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Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis
For concerned citizens and anyone who's lost relationships because of conspiracy theories, a historian and theologian explores why paranoia happens, its unique entanglement with evangelicalism, and how to cope in today's culture of "fake news" and "alternative facts."
Conspiracy theories are at the root of the most pressing political problems of our time, yet their influence cuts just as personal. Suspicion has fractured families, communities, churches, and our very social fabric, as one person’s fact is another’s fake news.
Conspiracism curates a functional reality for millions today, and those who love them are often felt reeling in the “living loss” of losing them down the rabbit hole of “doing their own research.” How did we get here? And how can we possibly live here—as concerned citizens who want more for our relationships, our faith traditions, our country, our world?
In Reality in Ruins, Dr. Jared Stacy braves the untold history of conspiracism in American evangelicalism, reporting from the inside as someone raised and even once ordained in one of the most conservative denominations in the U.S. Now, as a historian and theologian who’s left evangelicalism, Dr. Stacy excavates the root causes of conspiracy theory and the evangelical anxiety at the heart of this movement. Tracing the currents of pain, panic, and power, he reframes conspiracy theory as acts of storytelling, and in the evangelical church, this story then becomes a theological crisis.
For those grieving ruptured relationships and those with heavy hearts about the public witness of the church in the world today, Reality in Ruins validates your pain, empowers you to become the truth-tellers the world needs, and deepens you capacity to understand the problem as you confront it.
Conspiracy theories are at the root of the most pressing political problems of our time, yet their influence cuts just as personal. Suspicion has fractured families, communities, churches, and our very social fabric, as one person’s fact is another’s fake news.
Conspiracism curates a functional reality for millions today, and those who love them are often felt reeling in the “living loss” of losing them down the rabbit hole of “doing their own research.” How did we get here? And how can we possibly live here—as concerned citizens who want more for our relationships, our faith traditions, our country, our world?
In Reality in Ruins, Dr. Jared Stacy braves the untold history of conspiracism in American evangelicalism, reporting from the inside as someone raised and even once ordained in one of the most conservative denominations in the U.S. Now, as a historian and theologian who’s left evangelicalism, Dr. Stacy excavates the root causes of conspiracy theory and the evangelical anxiety at the heart of this movement. Tracing the currents of pain, panic, and power, he reframes conspiracy theory as acts of storytelling, and in the evangelical church, this story then becomes a theological crisis.
For those grieving ruptured relationships and those with heavy hearts about the public witness of the church in the world today, Reality in Ruins validates your pain, empowers you to become the truth-tellers the world needs, and deepens you capacity to understand the problem as you confront it.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published March 17, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 17, 2026
The tragedy of any pervasive conspiracy theory that we allow to shape our lived reality, is exactly that these stories (alternative realities or disrealities) fill our world with convictions that push others outside our very real lived experience. Books like this one (especially stories) clear a space for the reader to begin making room, not only for oneself to breathe again, but to extend a hand to one’s neighbor. Any gospel that offers an alternative that withholds this hand, does not bear witness to the truth – for Christ’s hands are outstretched with compassion.
March 22, 2026
Have you ever wondered why conspiracy theories are to flourish within Christian communities? This book is a prophetic statement about the conspiracism rampant in evangelicalism. Dr. Jared Stacy is a needed voice and powerful writer!
March 7, 2026
Reality in Ruins
Thank you NetGalley and HarperOne for granting me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a book meant to help us remember what it means to tell the truth at a time when we are bearing the cost of so much untruth.
It’s a descriptive book, naming the pain many of us feel and recounting a history, long forgotten. But the book is also prescriptive, encouraging the reader that knowledge demands responsibility.
The authors hopes to be helpful and hopeful for those who with questions like “how do we get here?” and “is there a way forward?”. “Most of all I want to reflect what it means to tell the truth.”
Divided into 3 parts: where we are, how we got here, and where we need to go this book was informative, heartbreaking, and encouraging.
