The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism
Tim Alberta 2023 Beaverton Lib 270.82 ALB
p001 Prologue: interviews for "...the book ...", probably American Carnage (2019)
p005 1977 New York financier atheist father Richard J. Alberta becomes christian minister in Michigan, dies 2019 age 71 in 2019
- p007 At funeral, parishioners react angrily to son Tim's prior book dissing Limbaugh and Trump
- p013 The crisis of American evangelicalism comes down to an obsession with that worldly identity.
p018 new pastor Chris Wynans was not a conservative Republican.
- p023 conservatives focus on Old Testament language, not New
- p024 Evangelicals embrace Trump
p025 Johnson Amendment prohibits nonprofits from endorsing or opposing political candidates, Trump halted enforcement
- p028 "The problem is, blessings often become indistinguishable from entitlements."
p035 John Torres at Goodwill Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Port Jervis?) New York
- p038 parishioners hated Obama, then hated those hated by Trump
- p040 parishioners furious at COVID restrictions, deranged by conspiracy nonsense
p041 Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi Beaverton 305.8 KEN
p041 Critical Race Theory accusations, some from friends
- p043 4 month sabbatical, returned to smaller but supportive congregation. 5% crazy
p046 By setting their minds on the things of man, Christians are telling Jesus to get behind them.
- p048 "... you've baptized your worldview and called it Christian."
- p049 "The enemies aren't those outside of the Church; it's people in your church who don't think exactly the way you do."
p052 Doug Olson father of Nick Olson Liberty University
p054 Jerry Falwell "fascinated by the market dynamics"
p055 Falwell Sunday sermons on WLVA TV in 1956
p056 1958 preaches against integration, aligned with Joe McCarthy who died in 1957?
p058 evangelicals
p059 Scopes trial
p064 Howard Phillips Paul Weyrich 1973 founded Heritage Foundation
p065 Moral Majority
p066 Before 1973 Roe v. Wade, abortion was a "Catholic issue".
p066 1973 W. A. Criswell "I have always felt that it was only after a child was born and had a life separate from its mother that it became an individual person, and it has always, therefore, seemed to me that what is best for the mother and for the future should be allowed."
Later attacked abortion; Anti-Carter strategy? Protecting segregated religious schools
p074 Mark DeMoss worked for Liberty U., left after endorsement of Trump
p074 Jerry Falwell Jr. makes Liberty University profitable
- p075 Supports Trump, Israel, and misinformation about COVID and Obama's birth
p080 Falwell Jr. poses in front of Trump Playboy cover, many scandals, but Liberty U. is wealthy
- p083 sex scandal: Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns August 2020
p084 discouraged rape reports, violated Title IX law and the Clery Act
p085 English prof Nick Olson worries
p089 Russell D. Moore 2021 former Southern Baptist
now Christianity Today editor-in -chief
- p090 parishioners slander non-conservative non-racist pastors, demand politics, not scripture
- p096 Pew 1991, 90% identified as Christians, 5% religiously unaffiliated
- 30 years later, 63% Christians, 29% unaffiliated ... idolatry of politics and country
- p098 after 2016 nomination, Trump attacks Moore
- p099-100, hundreds of large churches cut off funds to SBC
- p100 God called Moore to confront sexual abuse and pro-Confederate nationalism
p103 Galatians 3
p106 Robert Jeffress Trump loyalist
p111 Demands Heather has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate removed from the Wichita Falls TX public library
p115 In 2011, only 30% of evangelicals said immoral politicians perform public duties with integrity. In 2016, 72% said so.
p116 Campus of First Baptist Church Dallas $135M expansion, plus $250M renovations
p118 Babylon Bee Christian conservative version of The Onion
- p119 'shrine' to Trump in Jeffress office
- p121 "the government is coming after us ... I believe they are."
p124 Atlanta fire chief Kelvin Cochran fired for anti-gay book
p128 Australian theologian John Dickson. Bullies are common, saints are not. book: Bullies and Saints
p131 Laurel Bunker
p132 (some?) Christians act worse ("lashing out") than the rest of the world because of a victimhood complex
p134 Ed Stetzer
- p135 Jesus criticised his "twelve weirdos" ... discipling ... absent from US evangelicals
p135 Vincent Bacote
p137 British evangelicals like William Wilberforce, not right wing U.S.
