Why does rhetoric in American evangelicalism often feel so self-serving, authoritarian, and antichrist? Scholars, theologians, and even some evangelicals are sounding the alarm on the internal dangers plaguing this subculture, dangers such as nationalism, abuse, and political despotism. Much of the pushback plays out on the battlefield of “what the Bible says” or theology. But when these problems are critiqued through the combined lenses of philosophy and political ethics, we discover what is keeping the dangers entrenched: propaganda.

Dr. Scott Coley is a philosopher, scholar, and consultant whose research interests include philosophy of religion, moral epistemology, and political philosophy. In his book Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right, Scott unravels the language and biblical prooftexting that support Christo-authoritarianism: an ideology that presses evangelical theology into the service of authoritarian politics. His historically-informed argument unsettles white evangelical orthodoxy on a range of issues and convictions; convictions not as unchanging as evangelical leaders would have us believe.

In the first half of this conversation, Scott walks us through a specific kind of propaganda common in white American evangelicalism: rhetoric that appropriates an ideal in order to perpetuate intellectual and social practices that wind up contradicting the ideal itself. He explains that we buy into propaganda because of motivated reasoning and ideology, at which point the Gospel becomes corrupted. Then, Mark and Scott discuss the embodiment of this propaganda in the real world, how it undermines the very institutions white evangelicals have built in service to themselves, and explore how we can decode this propaganda and, as we do, recover Jesus's teachings to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Purchase your copy of Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right

Read Mark’s review of Scott’s book.

Follow Scott on Instagram (scott_m_coley) and Bluesky (@scottmcoley.bsky.social)

Follow Mark on Instagram (markhackett.faith) and Threads (@markhackett)

For many Christians in the American South —especially younger people— churches do not feel welcoming.

People who don’t look, think, believe, or live as we do are telling us as much. Some who claim the name of Jesus engage in blatant lies, gaslight the hurting, and even physically harm others. Human anatomy is often more important to becoming a leader than good character, empathy, and basic competence are. Many folks confuse “what the Bible says” with their own narrow interpretation of Scripture, boldly claiming “it’s always been this way.”

But has it always been this way? I began asking this question over a decade ago without even realizing. A series of bad church experiences finally sent me looking for answers. What I’ve discovered, and am still discovering, is that the answer is no, it has not always been this way.

I was recently invited to share about the crises many churches find themselves in with a group of fellow believers in my home city of Memphis, TN. Most are in their twenties and thirties and are —or previously were— deeply engaged at their churches. Some are trying to turn the tide of a fracturing community they love. Others have already left hurt and confused. But they all love Jesus and are searching for something better.

And that better something is out there waiting for us to find. Scripture invites us into a deep and rich conversation about how the community of God should and does change, as does 2,000 years of the historic Christian tradition. Both can help us identify the main problem that lurks behind so many of our challenges today. And both offer us a path forward for renewing the Church in our time.

Show Notes

Jemar Tisby’s essay: Calling for a Modern-Day Reformation

My essays:

Reformation, wineskins, and the search for a more authentic faith

Exploring the kaleidoscopic world of Christian atonement theory

Book recommendations:

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind

White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity

Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation

What If Jesus Was Serious about the Church?

Searching For Sunday

Reorganized Religion

Follow Mark on Threads: @markhackett

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and American church culture from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by signing up for my free newsletter or becoming a member.

What did the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus actually do? Many Christians today genuinely believe the answer is simple: Jesus died for our sins. But sincere followers of Jesus have wrestled with this question for nearly 2,000 years and arrived at very different conclusions along the way. In this episode, we dive down the rabbit hole into the world of Christian atonement theory, asking questions that lead us to more questions. Have we missed major components of The Gospel? Do we really understand Jesus? And why does it feel like some people who are so certain of The Gospel fail to live as Jesus did?

Dr. Jennifer Garcia Bashaw is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Ministry at Campbell University. She is also an ordained pastor. In her book Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims, she shows how many Christians today read the New Testament as victors, not as victims. The teachings and actions of Jesus thus lose much of their subversive significance. The Gospels become one harmonized story about individual salvation rather than distinct representations of Jesus's radical work on behalf of victims.

In the first half of this conversation, Jennifer teaches us what atonement theory is and walks us through a few of the more significant theories found across Church history. Then, Mark and Jennifer discuss the embodiment of these beliefs in the real world and explore a new theory — Scapegoat Theory— which illuminates an essential truth of the Gospels: that Jesus modeled a reality in which victims become survivors, and the marginalized become central to the Kingdom of God.

