The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

by Tim Alberta

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?

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Religion, History, Audiobook, Christianity, Christian

512 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 2023

About the author

Tim Alberta is chief political correspondent for Politico Magazine, and has reported for National Review, National Journal, The Hotline, and the Wall Street Journal.

Reviews

[Bruce Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jake Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year, I'm attempting to read at least 1 non-fiction title a month. Last year felt like a year where I didn't commit as much to reading non-fiction, and I wanted to change that this year. This was March's pick and it did not disappoint. Honestly, this should be required reading.

What Worked: To be quite honest, it's difficult to not notice the changes in how people view/practice Christianity. As someone who grew up in the church, attended Christian private schools, and has a relatively complicated relationship with organized religion, I was immediately drawn to Alberta's book. Though I knew some of the information included in his analysis of the rise of Christian nationalism, seeing the intricate details of the history and legacy of Evangelicalism was eye opening. This isn't an easy book to review. In fact, I'm not sure I would know how to thoroughly review it even if I tried. This is a book that one must experience.

This book should be required reading.

[Beauregard Bottomley · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Scott Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long time ago, I used to go to church. I used to call myself a Christian and, more importantly, was not ashamed to do so. I prayed. I went to bible study sessions. I was even a deacon. Then, something happened...

Okay, nothing horribly dramatic. No physical or sexual abuse was involved, thankfully.

No, my exit from the church was more of a gradual thing; a long drawn-out disenchantment with church doctrine. I didn't like the way the church was dealing with certain issues, and I felt that the church was getting involved in issues that it shouldn't. Basically, I felt that the church was becoming too political.

I wasn't alone, apparently. People have steadily, over the last three decades, been leaving churches in droves. Today, 28% of Americans call themselves "religiously unaffiliated"---also known as "nones"---which is a marked increase from 2007, when 16% considered themselves "nones". (https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/...)

It wasn't until 2016, though, that things really got bad for churches and Christianity in general. Many previously healthy churches were seeing an uptick in people leaving to start other churches. Interestingly enough, churches have seen a steady rise in people leaving the church for decades, mainly due to young people---millenials, especially---who leave because the churches are too "political", too "conservative", "hypocritical", "intolerant", or "judgmental". (https://www.barna.com/research/six-re...)

In 2016, older people were leaving because they felt that their church wasn't political enough or "too liberal". This, along with their overt glorification of Donald Trump, has merely added to an already well-founded reputation that evangelical Christianity has become a hotbed of anti-science, anti-LGBTQ+, pro-white nationalist intolerance.

Rational-minded pastors (like Russell Moore) who had the audacity to insinuate that Trump wasn't presidential material or even a good man were facing angry mobs of people and sometimes death threats from MAGA Christians who couldn't tolerate any criticism about Trump. Moore---president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States---quickly found himself forced to resign and forced to leave a church in which he had spent his entire life at home. People he had considered friends and mentors were now lambasting him and calling him a "traitor".

Tim Alberta, a journalist, also felt it close to home. His father, a long-time pastor, had recently passed away. His father's successor was a well-liked pastor and a friend of Alberta. He was also not a Trump supporter, and he struggled with many of Trump's policies and behaviors, often pointing out in sermons how extremely un-Christian they were. In a very short time, nearly half the congregation had left the church, many of them to start other, more "Trump-friendly", churches.

This was, as Alberta soon learned, a disturbingly common occurrence across the country, among many evangelical churches. He writes about this in his book "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism".

In a nutshell, Alberta and many pastors, theologians, and church laypersons all seem to agree that the main problem with a lot of churches and evangelical Christians in this age of Trump is that the focus of the church has drifted away from a worship and belief in Christ towards a worship and belief in "America". In other words, idolatry.

When churches start replacing the cross with the American flag, Christ stops being the main focus of the church, and that's when the problems of society---problems for which the church is supposed to be an analgesic---start infecting the congregation.

Alberta's book is an absolute must-read for anyone who---like me---laments feeling as if we had to leave the church because of the dangerous and catastrophic devolution of evangelical Christianity into a Christian (white) nationalism due to the metastasizing cancer of Trumpism; a disease that was, for the past four years, thought to be in remission, but has sadly come back.

