Seeing Right: Evangelicals and the Aesthetics of Virtue and Vice

by Jason M. R. Fallin

Evangelical identity in the United States has become increasingly contested over the past several years as many try to fathom adherents' motives. Seeing Right suggests that it is through the exploration of aesthetic texts that we can better understand. With a focus on highlighting Evangelical virtues and vices, Seeing Right analyzes the aesthetics fundamental to Evangelical identity and moral formation.

Aesthetic texts and practices represent a fundamental source of Evangelical moral formation, providing a narrative that shapes imaginations and dispositions. Jason Fallin traces the process of formation as it grows out of Evangelical interactions with the aesthetic texts produced by Operation Christmas Child, the radio stations of K-Love, and Christian cinema. He then discovers the relationship between Evangelicals' engagement with these aesthetic texts and the practices they animate.

Moral formation is key for all Christianity, thus through these processes at work in Evangelical culture, Seeing Right offers insight both into Evangelical development and into the processes that fund one's own formation.

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 24, 2025

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fallin provides an intriguing aesthetical analysis of modern-day evangelicalism, looking at Operation Christmas Child, Christian music, and Christian movies (like Fireproof). The reason I gave this book four stars is that the author's analysis really only pertains to the most mainstream, superficial expression of evangelicalism (so-called). While there is a place for this, I was expecting something a bit more sophisticated. However, I hasten to add that the content of the book preceding this concrete aesthetic analysis was superb, with the author clearly articulating the importance and meaning of aesthetics for character formation.