- p138 US evangelical now a proxy for cultural belonging, Australian and British conservatives support publically funded hospitals
- p140 Chinese pastors cheerful, "if I go to prison ... more people to preach the gospel to."
p142 Bill Bolin FloodGate Church Tim Alberta 2023 essay (not a book excerpt)
- p149 "Trump born again ... influence of Mike Pence" Author asked "did it bother him that Trump did nothing to help the man who helped bring him to Christ when that man's life was endangered on January 6?" "Yes ... don't quote me on that" "what is wrong is actually right."
- p151 illegal immigrants "... are carrying all kinds of diseases ... "
Only those returning from the US:
COVID Rates
Population
Infected
%
Deaths
%
US
335M
103M
31%
1.2M
0.36%
Mexico
129M
7.7M
6%
0.35M
0.27%
- p153 "pick a tribe, raise the flag ... gain numbers ... easy to do ... cheapens the gospel."
- p154 "... the kingdom of God isn't at stake. What Christ accomplished on the cross is not threatened by Donald Trump losing an election"
p154 FloodGate parishioner as convinced that Trump won the 2020 election as he is that Jesus rose from the dead 2000 years ago.
p155 FloodGate pastor Bolin didn't necessarily believe everything he said or posted. Circular foodchain of misinformation.
p156 Pregnant Man Emoji
p157 David Barton
p163 Gary Click
p164 Chad Connelly
p165 . claims three in ten Millennials identify as LGBTQ
- Actually 9.8% though 22% for GenZ ... perhaps he added the fractions for the two different generations.
- The numbers halve per generation - and perhaps they also diminish as individuals mature, stop screwing around, and raise families instead. Bisexuals are more than 57% of self-identified LGBTQ+ ... which means they are straight much of the time, and perhaps for most of their lives.
- p166 "third of Millennials believe in God, 89% of parents did"
- p168 Living Word Church Vandalia (north of Dayton Ohio)
- p172 Barton "If you take the spotlight off Jesus and put it on anything else, you're gonna have division"
- ... then a man walks out of the sanctuary wearing red MAGA cap.
p173 parishioner Jim Wright bought Barton's The Founder's Bible because Biden bureaucrats will seize bibles
p174 "Look at Francis Collins - follow the baby parts"
p175 Charlie Kirk "Trump the most moral president on record"
- p177 clear cut biblical issues (the poor, refugees, wealth temptation) did not animate the conservative base
- p178 why obsess over America when ... citizenship in heaven?
- p179 The first step towards preserving Christian values, it seemed, was to do away with Christian values.
p180 Ralph Reed
p182 Newt Gingrich
p184 Bo" Hines
p184 Sam Brownback
p184 Jeanine Pirro
p185 Richard Lee
p185 Johnny Enlow
p185 Louie Gohmert
p186 Stella Immanuel Texas pediatrician
p187 Jentezen Franklin
p188 Paula White Trump spiritual adviser
p189 Timothy Head
p190 Judge J. Michael Luttig: Trump "a clear and present danger to American democracy"
p194 Lydia Maldonado "His kingdom is of this world"
- p194 Pence helped create the madness, substituting the flag for Jesus in a bastardized biblical quote
- p196 compartmentalization of standards is toxic to the credibility of the Christian witness
p197 Herschel Walker hypocrisy, fabrications, abortions, threats, absentee father
p198 Ronna Romney McDaniel RNC Chair
p199 Winsome Sears asks Reed "what should I talk about?"
p200 Jim Jordan
p201 Blinded by Might Cal Thomas and Ed Ed Dobson, 1998, Zonderman (own)
US more fearful, divided, less Christlike because of the Moral Majority
p202 We Can’t Stop Now, by Ralph Reed
- defeated pro-gambling initiatives, while taking laundered millions from Indian reservation rival gammbling
p205 Adam Kinzinger voted to certify 2020 election
p210 "baptizing the past", i.e.George Washington baptized at Valley Forge
- p212 Moore says popular image of evangelism "Mister Rogers with a blowtorch"
p213 Wendell Berry "If change is to come, it will have to come from the margins."