Recommended it to those who are confused and discouraged about how we have gotten to where we are right now. I do wonder if it is written and will only be read by those who already agree with him- a bit of an echo chamber book? But I do think his personal experience probably gives in credibility in those circles.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperOne for granting me early access to this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is a book meant to help us remember what it means to tell the truth at a time when we are bearing the cost of so much untruth.
It’s a descriptive book, naming the pain many of us feel and recounting a history, long forgotten. But the book is also prescriptive, encouraging the reader that knowledge demands responsibility.
The authors hopes to be helpful and hopeful for those who with questions like “how do we get here?” and “is there a way forward?”. “Most of all I want to reflect what it means to tell the truth.”
Divided into 3 parts: where we are, how we got here, and where we need to go this book was informative, heartbreaking, and encouraging.
Recommended it to those who are confused and discouraged about how we have gotten to where we are right now. I do wonder if it is written and will only be read by those who already agree with him- a bit of an echo chamber book? But I do think his personal experience probably gives in credibility in those circles.
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February 24, 2026Wow. There was so much wisdom in this book. Many profound moments to highlight. I wish some of it were more specific as far as examples or stories go, especially of the author’s own journey away from fundamentalism and this type of evangelicalism. But it’s very good.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
December 13, 2025
It took me a while to get my head around this review. This is the fruit of Stacy’s PhD work on evangelical obsession with conspiracy theories. He insightfully condemns how evangelicals have tied conspiracy theories with “orthodox Christian belief,” yet graciously explains reasons why people are drawn to conspiracy theories. Though conspiracy theories dehumanize the “Other,” he is careful to not dehumanize those who buy into conspiracy theories.
Through the book, Stacy shares a few glimpses into his own faith journey, toward seeing God’s Word as Jesus rather than the Bible and to stop defending the term “evangelical.” He claims that totalities can only be named from inside, yet he doesn’t grasp his own “insider status” as an evangelical. He clearly shows how the fluid term “evangelical” has been used both to unite and to distance (he calls this “a no-true-Scotsman in constant flux”). With that background, he is careful not to claim the label “evangelical” for himself in such a way to say, “Those evangelicals are not real evangelicals.”
Part of his background in evangelicalism centers around the Falwell legacy of Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church in Virginia. I found particularly interesting the Virginia-based histories. For example, the tavern where Jefferson wrote Virginia’s slave codes became the site of the Woolworth's famous for the sit-ins protesting racial injustice. In another story of evangelical syncretism, Eberhard Bethge (friend of Dietrich Bonhoeffer) once visited Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church and was given two pins, an American flag and a “Jesus First!” pin.
Early in the book, Stacy explains that story is always stronger than facts. In an accelerating world of information overload, we grasp for explanations—he calls them “totalities.” “Totality” promises to explain all of reality by “enclosure” of a single perspective. (For example: when a “biblical worldview” requires you to hold a sanitized view of American history.) This “hidden knowledge” leads to a feeling of superiority. Not only do we seek the promise of certainty—which leads to pride—but we also desire belonging—which makes us suspicious of outsiders. “Conspiracism appeals in this moment of change precisely because it offers certainty bound up in community.” We might visualize these as: totality > certainty > pride and totality > belonging > suspicion.
Since all facts are couched in story, this means we can’t argue a friend out of a conspiracy theory with better facts. “Telling the truth is never less than the facts, but always more.” As followers of Jesus, we have a better story to tell, and a better belonging to receive.
I found the fourth chapter particularly helpful, listing ingredients in conspiracy thinking. (I almost wish he had organized the next few chapters to sort into these four categories.) These “plot devices” are: (1) apocalyptic (revealed) knowledge that feels exclusive, (2) individualism that assumes a single mastermind with an agenda, (3) a moral call to resist, and (4) fear of losing political freedom.