Purchase your copy of Jennifer’s book Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims

Read Mark’s essay: Exploring the kaleidoscopic world of Christian atonement theory 

Read Jennifer’s Commentary on John 4:5-42

Read Jennifer’s article: What The Gospels Teach Us About Salvation

Follow Jennifer on Twitter: @garciabashaw

Follow Mark on Instagram (markhackett.faith) and Threads (@markhackett)

Subscribe on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and church culture in the American South from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by ⁠signing up for my free newsletter⁠ or ⁠becoming a member⁠.

“Right now, Black voices are in.” That’s the opening line from Reading Black Books: How African American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just by Pastor Claude Atcho from Church of the Resurrection in Charlottesville, VA.

Learning from Black voices means listening to more than snippets. It means attending to Black stories. In Reading Black Books, Claude offers a theological approach to 10 seminal texts of 20th-century African American literature. Each chapter takes up a theological category for inquiry through a close literary reading and theological reflection on a primary literary text, from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Richard Wright's Native Son to Zora Neale Hurston's Moses, Man of the Mountain and James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain.

This book helps readers of all backgrounds learn from the contours of Christian faith formed and forged by Black stories, helping us move toward deeper conversations about racial justice in the church. Claude demonstrates that reading about Black experience as shown in the literature of great African American writers can guide us toward sharper theological thinking and more faithful living.

In the first half of this conversation, Claude shares some of his keen theological insights on a few formative works from Black writers. Then, Mark and Claude discuss the true universality of these stories and how they can inform our faith in ways that extend well beyond conversations about race, helping to bring renewal to our faith, churches, and communities.

Purchase your copy of Reading Black Books: How African American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just

Learn more about Church of the Resurrection in Charlottesville, VA and support this church plant

Check out The Scandal of Reading podcast for inspiring conversations about why Christians should be reading great literature

Visit Claude’s website

Follow Claude on Twitter: @ClaudeAtcho

Follow Mark on Instagram (markhackett.faith) and Threads (@markhackett)

Subscribe on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and church culture in the American South from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by ⁠signing up for my free newsletter⁠ or ⁠becoming a member⁠.

“Biblical womanhood” is the belief that God designed women to be submissive wives, virtuous mothers, and joyful homemakers. From career choices to local church roles to important relationships, the everyday lives of millions of women —and men— in North American Christianity are shaped by this belief.

But in her paradigm-shifting book The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth, Baylor University historian Dr. Beth Allison Barr explains why biblical womanhood isn’t as biblical as we’ve been told. She shows how this belief is a product of human civilization, not a divine ordination. Her timely book provides needed context for contemporary teachings about women’s roles in the church, providing us all a path forward out of a debate that has devolved into a quagmire.

In the first half of this conversation, Beth shares some of the history of women’s roles in the church and home that many American Christians are unaware of. Then, Mark and Beth discuss the real-world implications of gender hierarchy —including widespread abuse and the crisis of masculinity plaguing complementarian church culture— and the hope of what a better future could look like.

Purchase your copy of The Making of Biblical Womanhood

Read Mark’s review of The Making of Biblical Womanhood and some of his  thoughts on complementarian church culture

The New Stealth Translation: ESV - a critique by biblical scholar Scot McKnight

Saying Farewell to the ESV - a critique by Rachel Green Miller

Visit Beth’s website

Follow Beth on Twitter: @bethallisonbarr

Follow Mark on Instagram (markhackett.faith) and Threads (@markhackett)

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and church culture in the American South from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by signing up for my free newsletter or becoming a member.

Why is white evangelical culture often so controlling and resistant to change? Why is there so much abuse in white evangelical churches? And how did the people of “family values” fall in line behind Donald Trump in such large numbers?

These are questions answered in Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University.

Her deeply researched history book pushes beyond facile headlines to discover why white evangelicalism isn’t as pure as many of its adherents believe. Historical analysis spanning decades culminates in a stunning conclusion: Donald Trump represents the fulfillment, rather than the betrayal, of white evangelicals’ most deeply held values.

In the first half of this episode, Kristin shares some of the history of how white evangelicalism became what it is today. In the second half, Mark and Kristin discuss the real-world implications of white evangelical teachings and culture, and the enduring consequences for us all.

Purchase your copy of Jesus & John Wayne

Read Mark’s review of Jesus & John Wayne

Read Kristin’s piece in the New York Times

Follow Kristin on Twitter: @kkdumez

Follow Mark on Instagram (markhackett.faith) and Threads (@markhackett)

Subscribe on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, or wherever you get your podcasts. I explore faith and church culture in the American South from Memphis, TN. Never miss a post by ⁠signing up for my free newsletter⁠ or ⁠becoming a member⁠.