The Church in Dark Times: Understanding and Resisting the Evil That Seduced the Evangelical Movement

by Mike Cosper

When calling out evil, we often look for the malice, cruelty, and wickedness. We try to uncover the impulses and motivations. But all too often, malevolence masks itself behind the best of intentions.

In The Church in Dark Times, Mike Cosper unveils this dynamic in the growing crisis of abuse and other failures in modern evangelical churches.

Cosper, a cultural critic and church leader, examines how the workings of evil have shifted in the modern world. Drawing on the work of twentieth-century writer and political philosopher Hannah Arendt, Cosper explores what we can learn from her theory of the "banality of evil," or ordinary people going along with corrupt principles and practices that have been normalized over time.

Through this fascinating study, Cosper uncovers the underlying causes of the breakdowns of the church and then offers practices that foster healing and renewal. This book will engage Christian leaders and all followers who want to better understand how church crises keep happening--and how we can resist them and move forward.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Theology, Nonfiction, Religion, Church

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

About the author

Mike Cosper is the executive director of Harbor Media, a non-profit media company serving Christians in a post-Christian world. He served for sixteen years as a pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and is the author of Recapturing the Wonder, The Stories We Tell, and Rhythms of Grace. He lives with his family in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews

[Christian Shelves · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject of church abuse greatly interests me on both personal and professional levels, so I'm always keen to learn more about how Christians are addressing this necessary topic. This book starts off with a bang as the author produced a podcast series on the Mars Hill Church scandal and does not shy away from naming the events that have caused great harm to parishioners and staff member alike. That being said, the book doesn't dwell on these specific awful incidents and instead shifts to the power that ideologies can hold over people, providing a fascinating analysis of the contemporary evangelical scene where the word ideologies could practically be added to the subtitle of the book. By examining philosopher Hannah Arendt's thoughts on what causes evil to be accepted—even actively promoted—it is clear that such beliefs and actions are wrong yet widely undertaken, which is the framework that this book uses to attempt to answer the question behind the abuses that Christians face in spiritual settings.

With more and more churches and pastors making the headlines for all of the wrong reasons, abuse and evil in the name of spirituality is ripe for research and understanding. The first half of The Church in Dark Times is more of a philosophical treatise, with the second half of the book shifting to a few practical suggestions meant to resist evil. Those who enjoy studying history and applying the lessons learnt will appreciate the lines of inquiry that this book raises, making the first half of the book an intellectual mine of thought-provoking questions meant to get us analyzing current events, politics, and the dynamics we can see playing out in our own contexts. What happens in society at large can also extend to churches and Christian organizations and vice versa, which this book deftly argues. Where I might have wanted to see more content is how churches can corporately break free from the prevailing narratives that are causing the abuse in the first place beyond what felt like individual actions of resistance. Unfortunately, there exists systems that are in place to protect perpetrators, which can be one of the worst evils to fight. Thankfully, this means that this book can have even more material to expand on should there ever be a second book following it.

Review link: https://christianshelves.blogspot.com...

Many thanks to Brazos Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

For many of us from my own generation, there's no more powerful example of the seduction of evil than the rising of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.

For most of us, whether survivors of childhood abuse or those who survived other significant traumas, we often expect evil to be obvious - the evil guy in the dark alley or the powerful dictator over an evil movement or nation or organization. However, as we head into Mike Cosper's "The Church in Dark Times: Understanding and Resisting the Evil That Seduced the Evangelical Movement," we are reminded that malevolence is often more subtle and kept alive by our best intentions and seemingly righteous ideas.

If you don't believe that evil has seduced much of the current evangelical movement, the odds are fairly strong you'll struggle with the very foundation of "The Church in Dark Times."

I, for one, do believe it.

Drawing on the work of twentieth-century political theorist Hannah Arendt, Cosper dives into her theory of the "banality of evil" - the thoughtlessness that allows ordinary people to become complicit in all kinds of manner of corruption. It's an idea not far removed from another book I'm reading right now by Jemar Tisby, ""The Spirit of Justice."

Cosby explores the growing crisis of abuse and other failures in modern evangelical churches, lifting the veil to expose underlying causes yet, like Tisby, also exploring reasons for hope and practices that foster healing and renewal.

Indeed, "The Church in Dark Times" is very committed to both understanding and resisting this evil, hence its title, yet also uncompromising in portraying it. This isn't a melodramatic work - instead, it's a powerfully researched look that largely avoids politicization and likely has more significant crossover appeal than other titles I've read on this particular subject.

Cosper is a cultural critic who produced and hosted The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast. He services as director of podcasts for Christianity Today and co-hosts the weekly podcast The Bulletin. "The Church in Dark Times" is an expansion, really, of Cosper's Mars Hill podcast as it looks at those very issues and applies them in a myriad of different ways. "The Church in Dark Times" is a well-researched, informative, engaging, and very necessary portrayal of the evil that has seduced the evangelical movement and how it can be resisted.