In response, he argues that (1) God’s public revelation invites us into (2) caring for the common good of the whole world through solidarity. The Christian story is not “Gnostic” hidden knowledge meant for the select few, but for the good of the whole world.
Because we fear change, totality is “truth established by violence”—in our own effort. He cites Jacques Ellul to explain our use of technique and management.” This certainty in the objectivity of our perspective leads to a suspicion toward the external threat of “them.”
Stacy argues for (3) good suspicion of ourselves (particularly asking, “Why do I want this to be true?”). “Good suspicion” is “the courage to say ‘I don’t know’ in a time when what is taken to be true is established through violence.”
(4) Ironically, in fearing the loss of political freedom, we voluntarily give up freedom for authoritarian certainty. Instead, we can find true freedom only in Christ. Rather than Scripture prescribing a particular political arrangement (our modern idea of “nationhood” is arbitrary), “When the Scriptures speak of proper Christian respect for governing powers, they do so with a truly dizzying array of possible political arrangements in view, recognizing the acts of God taking place in any sort of political arrangement.” No matter how political structures change, God is always at work so we don’t have to fear.
Christians receive Jesus (the Truth) as reality. “So the difference lies in whether we become a people who claim to possess the truth, or people claimed by the truth…” Jesus does not promise us certainty, but instead relational “communion.” In fact, Christian “conversion” is an ongoing process of change. “Encounter means altering the shape of your life.” This reminds me of Hartmut Rosa’s focus on how “Resonance” changes us in ways we can’t control.
Stacy's grassroots ecclesiology (the Church as the “sand in the machine” in the title of the final chapter) is clearly influenced by Stanley Hauerwas. In sum, rather than a posture of grasping to control the state (with “technique”), we are invited into a posture of receiving how God is already working.
One of the most powerful moments was when Stacy brought up his fresh understanding of Psalm 119:105. In contrast to how the term “biblical” is used to support totalities, God’s Word is not a promise to reveal everything all at once. “A ‘lamp to our feet’ is the smallest sort of light source imaginable. It casts light for our next step, and that’s enough.”
**received early access via NetGalley from the publisher**
Through the book, Stacy shares a few glimpses into his own faith journey, toward seeing God’s Word as Jesus rather than the Bible and to stop defending the term “evangelical.” He claims that totalities can only be named from inside, yet he doesn’t grasp his own “insider status” as an evangelical. He clearly shows how the fluid term “evangelical” has been used both to unite and to distance (he calls this “a no-true-Scotsman in constant flux”). With that background, he is careful not to claim the label “evangelical” for himself in such a way to say, “Those evangelicals are not real evangelicals.”
Part of his background in evangelicalism centers around the Falwell legacy of Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church in Virginia. I found particularly interesting the Virginia-based histories. For example, the tavern where Jefferson wrote Virginia’s slave codes became the site of the Woolworth's famous for the sit-ins protesting racial injustice. In another story of evangelical syncretism, Eberhard Bethge (friend of Dietrich Bonhoeffer) once visited Jerry Falwell’s Thomas Road Baptist Church and was given two pins, an American flag and a “Jesus First!” pin.
Early in the book, Stacy explains that story is always stronger than facts. In an accelerating world of information overload, we grasp for explanations—he calls them “totalities.” “Totality” promises to explain all of reality by “enclosure” of a single perspective. (For example: when a “biblical worldview” requires you to hold a sanitized view of American history.) This “hidden knowledge” leads to a feeling of superiority. Not only do we seek the promise of certainty—which leads to pride—but we also desire belonging—which makes us suspicious of outsiders. “Conspiracism appeals in this moment of change precisely because it offers certainty bound up in community.” We might visualize these as: totality > certainty > pride and totality > belonging > suspicion.
Since all facts are couched in story, this means we can’t argue a friend out of a conspiracy theory with better facts. “Telling the truth is never less than the facts, but always more.” As followers of Jesus, we have a better story to tell, and a better belonging to receive.
