Why Have Evangelicals Failed to Overcome Racism?

A historian’s discerning, critical take on current American politics

“Believe me” may be the most commonly used phrase in Donald Trump’s lexicon. Whether about building a wall or protecting a Christian heritage, the refrain has been constant. And to the surprise of many, a good 80 percent of white evangelicals have believed Trump—at least enough to help propel him into the White House.

Historian John Fea is not surprised, however—and in these pages he explains how we have arrived at this unprecedented moment in American politics. An evangelical Christian himself, Fea argues that the embrace of Donald Trump is the logical outcome of a long-standing evangelical approach to public life defined by the politics of fear, the pursuit of worldly power, and a nostalgic longing for an American past.

As insightful as it is timely, Fea’s Believe Me challenges Christians to replace fear with hope, the pursuit of power with humility, and nostalgia with history.

Mark Noll
— author of The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
“John Fea’s timely and sobering book shows convincingly how legitimate concerns from white evangelical Protestants about a rapidly secularizing American culture metastasized into a fear-driven brew of half-truths, fanciful nostalgia, misplaced Christian nationalism, ethical hypocrisy, and political naiveté—precisely, that is, the mix that led so many white evangelicals not only to cast their votes for Donald Trump but also to regard him as a literal godsend.”

[aprilcumberbatch]

This is a powerful testament to how Christianity should be, thank God for bold believers who still stand for Christ!!!

[enriqueperez]

Mark 12:31 " And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.

[marthacarter]

This person has spoken the burden on my heart It makes me sad to see the Evangelicals lose sight on what God expects of them I am a Christian for50 years and have seen a lot within Christian circles It’s really sad and I refuse to be a part of any of it.America has been blessed by God we are not a Christian nation
but christians in a nation Christians have failed on many levels👏🏽

[joshuafleming]

Imagine what would happen if you told an evangelical that Jesus was Palestinian

[darlenejames]

It is a failure of faith. Faith is grounded in love. So if one loves the Lord Jesus that person knows that we are mandated to love. I have to pray every day for God to keep the hate out of my heart. So these people's faith is lacking because their love is lacking because their prayer is lacking. I'm still a work in progress but The Word has promised that the Good Work started by redemption shall be completed by Love so I practice to endure to the end.

[lloydfrancis]

I'll have to find Jesus elsewhere, what I'll do as a Black British living in America is practice loving the Lord thy God with all my heart soul and mind and love my neighbor as myself despite the pigmentation of one skin color. When I get back to Europe I'll find a Church that doesn't support Racism. Very sad America is.

[toddmiller]

Trump has given them the freedom to take off their hoods.

[derrickburwell]

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,
because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." - 1 John 4:18
Why is this important?
Because God is love. - 1 John 4:8

[mariag]

They can remain racist because they don't have a relationship with Jesus, they have a religious relationship with bible and there is a difference. You can not meet Jesus and remain the same.

[MsAppleofhiseye]

They failed to overcome because they refused to repent and acknowledge that they are racist

[carmengreenwood]

Especially in the south. The older people never forget Jim Crow.

[elizabethyisak]

That is why the evangelist loses the young generation and they make them turn away from God.

[bluzewaht.]

We are deceived unless we have the spirit of discernment. They hide behind the name of religion.

[addis]

I hope God uses to awaken the church to their sins of racism and help them unite Christians of all races because heaven is diverse.

[moewilliams]

It's to show that most so called evangelists are not born again.

[larryroberts]

It is difficult for a small group of individuals to defeat racism while our own large powerful government creates racism at every turn in the name of defeating it.

[ceeburts]

What’s in a man’s heart will come out. So if you’re wicked stay wicked! AbbaYah got you!!!

[jamal]

In addition, evangelicals have literalist approach to the Bible. That's the source of their bigotry: ignorance of the scripture

[MrOverdogg]

they have this cute name now (evangelicals) they are the same people who believe it's ok to own and enslave humans because there skin color is dark..they are Christians in name only. they have hearts that are hard as bricks.

[pat]

Evangelicals need to overcome their belief in things that don't exist.