Wendy Roberts is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Albany, SUNY. This interview is based on her new book, Awakening Verse: The Poetics of Early American Evangelicalism (Oxford University Press, 2020). JF: What led you to write Awakening Verse? WR: When...
evangelicals
Nostalgia for a past that never existed
In Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump I wrote: It is easy for white evangelicals to look back fondly on American history. There is, of course, a lot to celebrate. We are a nation founded on the belief that...
If a spiritual revival leads to more Christian Trumpism, is it really a spiritual revival? Or is it something else?
There are many white evangelicals who believe that a spiritual revival will solve the problem of racism in the United States. When God transforms a human heart, the argument goes, the inclination to perform racist acts will subside. So we...
Are white evangelicals equipped for a conversation on race?
Robert Vischer is dean of the University of St. Thomas Law School in Minneapolis. His piece at Religion News Service is titled “Will the death of George Floyd sway white evangelicals on race?” I like this piece because Vischer points...
When Evangelicals open churches early
Evangelicals like to think of themselves as people of faith. Faith is often irrational, but there is a fine line between faith and stupidity. As the title character of John Irving’s novel A Prayer for Owen Meany reminds us, “I...
Thoughts on Trump’s Proposed “National Garden of American Heroes”
At his July 3, 2020 speech at Mount Rushmore, Donald Trump said: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alEE-5Pk5DQ&w=560&h=315] More here. And here is the text of the executive order: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws...
When progressive evangelicals held the national stage
Over at Sojourners, American religious historian Randall Balmer traces the history of progressive evangelicalism in the 1970s. Here is a taste of “Before the Religious Right, Progressive Evangelicals Gained the National Spotlight“: Richard Nixon’s promise of a “secret plan” to...
Trump to court evangelical journalist: if Biden gets elected “our nation will go to hell”
In yesterday’s court evangelical roundup, we called your attention to Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) journalist David Brody‘s interview with Donald Trump. Today, CBN released the full interview transcript. A few quick takeaways: Trump appeals to the Christian Right political playbook...
Fox News poll: white evangelical support for Trump in November drops to 66%. Biden is doing better now with white evangelicals than Obama in November 2012.
According to a just-released Fox News poll, 66% of white evangelicals plan to vote for Donald Trump in November 2020. 25% of white evangelicals say they will vote for Joe Biden. It is worth noting here that Obama got 26%...
Are white evangelicals turning to Biden?
Some solid reporting from Gabby Orr at Politico: It was June 10, 2008. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama had gathered with dozens of evangelical leaders — many of them fixtures of the religious right — at the urging of campaign...
How the history of white evangelical racism has led to Donald Trump’s election and continues to shape support for his presidency
I begin with a caveat. This post is not implying that all white evangelicals are or have been racist. Many white evangelicals have been anti-racist and have fought hard to curb systemic racism in American life. But, as I argued...
The Trump campaign calls evangelicals to take its “Official Catholics for Trump Priorities Survey”
First, the GOP platform condemns the sitting president, and now this: Maybe Trump should take some of the money he uses flying back and forth between the White House and Mar-a-Lago to hire a proofreader....
Evangelicals Hit the Streets for Justice
Christians, including white evangelical Christians, led many of today’s anti-racism protest marches. Here is The Washington Post: Hundreds of evangelical Christians sang, prayed and banged tambourines Sunday afternoon as they crossed the Anacostia River, headed downtown from Southeast Washington. The group,...
Mitt Romney Marches With Evangelicals
Here is The Washington Post: “Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joined a group of hundreds of evangelicals marching Sunday as the tenth day of demonstrations took on themes of faith and prayer.” Senator @MittRomney marched with a group of nearly 1,000 Christians...
Ron Sider: It is the “Hour of Decision” for White Evangelicals
Ron Sider is one of the most prominent voices of the evangelical center-left. Here is what he wrote last night at his blog: The video of a white policeman with his knee on the neck of a black man. As...
Most of California’s Evangelical Megachurches are Still Online
1200 California churches will open this weekend in defiance of the governor’s orders. We posted about this here. But before the press paints California evangelicals with one broad brush, as they are prone to do, it is worth noting that...
Song of the Day: “What is Truth?”
John 18:37-38. Many young evangelicals are still asking this question about our current political and cultural climate: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0KQWTBljjg&w=560&h=315] ...
Interpreting Evangelicals Who Go To Church During This Pandemic
Here is religion scholar Robert Orsi at Notre Dame’s “Contending Modernities” blog: The woman leans confidently out of her car window, her right hand at high noon on the steering wheel. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she tells the reporter for CNN,...
What Happened to the Moral Clarity of Some American Evangelicals Between 2016 and 2020?
Sarah Pulliam Bailey’s recent story at The Washington Post adds to what I posted about earlier this week (here and here). Here are some new things we learn from her piece: Mohler’s son-in-law is a Trump appointee in the State Department....
The “My Pillow” Guy’s Comments at Yesterday’s Press Conference Represent Everything Wrong With the Public Witness of the Christian Right
Watch Mike Lindell, CEO of My Pillow: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4pxzC4wMyc&w=560&h=315] Lindell turns a coronavirus press conference into a Christian Right campaign ad for Donald Trump. Outside of the United States, political leaders don’t like Christians because they proclaim a Gospel that...