I found the fourth chapter particularly helpful, listing ingredients in conspiracy thinking. (I almost wish he had organized the next few chapters to sort into these four categories.) These “plot devices” are: (1) apocalyptic (revealed) knowledge that feels exclusive, (2) individualism that assumes a single mastermind with an agenda, (3) a moral call to resist, and (4) fear of losing political freedom.
In response, he argues that (1) God’s public revelation invites us into (2) caring for the common good of the whole world through solidarity. The Christian story is not “Gnostic” hidden knowledge meant for the select few, but for the good of the whole world.
Because we fear change, totality is “truth established by violence”—in our own effort. He cites Jacques Ellul to explain our use of technique and management.” This certainty in the objectivity of our perspective leads to a suspicion toward the external threat of “them.”
Stacy argues for (3) good suspicion of ourselves (particularly asking, “Why do I want this to be true?”). “Good suspicion” is “the courage to say ‘I don’t know’ in a time when what is taken to be true is established through violence.”
(4) Ironically, in fearing the loss of political freedom, we voluntarily give up freedom for authoritarian certainty. Instead, we can find true freedom only in Christ. Rather than Scripture prescribing a particular political arrangement (our modern idea of “nationhood” is arbitrary), “When the Scriptures speak of proper Christian respect for governing powers, they do so with a truly dizzying array of possible political arrangements in view, recognizing the acts of God taking place in any sort of political arrangement.” No matter how political structures change, God is always at work so we don’t have to fear.
Christians receive Jesus (the Truth) as reality. “So the difference lies in whether we become a people who claim to possess the truth, or people claimed by the truth…” Jesus does not promise us certainty, but instead relational “communion.” In fact, Christian “conversion” is an ongoing process of change. “Encounter means altering the shape of your life.” This reminds me of Hartmut Rosa’s focus on how “Resonance” changes us in ways we can’t control.
Stacy's grassroots ecclesiology (the Church as the “sand in the machine” in the title of the final chapter) is clearly influenced by Stanley Hauerwas. In sum, rather than a posture of grasping to control the state (with “technique”), we are invited into a posture of receiving how God is already working.
One of the most powerful moments was when Stacy brought up his fresh understanding of Psalm 119:105. In contrast to how the term “biblical” is used to support totalities, God’s Word is not a promise to reveal everything all at once. “A ‘lamp to our feet’ is the smallest sort of light source imaginable. It casts light for our next step, and that’s enough.”
**received early access via NetGalley from the publisher**
March 30, 2026
I like to read books about the church, both the good and the bad. I think that’s why I requested the book “Reality in Ruins" by Jared Stacy, Phd from Netgalley. I have lived in similar places to Dr. Stacy. I lived in Tampa, Florida for a few years (as well as multiple other cities in Florida) and also attended Liberty University, but that’s where our similarities end. The premise of the book sounded good, but the execution of it left me wondering an alternating series of questions: Who in the church hurt you? Or possibly: who are the crazy people you encountered there?
First, he seems to have a vendetta against the church. Everything bad that has ever happened in this country from slavery to the Salem witch trials to the Red Scare can be linked back to the Evangelical church. I am not saying that the church has not done wrong, but I do feel it is a stretch to in any way blame the modern church. There were ministers who massacred Native Americans, which is awful and evil, but I don’t blame the modern church for that.
Basically, if you are “woke”, you will like this book. If you believe woke is a conspiracy theory, you will love this book. If you believe that Trump is the devil and the church worships him, you should consider reading this book. If you are looking for an impartial view of how conspiracy theories have infiltrated the church and what we can do to stop them, this is not the book for you.
He says flat out that he does not believe the Bible is the word of God. If you are a Bible believing Christian, that should tell you enough about his theology.
