Evangelicalism is a favorite scapegoat of American public life. Christianity Today deputy editor Bonnie Kristian argues that the most common attacks fall apart under scrutiny, issuing a bold call for evangelicals not to be ashamed of their tradition and, instead, to preserve and deepen it.
Evangelicals are subjected to a steady stream of criticism about what they believe and how they live out their faith in public. This isn’t new: evangelicals have felt slighted and misrepresented for a century. But in the current political era, a cottage industry consisting of podcasts, essays, and dozens of books has arisen―all dedicated to criticizing evangelicalism. The question at hand is not whether evangelicalism has faults but whether the accusations are fair, coherent, and a path to destruction or reform.
Author and deputy editor at Christianity Today Bonnie Kristian engages five serious criticisms leveled at evangelicalism, drawing on research, original reporting, and a lifetime in the evangelical movement to provide a deeply informed and theologically sound defense. Engaging with the work of influential critics of evangelicalism, including Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Beth Allison Barr, and Tim Alberta, as well as interviews with theologians, pastors, and thought leaders, Kristian deftly dismantles bad-faith critiques while acknowledging where reform is necessary and desirable.
In Defense of Evangelicalism demystifies and humanizes evangelicals, demonstrating irrefutably that evangelicals are not the menace they’ve been made out to be. In fact, Kristian maintains, the evangelical movement is a force for good that every American should want to preserve.
Endorsments
“This kind, generous work reminds readers of the good that so many evangelicals represent. And unlike many commentaries on contemporary evangelicalism, this book leaves readers grateful for the realities Bonnie Kristian describes.”
—Carl R. Trueman, author of The Desecration of Man
“Kristian has provided a vital service to the public. In Defense of Evangelicalism is an important book that deserves a wide reading and should invite many conversations.”
—Rev. Walter Kim, National Association of Evangelicals
“We need this book. It is everything a good defense should be: witty, intelligent, piercingly discerning, honest, and—at points—downright funny.”
—Chris Butler, Center for Christianity and Public Life
“What I appreciate about Bonnie Kristian’s work is her honesty, her intolerance for pablum, and the sharpness of her arguments—and all those qualities are on display here. You will be challenged and helped by this book.”
—Jake Meador, editor in chief of Mere Orthodoxy
“Kristian exposes the fallacies, double standards, and blind spots in some of the most influential accounts of American evangelicalism today—while boldly confronting the ways in which evangelicals often fall far short of Christian ideals.”
—Molly Worthen, author of Spellbound
“If you are an evangelical like me, you’ll come away challenged and encouraged. If you are not, you’ll come away with a better understanding of one of America’s largest and most misunderstood religious groups. This will be one of the most important books of the year.”
—Daniel Darling, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Kristian turns the tables on the critics—quick to acknowledge the charges when true, but relentlessly committed to exposing how unfair and inaccurate so many portraits of evangelicals are.”
—Trevin Wax, author of The Thrill of Orthodoxy
About the Author
Bonnie Kristian is deputy editor at Christianity Today. She is a fellow at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank, and a freelance journalist who writes on evangelicalism, the modern American right, foreign policy, civil liberties, and electoral politics. She is the author of Untrustworthy and A Flexible Faith. Kristian is a graduate of Bethel Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Thought.