- p216 Jeffress "We're not a sanctified social agency. That's not what I believe the Church is about."
- p217 often omitted John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him".
p218 book burning
- p228 "... Locke sees this charade for what it really is, but ... sure that his followers don't"
- p229 there is a market for being irrational
p229 Westboro Baptist Church "God hates fags"
p232 Cyril Hovorun
p232 Moscow rhetoric of divine destiny Patriarch Kirill
- p236 Russian butchery in Ukraine impossible without Church blessing.
- p236 Relgious/Ethic war in Yugoslavia fomented by Milosovic
p236 Miroslav Volf
- p240 Christian nationalism now the predominant form of evangelical Christianity
- p241 Political religion not optional: Hitlerism, communism, Putinism ... Trumpism not yet, but possible
- p242 Christ greatly concerned with the poor, avoided fame, demanded love of enemies; evangelicals opposite
- p243 If any conduct is excusable because God's larger plan uses flawed vessels, what is left of actual Christianity?
p243 Success of Putinism and Trumpism owes to literal demonizing of adversaries; diabolical, not just wrong. While difficult, the only way to defeat them is deconstruct them theologically.
- p244 biblical Christianity requires self-reassessment every day.
- "If you've never been wrong, you've never been right" - KHL, though someone else may have already said this.
p245 Karl Barth church must be "an unreliable ally" to worldly social/political/government order (citation needed)
p247 Doug Mastriano
p249 Seth Rich murder right-wing conspiracy theory
p251 pastor Jonathan Wagner said "true freedom" is "from our sins" through Jesus
- mildest applause; "I don't really understand politics"
p252 Lance WallnauPastor Steve HoltDoug LambornLauren Bobert
p254 Al Mohler president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville Ky
p255 "power" in English bibles conflates Greek words exousia ischus kratos dunamis
- p255 book quote: "True power is not reflected in kingdoms, administrations, or campaigns, because these things are counterfeits of God's ... authority"
p256 aphiemi "let go"; mant American evangelicals cannot.
p256 religious revanchism
- p257 Paul's "weapons of Christian warfare" are defensive ... truth, righteousness, faith, salvation. The "sword of the Spirit" is the Word of God
p258 UMD poll "separation of church and state": 61% of Republicans support government declaration that America is a "Christian Nation", 78% for evangelicals
p261 Jonathan Wagner: "Many of the founding fathers weren't Christian ... I don't see America in the Bible, you know?"
p263 ReAwaken America Tour Branson Mo 2022/11/4
p264 Kingdom Fuel powdered meal shake mix ( $80 for 1.7 pounds )
p264 ReAwaken America TourMichael Flynn Clay Clarke Mike Lindell
p265 Jesus is a Badass Tee Shirt .. The Plot Against the King Kash Patel (FBI director 2025 )
p266 Stephen E. Strang Charismatic Media God and Donald Trump
p270 Patrick Byrne
p273 Bo Polny
p279 Word of Life Church St. Joseph Missouri Pastor Brian Zahnd
p280 Book of Haggai rebuilt temple ... but ...
p282 Gerhard Lohfink the kingdom is in Jesus, not in a building
- p283 Word of Life church grew huge, turned into Republicans with Jesus fishes on their SUVs
- p285 introduced Cheney at rally, heard Jesus saying "Brian, Brian, why are you politicizing me?"