He claims that Evangelicals try to dehumanize people by calling them illegal and Evangelicals believe anyone illegal should be in concentration camps. I have never heard that in my life! I grew up in Florida and knew some people who were not here legally; they were great people. A lot of churches help people who are struggling and I don’t know of any who make sure they are here legally first. Maybe his church did, but that’s as far as I can go, I do not believe that it is a systemic issue in the Church. Now if he wanted to talk about people with disabilities being treated differently, I could add to the discussion, but he just cares about political talking points.
He loves buzz words and phrases like “totalities” and Holy paranoia” which makes the book sound great, but also works to just discount anything as paranoia. He is right and everyone else is wrong, and if you don’t agree you are just paranoid. Sure. I am not saying there was nothing valuable in the book, but the bad outweighs the good by quite a bit.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC. The review is my own and unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I did listen to it all the way through though. Had I stopped half way, my rating would likely have been higher.
First, he seems to have a vendetta against the church. Everything bad that has ever happened in this country from slavery to the Salem witch trials to the Red Scare can be linked back to the Evangelical church. I am not saying that the church has not done wrong, but I do feel it is a stretch to in any way blame the modern church. There were ministers who massacred Native Americans, which is awful and evil, but I don’t blame the modern church for that.
Basically, if you are “woke”, you will like this book. If you believe woke is a conspiracy theory, you will love this book. If you believe that Trump is the devil and the church worships him, you should consider reading this book. If you are looking for an impartial view of how conspiracy theories have infiltrated the church and what we can do to stop them, this is not the book for you.
He says flat out that he does not believe the Bible is the word of God. If you are a Bible believing Christian, that should tell you enough about his theology.
He claims that Evangelicals try to dehumanize people by calling them illegal and Evangelicals believe anyone illegal should be in concentration camps. I have never heard that in my life! I grew up in Florida and knew some people who were not here legally; they were great people. A lot of churches help people who are struggling and I don’t know of any who make sure they are here legally first. Maybe his church did, but that’s as far as I can go, I do not believe that it is a systemic issue in the Church. Now if he wanted to talk about people with disabilities being treated differently, I could add to the discussion, but he just cares about political talking points.
He loves buzz words and phrases like “totalities” and Holy paranoia” which makes the book sound great, but also works to just discount anything as paranoia. He is right and everyone else is wrong, and if you don’t agree you are just paranoid. Sure. I am not saying there was nothing valuable in the book, but the bad outweighs the good by quite a bit.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio ARC. The review is my own and unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I did listen to it all the way through though. Had I stopped half way, my rating would likely have been higher.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2025
I approached this book much like previous ones about evangelism in America (Jesus and John Wayne (Kristin Kobes Du Mez, 2021), The Power Worshipers (Katherine Stewart, 2022), The Seven Mountains Mandate (Matthew Boedy, 2025), The False White Gospel (Jim Wallis, 2024) with the hope of trying to discern what I was missing in my understanding of Christianity in today's America. It seems to me I'd gone down a rabbit hole in looking at what Project 2025 is trying to do and as if I'm living in one Christian reality and the evangelicals in another. Then enter this book - for me it is the "aha" or "eureka" to my weary soul.
Reality in Ruins gets to the heart of the destructive nature of American evangelism: it's reliance on conspiracy theories and suspicion have created fractures in communities, churches and our society. Consider Kristen Kobes Du Mez's subtitle to her book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Religion. Dr. Stacy is building on this subtitle but expanding it for a deeper dive in exposing the "theology" that undermines evangelism.
As I read in a 2024 New Yorker article, there is fear and anxiety at the heart of American evangelism. This creates per Dr. Stacy, Disreality, which to evangelicals mean their world "reeling from the ruins of what was once a common world". This world is not what they want it to be. It is
filled with warring ideologies, religious and political extremism, and cults of certainty which evangelicals either want to destroy or at least slow down the changes that can't be halted.
