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The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

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The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

Harper,

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Political activism has undermined the spiritual foundation of evangelical Christian churches.

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Mixing religion and politics has become commonplace in United States evangelical churches, despite the biblical warning to avoid idolizing the “gods of this world.” Author Tim Alberta reports his analysis that political activism has compromised the spirituality of some churches as extra-Biblical disagreements over Donald Trump, COVID-19, and other earthly issues have divided the evangelical world. Political writer and observer Alberta’s engaging, reportorial analysis of American evangelicals – which he wrote before Trump’s re-election in 2024 – sounds a warning to refortify the United States Constitution’s separation of church and state.

Summary

Some evangelical leaders have promoted Donald Trump as an imperfect man whom God is using to perfect America.

When Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election in 2016, about 80% of white Christian evangelicals voted for him. This reflected profound changes within the church. Since the 1980s, the popular meaning of the word “evangelical” has often been equated with being a “white conservative Republican.”

Chris Winans, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Church in Brighton, Michigan, is not a Republican with conservative political views, although his county votes for the GOP more reliably than any other in Michigan. Starting in 2018, some congregants fiercely criticized Winans when he made negative comments about the Republican Party or Donald Trump. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Winans complied with government orders and closed Cornerstone to slow the spread of the virus. This prompted protests from congregants who believed the virus was a fake disease that the government invented to have more control over Americans.

Republican politicians often quote Bible verses to support, for example, their opposition to abortion (Psalm 139:13), or their...

About the Author

Tim Alberta is a staff writer for The Atlantic and the former chief political correspondent for Politico.

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