In Defense of Evangelicalism with Bonnie Kristian

Are evangelicals really defined by Donald Trump, culture wars, and the pursuit of political power? Or are we missing a much bigger picture?

Bonnie Kristian joins Preston to discuss her book, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers. A journalist and deputy editor at Christianity Today, Bonnie offers a defense of evangelicalism while openly criticizing its failures and explaining why she isn’t a Trump supporter.

We explore what “evangelical” actually means, the accusations leveled against the movement, and why Bonnie believes some critiques overlook the ordinary faithfulness of millions of Christians. We also discuss evangelical support for Trump, what voting statistics can and can’t tell us, and the difference between voting for a candidate and embracing everything that candidate represents.

The conversation also tackles Christian nationalism, the line between voting your values and imposing your beliefs, evangelical attitudes toward war, and Bonnie’s disagreements with Jesus and John Wayne. Can we take evangelical hypocrisy seriously without reducing an entire movement to its worst examples? And can we criticize someone’s politics without dismissing their faith?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Critiquing politics without condemning people

00:30 Are evangelicals really that bad?

03:50 Introducing Bonnie Kristian

06:45 What does “evangelical” actually mean?

10:31 Why hesitate to call yourself evangelical?

11:41 Five accusations against evangelicalism

16:35 Are evangelical faith and Republican politics inseparable?

18:24 Putting the “81 percent” statistic in context

20:18 Why evangelicals vote for Trump

24:13 Culture wars, political power, and voting your values

27:12 When does voting your faith become Christian nationalism?

33:28 Defending evangelicals without supporting Trump

35:45 War, conscience, and rejecting both parties

39:28 Why do evangelicals support war?

43:48 Torture, the Golden Rule, and the influence of faith

45:58 Pushback on the book and Jesus and John Wayne

50:42 Why Bonnie won’t denounce evangelical Trump voters

53:36 Criticism, reform, and contempt for evangelicals

54:40 Engaging critics and knowing when to step away

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