In taking apart the evangelicals' disreality, Dr. Stacy provides background to the fractured evangelical world and at least for me validated that what I was seeing is not what Jesus's message is. Rather in this evangelical world, it's distortion that seems to rule. I was so struck by his pointing out that the Bible is a story not a "cipher to contemporary geopolitics" and it doesn't authorize many of the things evangelicals cling to like the world being literally created in seven days. I also was greatly comforted by Dr. Stacy saying in so many words what I've been saying simply: Who made these people God? Who authorized these people to tell me and others they had all the answers. Finally, I particularly enjoyed Dr. Stacy providing historical background the evangelism and the various paradigms within it.
This is an important book! A must read for anyone like me striving to understand what happened to Christianity in America. It is also a book that empowers one to tell the truth. How greatly this is needed. Thank you, Dr. Stacy.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperOne for giving me the privilege of reviewing this awesome ARC.
Reality in Ruins gets to the heart of the destructive nature of American evangelism: it's reliance on conspiracy theories and suspicion have created fractures in communities, churches and our society. Consider Kristen Kobes Du Mez's subtitle to her book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Religion. Dr. Stacy is building on this subtitle but expanding it for a deeper dive in exposing the "theology" that undermines evangelism.
As I read in a 2024 New Yorker article, there is fear and anxiety at the heart of American evangelism. This creates per Dr. Stacy, Disreality, which to evangelicals mean their world "reeling from the ruins of what was once a common world". This world is not what they want it to be. It is
filled with warring ideologies, religious and political extremism, and cults of certainty which evangelicals either want to destroy or at least slow down the changes that can't be halted.
In taking apart the evangelicals' disreality, Dr. Stacy provides background to the fractured evangelical world and at least for me validated that what I was seeing is not what Jesus's message is. Rather in this evangelical world, it's distortion that seems to rule. I was so struck by his pointing out that the Bible is a story not a "cipher to contemporary geopolitics" and it doesn't authorize many of the things evangelicals cling to like the world being literally created in seven days. I also was greatly comforted by Dr. Stacy saying in so many words what I've been saying simply: Who made these people God? Who authorized these people to tell me and others they had all the answers. Finally, I particularly enjoyed Dr. Stacy providing historical background the evangelism and the various paradigms within it.
This is an important book! A must read for anyone like me striving to understand what happened to Christianity in America. It is also a book that empowers one to tell the truth. How greatly this is needed. Thank you, Dr. Stacy.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperOne for giving me the privilege of reviewing this awesome ARC.
March 21, 2026
The topic of this book is extremely interesting and important, but the book itself is, unfortunately, quite ass.
Most of the chapters do not follow any kind of clear thread; the author rambles through a bunch of loosely connected topics. I often only got to understand where he was trying to get when, after many pages of what I took to be loose associations, he said that „in the previous pages, I have shown that…“.
By far, the biggest weakness of the book is the argumentation or, rather, the lack thereof. For the most part, it reads like a sermon, with the author telling you how things are. This ranges from basic observations to very substantive claims that would really need some justification - only there is none to be found. It is quite telling that most paragraphs in this are a few sentences at most.
To me, the unfortunate peak of this series of assertions was when the author disagreed with Evangelical theology (which, for the record, I wholeheartedly do too). He does so by summarizing its views, says that those are wrong, and then tells you how he sees things. Neither the Evangelical view being wrong nor his supposedly better view is backed up by reasoning - all we get is flat assertions. It is truly absurd to me that someone who writes about conspiratism and religious faith being captured by political interest fails to see that baseless interpretations of the bible, and the fact that religious faith can be used that way, are a big contributor to the problem. I am happy that the author arrived at the interpretation of the Bible he did - I truly am - but he‘d really do well to be better not just in belief but also in method.
I don‘t want to deny that there are some interesting observations here. But all of this has been done elsewhere, in so much more detail, and with stringent argumentation.
In the Introduction, the author defends his choice to include his personal experiences in the book; ironically, I think that a book that focussed on these experiences rather than alluding to them here and there would have been a lot better. His journey does sound very interesting, but I think it should be theorized by others.
