Who Is an Evangelical?

The History of a Movement in Crisis

By: Thomas S. Kidd

Narrated by: Gary Roelofs

A leading historian of evangelicalism offers a concise history of evangelicals and how they became who they are today.

Evangelicalism is arguably America’s most controversial religious movement. Non-evangelical people who follow the news may have a variety of impressions about what “evangelical” means. But one certain association they make with evangelicals is white Republicans. Many may recall that 81 percent of self-described white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, and they may well wonder at the seeming hypocrisy of doing so.

In this illuminating audiobook, Thomas Kidd draws on his expertise in American religious history to retrace the arc of this spiritual movement, illustrating just how historically peculiar that political and ethnic definition (white Republican) of evangelicals is. He examines distortions in the public understanding of evangelicals and shows how a group of “Republican insider evangelicals” aided the politicization of the movement. This book will be a must-listen for those trying to better understand the shifting religious and political landscape of America today.

The book is published by Yale University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

Praise for the book:

“A concise but assured history of the evangelical movement.” (Atlantic)

“Examines evangelicalism with clarity and insight, through the telling of a riveting story.” (Russell Moore, president, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention)

“Part history, part lament, this book offers a bracing introduction to evangelicalism in America.” (Catherine A. Brekus, author of Sarah Osborn’s World)

©2019 Thomas Kidd (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

If you are a Republican, and a Christian, listen to this!

This is a very concise history of the interaction of Christianity with social and political issues. Beginning with Edwards and Whitfield we see the heartening wins and embarrassing failures, as well as revealing shortcomings (with the potential to inspire perspective change) of The Church’s response to slavery and racial prejudice. Kids gives us a tour through theological differences which developed around cessationism, Pentecostalism, and pre-millenialism, all the way through to the development of the moral majority. This bird’s eye view of history makes it easy to see the turning points where American Christianity became over-politicized, and very well may have taken the bait of political pandering from presidents (and news outlets) more eager to secure the conservative Evangelical vote than to uphold biblical principals in their own lives or the statutes of the country. Do we care more about securing political power and influence for Christian values at any cost than we do about the foundational truths and moral values our faith proclaims? The mirror doesn’t lie.

Distracting mispronunciations

Good information, and Kidd nails his case. It is discouraging to see how evangelicals became politicized, when the heart of being an Evangelical is the gospel. Also, the reader mispronounced several names, and it was annoying, distracting from the content.

Good Book!!

I had to read this for a Church History class and it was excellent! Well read and easy to follow along and listen too.

I’ve read better on the subject!

Poor reader! He mispronounced the names of several of the key historical figures. I disagree significantly with the author’s bias, but that is his prerogative. I would only recommend the book with some significant reservations. BTW, I consider myself an evangelical pastor.