[Readnponder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Cosper, perhaps best known for the podcast “The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill,” returns with another attempt to diagnose what has gone wrong with the evangelical church in America. Multiple scandals and abuse have caused some to call themselves “exvangelical” and say “no thank you” to what the institutional church is offering.

Cosper lays much of the blame on ideology, which often becomes a substitute for truth. This leads to a mindset where the mission is so critical that the sins of the leader are excused, whistleblowers are punished, victims are blamed, and reality must bend to serve the new narrative. He employs philosopher Hannah Arendt as a “conversation partner” as well as drawing illustrations from the Mars Hill debacle.

The author offers three practices for Christians -- and the larger church -- to embrace as they learn dependence on God instead of the tools of modernity. They are (1) solitude; (2) storytelling and culture making; and (3) worship. In this section, Cosper pulls from the wisdom of Eugene Peterson, Beth Moore, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Dallas Willard, and Peanuts.

My one quibble with the book is the number of film, TV, and pop song references. I grew up in the conservative wing of the evangelical church and was not allowed to attend movies or listen to rock music. Consequently, the point of these many examples was lost on me. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile book, highly readable and relevant.

[Chrystie Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good. Mike Cosper is an important voice for our day. I read it relatively quickly, but this is a book to chew on. So many whole pages underlined.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid analysis of how ideological extremes can warp people into following paths that directly go against their stated values. Cosper explains that the lure of ideological thinking is “the opiate-like effect that obliterates the anxieties of identity” while the key to resisting this involves “facing our anxieties on their own terms and building an identity with the brittle tools available to us… maintaining our capacity to think and judge.” The main focal point considers issues within American evangelicalism, from the coverup of scandals to the open embrace of Trumpism, but the general concept of how people are lured in my overly simplistic ideologies is applicable to a wide array of situations. Throughout the book, Cosper weaves in the philosophy of Hannah Arendt with his own contemporary experiences. This is accomplished in an accessible way with pop culture references ranging from Monty Python to professional wrestling. He shares theological reflections and real-world examples of ways to conceive of a religious community that actually lives up to its principles without falling prey to the simplistic quick dehumanization of the Other. Cosper caps things off with a powerful afterward that astutely addresses issues of antisemitism while relating to Arendt’s own experiences as well as the book’s broader themes.

[Emma Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As humans, we like simple answers to explain complex things and thus we seek out ideologies to make sense of the world. In this book, Cosper explains how the Christian church has increasingly adopted ideologies to explain life when they will always fall short of theology. "The allure of an ideology is that it flattens the complexity of the real world and thus insulated and inoculates a person from the need to think."

Cosper was the host of the popular Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast and has seen first hand how those in the church who cling to mission statements can manipulate and hurt others when they are adopting an ideology that is more man-centered than God-centered. Writings from Hannah Arendt, who was a German Jew living during WWII, added a richness to the discussions as Cosper hearkened back to her work to show that not much has changed between now and 70 years ago.

I appreciated the philosophical discussions in this bookand how Cosper highlighted how we always want to fix problems in our culture and don't often recognize that things are complicated. Some of the writing could be a bit meandering and hard to follow at points.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Understanding and resisting the evil that seduced the evangelical movement, drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt.

Mike Cosper has both experienced and closely studied how leaders and their followers abuse power, embrace ideologies contrary to the gospel, and often act with cruelty toward those who question. He left a church with such a leadership culture. And he chronicled the ministry of Mark Driscoll in the podcast series The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. In this book, Cosper tries to understand how people of good intention were corrupted. And he articulates “practices of resistance” for those who do not want to repeat this history but resist it.

There are a spate of books that have been written on this topic. What sets Cosper’s book apart is his use of the thinking of Hannah Arendt, the philosopher who studied Hitler’s totalitarianism. However, in opening, he is quick, invoking Godwin’s Law, to deny an attempt to equate churches with Hitler. Nevertheless, the embrace of aspects of a totalitarian and authoritarian vision can inflict great harm. As he notes, “one can fall far short of [Hitler’s] monstrous achievements and still land squarely in hell.”

He begins with Arendt’s treatment of ideology, a story of everything that exchanges the gospel of grace for an iron logic. He uses Driscoll’s masculine ideology as an example, with its sweeping thesis that the church has failed to reach a generation because it lost all the men. To challenge Driscoll was to not be “man enough.” And this opened doors to spiritual abuse. Ideology proposes grandiose visions of changing the world through a particular leader or movement of leaders. An example Cosper gives is Bill Hybels and the Willow Creek movement.

