8 Quotes by John Fea

Humility, on the other hand, is always centered on the cross of Jesus Christ, a political act that ushered in a new kind of political entity – the kingdom of God. Humility thus requires listening, debate, conversation, and dialogue that respects the dignity of all of God’s human creation. What would it take to replace the pursuit of power with humility?

Evangelical social critic Ronald Sider has said that too many evangelicals believe “life begins at conception and ends at birth.”15.

First, the past can inspire us. Second, the familiarity of the past helps us to see our common humanity with others who have lived before us. Third, the past gives us a better understanding of our civic identity.

Hunter argues that evangelical Christian attempts to “change the world” through politics – electing the right candidates, who will then pass the right laws and approve the right justices for the Supreme Court – have largely failed.

Despite God’s commands to trust him in times of despair, evangelicals have always been very fearful people, and they have built their understanding of political engagement around the anxiety they have felt amid times of social and cultural change.

Despite the biblical passages exhorting followers of Christ to “fear not,” it is possible to write an entire history of American evangelicalism as the story of Christians who have failed to overcome fear.

Nothing Trump could say or do would deter his diehard white evangelical supporters. This is still the case. Most evangelicals were willing to ignore his moral lapses because he had, to their way of thinking, the correct policy proposals.

The only way to get around Trump’s flaws was to somehow Christianize him. Paula White claimed that she had led Trump to accept Jesus Christ as his savior. Jerry Falwell Jr. said that Trump’s moral life had changed since he had become a born-again Christian. James Dobson told his followers to be patient with Trump, whom he declared to be a “baby Christian.” The kind of forgiveness and understanding that was never given to Bill Clinton was now available in seemingly endless supply to Donald Trump.