Most of the chapters do not follow any kind of clear thread; the author rambles through a bunch of loosely connected topics. I often only got to understand where he was trying to get when, after many pages of what I took to be loose associations, he said that „in the previous pages, I have shown that…“.
By far, the biggest weakness of the book is the argumentation or, rather, the lack thereof. For the most part, it reads like a sermon, with the author telling you how things are. This ranges from basic observations to very substantive claims that would really need some justification - only there is none to be found. It is quite telling that most paragraphs in this are a few sentences at most.
To me, the unfortunate peak of this series of assertions was when the author disagreed with Evangelical theology (which, for the record, I wholeheartedly do too). He does so by summarizing its views, says that those are wrong, and then tells you how he sees things. Neither the Evangelical view being wrong nor his supposedly better view is backed up by reasoning - all we get is flat assertions. It is truly absurd to me that someone who writes about conspiratism and religious faith being captured by political interest fails to see that baseless interpretations of the bible, and the fact that religious faith can be used that way, are a big contributor to the problem. I am happy that the author arrived at the interpretation of the Bible he did - I truly am - but he‘d really do well to be better not just in belief but also in method.
I don‘t want to deny that there are some interesting observations here. But all of this has been done elsewhere, in so much more detail, and with stringent argumentation.
In the Introduction, the author defends his choice to include his personal experiences in the book; ironically, I think that a book that focussed on these experiences rather than alluding to them here and there would have been a lot better. His journey does sound very interesting, but I think it should be theorized by others.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperOne for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
Stacy has written a really timely book. As an ex-evangelical, I did find myself annoyed at points that he managed to stay religious rather than leaving. However, there is absolutely merit in people within a group calling out the damaging aspects.
There were a couple of places where I wish Stacy had included some definitions (like one for 'straw man', which I know is a type of fallacy in an argument, but don't actually remember exactly what it involves), but overall, this is a thorough, well-thought-out, well-researched book.
Whether you are an evangelical, have been an evangelical, or simply want to understand the evangelical mindset better, I think you'll get a lot out of this book.
Stacy has written a really timely book. As an ex-evangelical, I did find myself annoyed at points that he managed to stay religious rather than leaving. However, there is absolutely merit in people within a group calling out the damaging aspects.
There were a couple of places where I wish Stacy had included some definitions (like one for 'straw man', which I know is a type of fallacy in an argument, but don't actually remember exactly what it involves), but overall, this is a thorough, well-thought-out, well-researched book.
Whether you are an evangelical, have been an evangelical, or simply want to understand the evangelical mindset better, I think you'll get a lot out of this book.
March 21, 2026
This is an incredibly insightful deep dive into Disreality, misinformation, disinformation, conspiracism, and their roots in evangelical Christian Nationalism. I appreciated Stacy's perspective on the state of politics in relation to his work as a historian AND theologian. The structure of the book helps inform and give hope for ways to exist in this strange reality where religion has been used as a shield and justification for hateful, evil actions.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 26, 2026
This is a serious book that attempts to show the history of conspiracy theory in American evangelical circles, the theology misunderstanding which allows conspiracies to take root, and a plan to come out of the mess.
It isn’t shallow, and after one read I felt like I needed to read it again. It goes deep and it doesn’t settle for shallow answers. It’s an important addition to understanding current evangelical thought.
It isn’t shallow, and after one read I felt like I needed to read it again. It goes deep and it doesn’t settle for shallow answers. It’s an important addition to understanding current evangelical thought.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The book details conspiracy theories and the impact they have with evangelicals. The author delves into the history of conspiracy theories and why evangelicals seem to believe them. The author was a minister and his PhD.focused on evangelicals obsession with conspiracy theories. I found the history to be interesting although the author's writing style was rather dry.
April 1, 2026
once again, those who need it are not going to read it. I really liked the line about seeing Christ in everyone makes you want to tell them the truth, not spin a bunch of conspiracy lies at them.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews