Over the last decade, there has been so much hyperbolic fearmongering from media, academics, and some Christian leaders about the supposedly dangerous threat presented by evangelicals, many of whom dare to exercise their citizenship and vote for conservative candidates. But we should listen to the prophetic admonition about unhealthy engagement in the public square, the kind of grasping for power that Chuck Colson warned about in his still-relevant book God and Government. Any instance of taking God’s name in vain is one too many.
Yet, one must ask if the burgeoning cottage industry of books, conferences, podcasts, and films is necessary. Every year, books like The False White Gospel, Confronting Christofascism, The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy, and American Idolatry, to name a few, flood the market, making the case that American evangelicalism is a dangerous threat to democracy. These increasingly shrill voices work to blur the line between a mob who stormed the U.S. Capitol and the church ladies in our congregations thinking less about the next election and more about their next Sunday school class. Historian Mark David Hall, in his new book, Who Is Afraid of Christian Nationalism? helps to separate fact from myth. He writes of these polemics: “Their works rely more on rhetoric than arguments, and when they provide evidence, they often make erroneous or overstated claims based on it.”
Meanwhile, in the days since the horrific attacks on Israel carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, we’ve seen the rise of actual extremists whose language isn’t at all coded or dog-whistled. These activists promote actual terror and anti-Semitic hatred. The wanton slaughter and sexual violence of innocent Israelis didn’t provoke sympathy from this left-wing cohort but instead motivated supportive protests in cities across the country. The same white-knuckled partisans who are quick to label evangelicals a threat often downplay these anti-Israel protests as simple advocacy for Palestine, ignoring the calls for violence against Jews. But the genocidal chants of “From the river to the sea,” “Go back to Poland,” and “Oct. 7th is just the beginning” cannot be whitewashed. On college campuses, Jewish students were harassed, locked in rooms while surrounded by violent protestors, and left unprotected by their feckless administrators. The protesters even resorted to blocking traffic in major cities.
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Daniel is director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His forthcoming book is Agents of Grace. He is also a bestselling author of several other books, including The Original Jesus, The Dignity Revolution, The Characters of Christmas, The Characters of Easter, and A Way With Words, and the host of a popular weekly podcast, The Way Home. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in pastoral ministry from Dayspring Bible College, has studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is a graduate of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Angela, have four children.