The problem with ideology is that we bend reality and morality to ideological ends. It has meant exchanging the humility of redeemed disciples for the implacability of the fight. Authority is abused to attain spiritual goals. Often, we tend to look for moral monsters as a result. Instead, what we find is a banal form of evil, as Arendt did in studying Eichmann. Very ordinary people give little thought to the evil system they support. Likewise, church leaders often collude and close ranks against dissenters, not out of principle, but simply loyal conformity.

But how might we resist ideology and authority? Cosper turns to a Seattle native of another generation for help. Eugene Peterson never led a big congregation. He eschewed bigness for the pastoring of people. Rather than casting visions, he was more concerned to see how God was already at work in lives. Out of all this, Cosper arrives at three “practices of resistance.” First he encourages solitude and thought. Second he advocates storytelling and culture making–reflecting Dostoevsky’s idea that “beauty will save the world.” Finally he advocates worship that reminds us of the bigger story of God within which we live.

Cosper goes deeper than some in exploring the dynamics of authoritarian and ideologically captive churches. If nothing else, he introduces many to Hannah Arendt as a prophet for our time. The practices he commends make sense for resistance. They may not win the day in the sense of persuading people to repent from subverted ideologically driven churches. Rather, they sustain faithful witness to the gospel. Solitude and thought bring discernment. Storytelling and culture making point to the good, true, and beautiful gospel. And worship reminds us that as communities, we are God’s dwelling places, caught up in God’s cosmic plan to redeem all things. As dark as our times may be, the real destiny is not one of making one country great but extending God’s love to a world for which he died and will one day return to as king.

Cosper speaks unsparingly about the dark times facing evangelical churches within our cultural landscape. But he offers hope from the only sure source Christians have ever known-the risen and returning Christ. Many talk of speaking truth to power. Mike Cosper preaches the gospel of Jesus to every false ideology. What other hope and what other answer can we offer to dark times?

____________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Michele Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Church in Dark Times offers Mike Cosper’s insights on the seduction of evil and the failures of the modern evangelical movement, a timely follow-up to the conversation begun in The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast.

Evil in the church can be surprisingly thoughtless. It often walks through the church’s front door dressed as recognition or prestige. Good people may support deeply flawed ideas or participate in the mistreatment of fellow church members and consider it “all in a day’s work,” a necessary and banal part of reaching a stated goal.

I especially appreciated Cosper’s enlightening references to the thinking of Hannah Arendt, the 20th-century political theorist best known for her observation about the “banality of evil.” Oppressed by Nazi antisemitism in the 1930s, she immersed herself in questioning the existence of so much evil. That’s a valid question for the church in an era characterized by abuse and cover-ups, narcissism and moral failure, toxic leadership and distorted ethical frameworks.

Having lived through “dark times” in Western Europe, Arendt traced the moral failure of murderous antisemitism to ideology, which she defines as a story that accounts for “all that has happened in the past, the struggles of the present, and the promise of a utopian future.” The ideology of a dysfunctional church excuses bad behavior or unbiblical thinking in the interest of the church’s mission or the protection of the stellar ministry of a stand-out church leader.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of momentum and enthusiastic groupthink around the idea that “this church” or “this talented pastor” is somehow necessary to God’s kingdom advancing, and this is where Cosper sounds the alarm:

God invites his church to find its strength by settling down ‘in complete dependence on me’ rather than reaching for the tools of modernity—ideology, celebrity, and movements.”

Cosper prescribes practices of solitude, storytelling, culture-making, and worship as safeguards against the siren call of evil. Alone with God and our own conscience, we discover our convictions and measure our actions against our values. Then armed with a clear vision of what it means to be a Christian, we act and speak in ways that impact culture for good. For me, this has led to writing and teaching, but for some of my favorite people, it means helping in their church’s youth ministry or making frequent trips to the hospital to comfort and encourage friends. Our work becomes our worship, and “worship always invites us into something larger than ourselves.”

[Gerald Thomson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books that should probably be a pamphlet. Though I greatly enjoyed Cosper’s podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, some of the episodes got off track and didn’t really move the story along. However, the episodes were intriguing in themselves. The same issue happens in The Church in Dark Times, but it really hurts the through line of this book when the author goes off on tangents.. Also, Cosper’s entire premise hangs on his definition of Ideology, but he is never able to define it in such a way that distinguishes it from a worldview, whether a Biblical worldview or some other foundational belief. So his conclusions are difficult to accept as anything but people following wrong theology, which is a much easier way to say what he is attempting to get across here. Cosper also tries to tie rouge preachers in the church with philosopher Hannah Arendt. Though Arendt’s information is very interesting, it really does not support Cosper’s argument that bad theology, or in his words “Ideology,” are the same as what motivated the Nazi’s and Arendt’s idea of the Banality of Evil. The Christian worldview would answer the question of Evil very differently. I would not recommend this book unless you are looking for more insight into Cosper himself, as this book is revealing as to his process of content creation.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book looks at the epidemic of spiritual and sexual abuse and other abuses of power that have occurred in the Evangelical Protestant Church over the past several decades. I was familiar with the author for his podcasts on the Mars Hill Church and the Satanic panic of the 1980s. He focused on describing/explaining ideology, and how ideology contrasts with healthy theology. He claims that churches that follow a more ideological model are in danger of the abuses mentioned above. Overall, the book is well-written, but the author seemed to jump from topic to topic easily, without a clear thesis statement that he follows throughout the book. He looks at the philosophy of Hannah Arendt, but brings in other ideas as well. He refers to ideas that he discussed in his podcast, but doesn't develop them. Overall, I think this book would be helpful to church leaders looking to rebuild, but I think he could have focused on fewer issues and developed them more.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophical book ruminating on Hannah Arendt and the implications of her writing & ideas in dealing with the brokenness that has become so common in the evangelical movement. As an evangelical myself, I was drawn to Mike Cosper's deeply thoughtful approach to the subject.

