The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

by Tim Alberta

There are millions of Christians in America who follow these commands with rigor. But there are millions more who do not—or who, at best, follow them selectively and inconsistently. I recalled what Pastor John Torres told me about his congregation at Goodwill Church in the Hudson Valley: Some of his most politically feverish people were also his most generous. It’s certainly possible for believers to have warm hearts and misplaced priorities. The problem is, the first two commands Thomas cited—love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you—are simply incompatible with the culture-warrior mentality so many otherwise kind and benevolent evangelicals have adopted. The public doesn’t see their support of single moms or their donations to African clean-water initiatives. What they do see is a belligerence that overshadows those good deeds and in fact makes the possibility of them seem remote.