- p286 said God raised up Jesus, not America ... church soon lost 1500 members. Democrat? No, a kingdom person
p287 Postcards from Babylon: The Church in American Exile What to Do on the Worst Day of Your Life
- p289 "These people have lost their souls ... Steven Strain knew better than this."
p293 "We are not called to change the world. We're called to be the world already changed by Christ."
- p293 "The idea that Jesus is some mascot for the donkeys or the elephants -- it's a catastrophe for the gospel."
- p293 "You can take up the sword of Caesar or you can take up the cross of Jesus. You have to choose."
- p294 Herschel Walker campaigning for Senator from Georgia
- p297 Walker continued to lie about past abortions, no repentance, Republicans OK with that but not with Democrat Warnock
p304 Runoff vote, Walker won a smaller share of pro-life voters than re-elected Republican Governor Brian Kemp
p305 Son Christian Walker: "Don’t beat women, hold guns to peoples heads, fund abortions then pretend your pro-life, stalk cheerleaders, 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."
p306 Campaigns are built around ... money, power, and influence, currencies ... to which Christians do not belong. You cannot serve both God and money.
"money" is actually mammon
- p307 which can mean anything encouraging greed, prestige, self-glorification; in conflict with their allegiance to God.
p307 after Dobbs 2022, six states increased access to abortion, resulting in more abortions in America.
p308 more Republicans supporting looser abortion laws.
- p309 If one is driven by ... image of God, why just abortion?
- shunning of refugees? Forced separation of babies and mothers? ... guns number one cause of death for children?
- Evangelical rationalizations sap their arguments
- p310 Politicians claim God's support and lose an election; did God lose too? If so, how can He triumph over the grave?
p313 Dream City Church
Tommy Barnett pastor
- fraudulent claims about virus-protective air system.
p318 John Zmirak Alec Rowlands
p319 Julie Kelly
p320 Jeff Myers "rediscovering absolute truth" book (which of many?)
- p323 "Lesbian in a wheelchair" taunt versus Mark 2:17 "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
- p327 Trump supported clownish candidates in the 2022 elections, broken with moderates and independents
- stench of defeat (written before 2024)
p327 Ron DeSantis won Florida by crushing progressivism
p327 Used Florida funds to send 49 illegal immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, where they were welcomed
p329 welcomes atheist polemicist James A. Lindsay (I have "How to Have Impossible Conversations"
p329 disparages Tim Keller Rick Warren David French Russell Moore
p331 Daniel Darling
p332 Darling fired by National Religious Broadcasters for pro-vaccine remarks
- p335 for-profit propagandizing of Christians that had been successful for decades
p336 ... it's the kids coming to me ... evangelical parents binge-watching Fox News ... how to pull them back.
- p337 the 15% right-wing ideologues push around a timid majority
- p338 private gatherings to rebuild the Church
p341 Curtis Chang formerly InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
p343 in New York Times
p345 Good Faith Podcast Pete Wehner Cherie Harder Andrew Hanauer Shirley Hoogstra and Russell Moore
p347 The After Party
p353 hardline pastor Tom Ascol ... mission creep
p355 Charlie Cutler
p360 task force chair Bruce Frank
- p360 recommendations adopted by 80% vote
p361 task force vice-chair Marshall Blalock
p362 task force member Bruce Sterling III
p363 Mike Stone hard right Baptist
p363 Ed Litton new SBC president sympathetic to Moore
- p364 Charlie Kirk "fatwa"
p365 Paige Patterson fired for mishandling and suppression rape cases.
