My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I believe everyone, regardless of their religious or non-religious beliefs, should read this book. Its importance and critical insights extend far beyond the confines of any particular faith or ideology. What is being preached in many white evangelical and Christian churches holds significant implications that reach beyond their walls.
“In the year after Trump left office, polling repeatedly showed there was one demographic group most likely to believe that the election had been stolen, that vaccines were dangerous, the globalists were controlling the US population, that liberal celebrities were feasting on the bloods of infants, that resorting to violence might be necessary to save the country: white evangelicals.”
The author starts off the book by describing events that took place at his father’s funeral services. Alberta’s father was a respected minister and many of the people who were at the services were longtime friends and associates of the family. Instead of his father being respected and the family comforted, Alberta was castigated for writing articles that certain members of the church felt were derogatory towards Donald Trump. Alberta was accused of treason.
So unlike many other authors who could’ve written this book, Alberta had “skin in the game.” I think that he wrote the book as fairly as he could given the topics, the people involved and the consequences to not only religion but to our country.
Alberta was able to draw portraits of both Jerry Fallwells Senior and Junior, Ralph Reed, Stephen Strang, Paula White, Robert Jeffress, Charlie Kirk, Herschel Walker and Doug Mastriano to name a few. He describes the changes that have taken place at Liberty University. Sadly most of those changes have had deleterious effects on both students and teachers.
Donald Trump has assumed an almost godlike status within the white evangelical movement, despite his controversial behavior and moral character, including multiple marriages and allegations of sexual misconduct.
Alberta also describes the efforts of various ministers and politicians who are attempting to separate religion from politics. The tide has certainly been running against them. Many ministers who attempt to focus on Bible studies and religious topics without introducing politics into their sermons find that many parishioners leave and gravitate toward politically charged sermons. Funding dries up and churches close that just preach the word of God.
This book has been described as the best nonfiction book of 2023. It is a long book, 452 pages in hardback, but an interesting and informative read from cover to cover. This will be one of the books that historians 30 years from now will read and review critically in order to understand the fraught intersection of politics and religion in our era.
Esot-eric 