Evangelical Christianity in America is dying. The great evangelical movements of today are not a vanguard. They are a remnant, unraveling at every edge. Conversions. Baptisms. Membership. Retention. Participation. Giving. Attendance. Impact upon the culture at large. All are down and dropping. When veteran religion reporter Christine Wicker set out to investigate the evangelical movement, her intention was to forge through the stereotypes and shed new light on this highly divisive religious group. But the story soon morphed into an entirely new and shocking tale of discovery, as Wicker's research unearthed much more than she originally bargained for.
Everywhere Wicker traveled she heard whispers of diminishing statistics, failed campaigns, and empty churches. Even as evangelical forces trumpet their purported political and social victories on the national and local fronts, insiders are anguishing over their significant losses and preparing to rebuild for the future. The idea that evangelicals represent and speak for Christianity in America is one of the greatest publicity scams in history, a perfect coup accomplished by savvy politicos and zealous religious leaders who understand the weaknesses of the nation's media and exploit them brilliantly.
With her trademark vivid, firsthand reporting, Christine Wicker takes us deep inside the world of evangelicals, exposing the surprising statistics and details of this unexpected fall. Wicker shows us how the virtues of evangelicals are killing them as surely as their vices and that, to fully comprehend how and why this is happening, we'll need to understand both.
“Wicker combines hard earned fundamentalist insider credentials with journalistic incisiveness to point out that the emperor (formerly known as evangelicalism) has no political clothes (or at least is missing his pants).”
“With careful analysis, Wicker reveals the spiritual downturn in the Religious Right, how it has lost its hold over contemporary America and what hope that offers the rest of us.”
“Finally a book that brings it all together, statistics and stories, devastating truth and compassionate hope, investigative reporting and home-spun wisdom. Christine Wicker holds up a mirror for the “Institutional Church” and reveals the nip-and-tuck tricks that have fooled us for the last few decades.”
“The title of Wicker’s book is itself a powerful statement. The notion of a ‘Christian nation’ is false and impossible. Wicker dismantles, gently and lovingly, the overweening arrogance of theocrats who, flying the evangelical flag, actually think they are Theo. Thank God for this book—it’s overdue and about time!”
“Thanks to Christine Wicker for setting the records straight. Puncturing the myth of evangelical invincibility, Wicker offers a more compelling study of faith, commitment and doubt.”
“...meticulously reported, a joy to read, and filled with profound insights. In what will surely be one of the year’s most important books, Wicker offers a brilliantly written take on a provocative topic.”
“Thoughtful Christian leaders, seeing the opportunities in the shifting religious scene can use Wicker’s work as a wake-up call and a road map. My gut tells me Wicker’s research and analysis is right.”
“Combining the style of a journalist with the analytical perspective of a religiously-sympathetic sociologist, Wicker makes a surprising, important, and persuasive case.”
“Written with intensity, passion, and compassion, this is one of the year’s truly important books on the changing face of religion in America.”
“Clear-eyed and probing, Wicker’s book will make you reassess conventional wisdom about faith and politics. It is essential reading for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the role religion plays in our national life.”
Christine Wicker was raised in Oklahoma, Texas, and other parts of the South. Her mother's grandfather was an itinerant Baptist preacher, and her dad's father was a Kentucky coal miner. During her seventeen years at the Dallas Morning News, she was a feature writer, columnist, and religion reporter. She is the author of several books, including the highly acclaimed New York Times bestseller Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town That Talks to the Dead.
Distributor: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 04-29-2008
Pages: 240
Measurements: 9in X 6in X 0.85in X 15.02oz