[Jillian B · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Allen Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Haley Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing my petition to GET HALF STARS ON GOOD READS. This one is a prime example of a 3.5 for me, but I rounded down to a 3.
Generally, I enjoyed this one! I think Tim Alberta is incredibly intelligent and is genuinely raising a call to action from his own community.
As for my critiques and thoughts:
I wonder about the intended audience for this book. I am a white woman who was raised in Christian circles and has since deconstructed. I'm not a Christian anymore, so a lot of the spiritual quips and biblical references didn't land for me. That's not to say I didn't want him to bring up the Bible (lol) but I would say that those aspects didn't appeal to me as someone who doesn't view them as absolute truth anymore. That being said, though I think the information is much-needed for those plagued by the cult mentality of right-wing extremism, I also think that the presentation will be a turn-off for anyone on the right side of the aisle trying to read this. Some stories were full of personal interjections and opinions of the author that I think A) tried to do the critical thinking work FOR me and B) strong arms anyone who disagrees-- TO CLARIFY. I SAY THIS AS SOMEONE WHO FULLY AGREES WITH HIM. I'M NOT ON THE SIDE OF THE WHITE NATIONALISTS TO BE INCREDIBLY CLEAR. I can intuit for myself that, for example, Lauren Boebert is an actual dangerous lunatic bordering on psychosis-- I didn't need him to tell me (or frankly, anyone. proof is in the pudding, my friends).
My point being, I'd LOVE to recommend this book to some of my relatives and friends who are moderate or on the right, but I think the language used would do more harm than good. Now-- of course-- that's specific to my case and doesn't say anything about the quality of the content. I think he's right in what he's saying about the dangers of group think at this level.
But I think it was full of personal anecdotes and stories to sift through when I wanted facts and history. I wanted more information on the history of white evangelicalism and the seeds planted getting us here. It was touched on, but I think it was worth expanding on. What about other cases of extremism in history? What have been the rallying points in the party prior to Trump? How do liberals and conservatives alike play a role in this madness?
So perhaps that was an error on my end going in that I wanted it to be very 'Jesus and John Wayne' style. All in all, I'd recommend it if you're a Christian. I thought it was interesting and gave me some useful information, but I'd recommend Jesus and John Wayne first!

[Eilonwy · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[John Schorg · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Chuck_Les · Rating 3 out of 5]

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?”

[Brenda Theune · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

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...

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Jeremiah Lorrig · Rating 3 out of 5]

How does one rate a book like this?

It is insightful, hard hitting, deeply concerning, and also difficult to explain.

Alberta is an investigative journalist who decides to apply his job to his own life as a pastor’s kid. His personal story tied with a wide range of vignettes from others across the Evangelical spectrum paints some of the deep problems with the hyper politicization of many evangelical institutions.

You may not know this but in many ways, I’m an arch-Evangelical. My pastor in my teens and early twenties was the President of the National Association of Evangelicals (and I interned with the NAE), I went to college at an intensely political evangelical school specifically designed to shape the culture, and I ran an evangelical youth ministry dedicated to engaging Evangelicals politically. So, this book is by nature personal for me.

While I might not agree with each element and know pieces that the author may not know, his call for Christians (specifically Evangelicals) to put Christ and moral example before politics is something that is deeply needed.

His vignettes cover a wide range of Evangelical characters and choices. Some who encounter the draw of politics and become consumed in it and others that see it and reject the Church entirely.

Honestly as someone who has spent 18 years working with over 200 campaigns, thousands of volunteers, dozens of churches, and many of the most political Evangelical organizations, I’ve seen some deeply beautiful moments of God’s holiness shining brightly. But I’ve also seen some of the worst that Alberta points out as well. Some of them have been in my own actions.

Today’s Christians in America are in deep danger of being defined not by Jesus, but by their true god: politics. Like Alberta, I do not think it is too late. Serious Christians can and will correct their course. But so much damage is already done that recovery of Christian’s institutions will be painful and few will be able to trust them again for a long time.

The call to action is not necessarily for Christians to get out of politics, but to put politics in its proper place below core things like self sacrificing love, letting our light shine through loving the “unloveable,” and making sure our lives reflect Christ.

In short, love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. For by this all men will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another. True religion is this: to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. Walking humbly needs to be a priority again.

[Ben Vore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five stars for its reportage, two stars for its analysis and diagnosis.

