump administration. However, I have faith in the one who said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33, ESV). I just pray that my brothers and sisters in Christ in America will remember this too.
Sorry for the delay in posting this folks. Some bad scheduling and technical difficulties got in my way. I'll try to be on time next week. Next week I will be reviewing Dynasty: The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar by Tom Holland. Until next time, keep on reading!
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