Purple Church, Red State: Finding Common Ground in an Age of Polarization

by Greg Allen-Pickett

158 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2026

Reviews

[Jenni Welsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I biased as a member of the congregation and a friend to the author? Of course! But this really is an insightful look at how people can work together in meaningful ways despite political differences. Although I read it solo, I would imagine that the DQs included with each chapter would be most helpful for a small group discussion and study of both the bible verses and the human struggles detailed in each. For my reading, I found myself able to do a chapter or two at a time and would then need to put the book down for some time to ponder and marinate. So even though it is a shorter book, it took me some time to complete it.

[CatLady76 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Purple Church, Red State, is not just one pastor’s experience navigating a congregation made up of many different viewpoints in a predominantly republican state, it’s a guide book for how other churches can be intentional in showing Christ’s love in action in their community and their church. In Christ, there is no division of politics, gender, race, economics, class, or geography. We are all Children of God. This world is full of division, and it seems to be getting worse. This book is all about bringing shared unity in Christ, both to their town, and to their church. In some chapters, to more distant mission work as well.

I am a huge fan of interdenominational connections. I’ve gone to 10 different churches and 9 different denominations in my life. Denominations have so much more in common than their differences! At least, in the churches I’ve gone to. I love it when pastors says things like, “We might be________, but boy, are the ________doing things right when they….” The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same. We might use different translations of the Bible, but the translations do not change God’s character. There are many examples of different denominations working together in this book.

I admire how the author preached biblical truths to call out injustice, without necessarily reporting on why he needed to, or name calling. Doing that, he avoided alienating people in his congregation who may have supported groups who caused that injustice. In the case of gun violence, instead of focusing on guns, which would have been quite polarizing, their church offered a safe place to grieve, in tandem with supporting teens who wanted to protest or write letters to their legislators.

Their church tackled a lot of hard issues through love in action, proactive classes, discussions, and community-wide meetings. My prayer would be to have purple churches everywhere!

I highly recommend this easy to read, thought-provoking book, especially in these politically polarizing times.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for such a time as this. I loved the different themes and stories incorporated into open discussion and Bible verses. Must read!