As a conservative evangelical pastor's kid, Alberta is ideally situated to evaluate the crack-up of the evangelical church and the rise of Christian Nationalism -- a consideration prompted by members of his home church confronting him after his father's funeral visitation for writing a book critical of Trump. ("Here in our house of worship, people were taunting me about politics as I tried to mourn my father.") Alberta is one on a short list of people with the journalistic chops to conduct such an exhaustive survey -- getting interviews with, among others, Ralph Reed, Jerry Falwell, Jr., Russell Moore, and Robert Jeffress -- and the religious experience to translate spiritual beliefs for a secular audience.

Not only does Alberta have access to the names mentioned above and many others who sit in positions of power at the nexus of conservatism and evangelical practice -- he is thorough and unsparing in his line of questioning and critique. Alberta spends several chapters reporting from Lynchburg on the upheaval at Liberty University. The most enlightening conversations come with estranged Liberty faculty and students; somewhat affecting are dispatches from churches across the Midwest and besieged pastors navigating red-pilled congregants who believe the 2020 election was stolen and the Coronavirus vaccine carries the mark of the beast. While Alberta gives these pastors space to voice the challenges facing them, he never fully interrogates why their congregants subscribe to patently false beliefs. More on that in a sec.

The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory is selective in its recounting of evangelical history. Liberty was founded in 1971, and, based on the historical elisions of this book, you’d be forgiven for thinking that year was evangelicalism's origin point. Aside from a little about Billy Graham and mentioning that the Southern Baptist Convention was founded in 1845 in opposition to the abolitionist movement, Alberta does not seriously explore the cultural and political forces that produced the evangelical church. A more honest accounting would have reckoned with the racial prejudice and gender dynamics baked into evangelicalism. (For that, see The Color of Compromise, White Evangelical Racism, Jesus and John Wayne, or White Too Long, to name but four.) Alberta presents scandal and abusive men as bugs in the evangelical system. What if they're the feature?

Alberta is not optimistic that American Christianity (which he conflates with evangelicalism, though they're not synonymous) can heal itself, though he is earnest in believing that following the example of Jesus just might do the trick. Each chapter is framed by a scripture passage, and Alberta -- no theologian -- demonstrates a more authentic faith than the power-hungry grifters who dominate his book. That said, he also fails to interrogate core tenets of evangelical belief. For example, there is no space for any pro-choice Christian in Alberta’s evangelical world, nor does complementarian theology get scrutiny. Alberta also writes, “Islam has designs on running the world; it’s a system of government. Christianity is nothing like that.” (Uh, Tim — the badly-behaved men who crowd the stage of the book you’re writing would like a word.)

The "heroes" of this book are the men who previously held positions of influence and suffered for speaking out against Trump: Russell Moore, David French, and Daniel Darling. These men -- and it's worth noting that this book is almost entirely about men, the lone exceptions being Rachel Denhollander and Julie Roys (and even then they must share a chapter), who gained prominence for speaking out against sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist denomination -- passed the Trump test, but they are voices of moderation only in comparison to the extremes on their right. There is no serious consideration here of critiques of the evangelical church from progressive Christians or even moderate figures like Rick Warren, a Benoit Blanc-donut hole in Alberta's analysis, nor is there exploration of the possibility that the call just might be coming from inside the house -- that the evangelical industrial complex itself is incompatable with the example of Jesus.

[Subashini · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Joey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This felt like a very important book to read right over the election. It’s kind of depressing to read about the willing entanglement of the evangelical church in the political power struggle in America, but this meticulously researched book clearly articulates many of my concerns and problems with the Christian nationalist movement. And unlike I initially thought, there are a few encouraging threads woven into the last few chapters.

The following is a very long quote, but in my mind summarizes the crux of the cognitive dissonance I see in many conservative Christians compartmentalizing their morals, including many I know.



“Would a serious Christian see fit, I wondered, to condone this brutish behavior in any other area of life? Would they condone vicious ad hominem attacks if they were launched at the office? Would they condone the use of vulgarities and violent innuendo inside their home? Would they condone blatant abuses of power at their local school or nonprofit or church?

If the answer is no, then why do they accept it in politics? Because politics is about the ends, not the means. Since the ends are about power- the power to legislate, the power to investigate, the power to accumulate more power- the means are inherently defensible, even if they are, by any other measure, utterly indefensible.

This compartmentalization of standards is toxic to the credibility of the Christian witness. Many evangelicals have come to view politics the way a suburban husband views Las Vegas- a self-contained escape, a place where the rules and expectations of his everyday life do not apply.