I'd also recommend Mike's two podcast series:
- Rise & Fall of Mars Hill (tells the story of Mars Hill Church & Mark Driscoll - but deals with a lot of different elements about church hurt, spiritual abuse, and the tendency to let success override character issues)
- Devil & the Deep Blue Sea (exploring the origins and the insanity of the Satanic Panic of the 80's & 90s... along with questions we need to ask ourselves today in light of that history)

[Alanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found much to like in this book. Mike Cosper discusses the growing crisis of abuse and discord occurring in the evangelical church. The author in some ways was picking up where he left off from his podcast "the rise and fall of Mars Hill" and extending the issues that occurred in that context out to the wider evangelical church in America. I enjoyed his discussion of these issues. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the philosophical work of Hannah Arendt and how it relates to current times. A very timely book that would be good for anyone in the western church to read and think on.

I received an advanced copy of this book from netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Luke Seibert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite a thought-provoking book. Cosper exposes our innate desire for both simple solutions and global impact. Yet the way we typically pursue these are in contrast to the reality of the gospel. Although a gospel focus may not be “impressive” by outward standards, Cosper shows how the right focus is far superior to any counterfeit ideology. I don’t read many books about philosophy, so this took a little effort to get through, but it was worth it. This is a helpful, sobering look at the narratives we latch on to and the narratives we tell, consciously or unconsciously, and the danger that results. While not an earth-shattering read, I would certainly recommend it.

[Keith Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got an ARC of this from Netgalley. I enjoyed this follow up book to the rise and fall of mars hill about how Ideology can take route in a church and what could it look like to resist it. I’m glad it wasn’t just a rehash of Rise and fall of mars hill, but a thoughtful response. I have enjoyed that Mike Cosper is able to acknowledge some deep brokenness but use that opportunity to point towards a better way rooted in the hope of Jesus.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A concisely-written account of ideology (as defined by Hannah Arendt) and how it has encroached upon the mission of the evangelical church in our anxious culture. Very compelling explanation, and persuasive proposal for methods of resistance to ideology. Highly recommended.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/ZiaZw_IFgys

[Cody Lekan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pointed, yet entirely accurate critique on the dangers that plague the modern church. A must read for those in leadership of any kind, as ideologies not only plague the church, rather the entirety of our culture.

[Matt Pitts · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned what ideology is and how it works. I also learned much more about Hannah Arendt than I knew before. I’ve benefited a lot from Mike Cosper’s work, including this book.

[Kayla Phillips Boerckel · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I could give it a 4.5, I would. A crucial read putting words to the chaos that’s insued in the Church over recent times.

“Grandiosity” could have been used less; that’s my only bone to pick.

[Angela Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know that I fully agree with Cosper’s diagnosis—but I found this book to be incredibly valuable thought provoking.

[Kellye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really important book for those who love Jesus and his church but don’t understand the modern church in America.

[Peter Yock · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of great stuff in this book, but it made up about 20-30% of the content. It might be me, but Cosper spent far too much time thinking through connections with Hannah Arendt, and seemed to miss a lot of low hanging fruit with connections with God's word.

That aside, his reflections on ideology and the way it leads to a spiralling of negative trajectory were very helpful.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right book. Right time.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking and a number of perceptive insights into modern problems and possible solutions. Tedious at points, and opinionated in others, but certainly worthy of the time spent reading.

[David Go · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very philosophical, lacked detail on current evangelical movement. It explained this movement through other outside church examples, which is fine, but its ties back were brief.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of helpful unpacking of Arendt's ideas. However, I found Cosper’s epilogue jarring. He reflected while on a recent visit to Jerusalem (soon after October 7) how Hamas ideology was driving anti-Semitism. He acknowledged that there is some ideology on Israel’s side, but claimed that calling the State of Israel a settler-colonialist nation is anti-Semitic because it was made up of oppressed immigrants from both Europe and the Arab world.