p365 Paul Pressler
p365 pastor Bart Barber new SBC president 2022 to 2024
p371 Rachel Denhollander molested by pedophile in church, then sports physician Larry Nassar
- p375 Grace and Jacob Denhollander become crusading journalist/investigators of abuse scandals in the church
p376 job at Moody radio
p377 Wheaton College Harvest Bible Chapel pastor James McDonald and Jerry Jenkins casino poker
p378 self-dealing - facdy homes for McDonald and Jenkins
p379 The Roys Report
p380 alleged abuse of student Jennifer Lyell by professor David Sills
p382 SBC Executive Committee loathed the Caring Well initiative
- p385 resurrected Jesus revealed himself to groups of women, deputizing them to preach to men
p386 2024 June SBC rejects ban on women pastors in constitution but retains men-only doctrinal statement, and expelled Alexandria Virginia church for choosing women, after expelling Rick Warren's Lake Forest (Orange County California) Saddleback Church in February 2022
p389 "The human mind is not only, as Calvin has said, a permanent factory of idols ..." Paul Tillich, The Courage To Be, p39
- p390 "Because scandal is baked into the evangelical experience in ways that distort our standards of leadership."
p393 James McDonald March 2023 felonious battery and assault of 58yo woman in parking lot
p394 investigation of assault by youth pastor at Jackson Mississippi Broadmoor Baptist Church
- Church investigated, lost members, but many more joined
p399 Nick Olson joins Liberty University faculty in 2013, "enforcer" Ron Godwin says fall in line or leave
- p401 remember your place, chain of command, no feedback, dumbed-down curriculum, Philosophy Department dissolved
- p403 Liberty's goal (not) Christian academics, instead maximum efficiency, productivity, profit.
- p403 by coming forward, Nick Olson throwing away his job
p404 Liberty students kind, decent, solicitous, everything the school was not (author's words, hmm)
p404 Falkirk Center
p405 new president Jerry Prevo "agenda to elect Republican politicians"
p405 2020 October convocation speakers John Piper J.D. Greear video scrubbed from website for tacitly condemning Trump
p406 Student body president Daniel Hostetter refused to run as a Republican
p407-414 Dr. Aaron Werner refused $25K hush money
2020 August, Jerry Falwell Jr. left Liberty U., 2021 April 15 Liberty U. sued Fallwell for $40M, breach of contract and violation of fiduciary duty.
p414 Jonathan Falwell senior pastor at
Thomas Road Baptist Church and campus pastor (Chancellor?) at Liberty University.
p418 New president Retired Air Force general Dondi Costin
- p418 Jerry Jr. angry critic ... .p419 spoiling for a fight
p420 Convocation speaker Ron DeSantis, zero mention of Jesus
- p422 student president Hostetter disappointed
- p427 Author asked Olson about his different vision for the American Church
- replace dominant culture war metaphor, loving others
p428 The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt
- Epilogue
- p430 Chris Winans at Cornerstone Church "pull, don't push". Preach godly character, play dumb on political issues, shrug.
- p432 Winans preaches author's favorite verse: Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 18.
NIV: So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- p432 the purpose of the church is to make disciples of all the nations
- to some evangelicals, the purpose of the church is to "own the libs" with an aggressive, identitarian conservatism.
- p433 SBC Bart Barber codifying the efforts of Denhollander's task force
p433 Survey: Two-Thirds of White Evangelicals, Most Republicans Sympathetic to Christian Nationalism
- p434 90% white adherents to Christian nationalism agreed "God intended America to be a new promised land" run by "European Christians". Broader sample rejected that by two-to-one margin
p434 Josh Hawley "Patrick Henry quote" actually from [[ https://newrepublic.com/post/174104/josh-hawley-posts-fake-quote-white-nationalist-magazine-fourth-july | 1956 magazine The Virginian
- p435 "God does not show favoritism," as Peter said, "but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."
- p438 Believers 89% in 2016, 81% in 2022.
- p439 2007 no faith affiliation ("nones") 16%, in 2021 30% (rate -1% per year)
- p439 Barna research: in the 1990s, 1/3 (33%?) of pastors under 40, 16% today
- p440 Individual evangelicals rebranding to mainline Protestants or "ex-vangelicals".
p441 Finite vs. infinite games zero sum vs. improvement
- 2 Corinthians 4:18 -- "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal".