The problem is, what happens in politics doesn't stay in politics. Everyone can see what these folks are doing. Just as you might stop taking marital advice from your neighbor if you saw cell phone footage of him paying for prostitutes and cocaine in Vegas, you might stop taking spiritual guidance from your neighbor if you saw him chanting "Hang Mike Pence!" at the Capitol Building.

An extreme example? Perhaps. But bankruptcy-spiritual and otherwise-happens slowly and then all at once.”

Page 196- The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory. Tim Alberta

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Taking a stand. There's this false assumption of action we're called to take. The task of the Church is simply to be the Church. All of this high-blown rhetoric about changing the world -- we don't need to change the world. We're not called to change the world. We're called to be the world already changed by Christ. That's how we're salt; that's how we're light."
I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. I'd like to think that I'm immune to the political posturing present in so much of the America church, but even so, this book definitely stepped on my toes. I want everyone to read it.

[Cassandra Hamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening, horrifying, and somehow still hopeful.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

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...

[Nisha D · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Gideon Yutzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The man is good at documenting (re-documenting, since it's been done countless times before) Christians' hypocrisy and depravity in joining the MAGA movement. Unfortunately, he loses credibility because at times he seems more interested in blood sport than clarity or actionable lessons. It was interesting to read about his experience of Charlie Kirk from before before Kirk's ghastly death. We learn, for instance, that Kirk proposed the death penalty for Joe Biden; I realised my estimation of Kirk had gone up because of how he was killed. I still think that's a shame, but thanks to this book I am also reminded that it was Kirk who played a crucial role in getting Christians in America to abandon the beauty of their faith and trade it for the self-seeking, conviction-less ideas of Mr. Trumpty Dumpty. However, a more careful and generous analysis of why Christians did so might have been appropriate, and also the Dems kind of brought it on themselves. He could have given that piece of it more air time.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[rachel ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtc and if the r doesn’t tc you’ll know im lying dead somewhere

***

i had a serious relationship that ended over the 2024 us election. but the fractures went beyond a party affiliation, beyond even the party names of trump & vance // harris & walz. the fractures were rooted in the way we believed god calls us to love the unbelieving world around us.

i, like author tim alberta, believe that many american christians are guilty of political and nationalistic idolatry. instead of loving our enemies, we own the libs. we worship gaining political power and the allure of a theocracy, forgetting that this was the very thing by which satan tempted jesus — and that jesus rejected. we openly reject turning the other cheek, preferring to fight for our rights (and recite the second amendment.)

we cannot love perfectly if fear has a stronghold in our lives, if we sink down to the level of name-calling and cursing our enemies, if our highest goal is protecting ourselves. we cite the old testament, believing america is somehow a new version of israel, and we blind ourselves to the way that jesus actually lived: welcoming the outcasts of society, befriending them, loving them. we ship off “illegal aliens”, wanting them out of our country, forgetting we are all sons and daughters by adoption of our heavenly Father.

this book showed everything wrong with the american church, showed why support of trump in the face of “christian values” is basically incompatible with the merciful, unconditional, all-consuming love of jesus christ — but it also showed hope, hope for america, hope for the body of christ, and hope in the face of discouragement in my own walk with jesus.

my only caveat was that there was a handful (though only a handful) of times the author used inflammatory language to make his point. while i agreed with his points, i’d be hypocritical if i condemned conservatives cursing their enemies while embracing this mindset for my own viewpoint. the enemy mentality is not necessary, and in fact, wildly detrimental to the gospel message, which was the whole point of the book. so i will say that.

but with that caveat, i wholeheartedly recommend this book. there’s a reason it’s so highly rated on goodreads — it’s incisive, thought-provoking, and tim alberta is a startlingly good writer. though i may five-star other books, this one had an excellence to it that has been unmatched in my reading of late.

“‘Christians could point to these single events-Supreme Court rulings, or the sexual revolution, or whatever- as the moment America fell. Which assumes we here blessed until something went wrong. But that ignores that America as always been fallen. Because humanity has always been fallen... There's a tendency in fallen human beings to take secondary identities that are important and make them ultimate. In Galatians 3, Paul warns explicitly against doing that…’”

“[Jeffress] saw the persecution of Christians as sufficient to justify behavior that is antithetical to what Christ taught.”

***

i did want to add that if you got this far and vehemently disagree, that’s fine. i’m not going to argue my case in the comments. if it matters to you, feel free to unfriend me, but i’m not going to fight about this. (: