In Depth:  America

letter from America

Josh Moody

It’s hard for me to tell from my current location in Chicagoland, but I suspect that the ideas floating around, dubbed at times ‘Christian nationalism’, have also made their way to the fayre isles of my homeland, the United Kingdom. Certainly, at any rate, they have caused some waves in America. How do we think through the issue of ‘Christian nationalism’?

Part of the problem is the slipperiness of the term. After all, raised as I was in England, the idea of a ‘Christian nation’ hardly seems strange –though, even by then, we were acutely aware that England was in no real sense ‘Christian’ anymore, if it ever had been. But the Church of England was, and is still, the established church. It has legal standing; there are bishops who sit in the upper house of the Houses of Parliament. The laws upon which the countries of the United Kingdom base their legal existence are deeply rooted in Christian ideas. None of this can be denied by anyone who has given much thought to the matter. Why then the controversy over ‘Christian nationalism’?

Milla Ling-Davies

In the last year, the sale of Bibles in the US has jumped by a staggering 22%, despite overall book sales in the country only rising by less than 1%.

This increase, reported by Circana BookScan, has been attributed to people searching for stability and assurance, and is the latest sign of an encouraging trend of growth for Bible sales in the US. In 2019, 9.7million Bibles were bought by Americans, whereas last year that number leapt to 14.2 million, and in the first ten months of this year has already hit 13.7 million (Forbes).

Evangelicals across the United States and beyond are reacting to Donald Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris in the US presidential election, with some believing he will protect religious freedoms. Others fear he will promote radical nationalism.

Trump has always portrayed himself as the candidate who would best protect Christians, and according to an NBC News exit poll, evangelicals in America played a crucial role in Trump’s victory; about 80% of white evangelicals voted for him, along with 67% of Latino evangelicals and 14% of black evangelicals.

letter from America

Josh Moody

At time of writing, Hurricanes Helene and Milton have had significant impact on parts of America.

The regularity of natural events like this (the ubiquitous insurance moniker ‘Acts of God’) is surprising for those who grew up in the more placid weather patterns of the UK. Yes, hurricanes can hit there too – I remember the one that (as the joke was) turned leafy Sevenoaks into ‘One oak’. I actually slept through that hurricane, awakening to the sound of other teenagers rushing around with hilarity at the mild effects of broken glass and the like where our dormitories were.

Iain Taylor

Although many US evangelicals are backing Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election. Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has supporters among them too.

‘Evangelicals for Biden’ has rebranded as ‘Evangelicals for Harris’ in an effort to mobilise Christian voters for her campaign. The group argues that her faith ‘shines through in her clear Christian values displayed in her unwavering support for American families.’

Iain Taylor

Many believe that November’s US Presidential election is a two-horse race between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. That is not the case; smaller parties and candidates can and do take part, although their chances of winning the Presidency are zero.

One party on November’s ballot is the American Solidarity Party (ASP), a Christian Democratic organisation that was founded in 2011 and has numerous active state and local chapters. Peter Sonski is the party’s nominee in 2024. The ASP is socially conservative and believes that all people are created with an equal and inviolable dignity before God.

letter from America

Josh Moody

What does it mean to be an ‘evangelical’? In some ways this is a perennial question but recent developments in Evangelicalism, especially in America, mean that the question needs to be addressed again.

What recent developments, you say? Well, the most recent is the book Shepherds For Sale (which I have not yet read, and so upon which I cannot comment), but also the increasing tendency for the word ‘evangelical’ in popular discourse to equate with certain political opinions.

Iain Taylor

Nine Louisiana families are suing the state of Louisiana over a new law that orders every public-school classroom to display a poster of the Ten Commandments.

And in a further sign of growing clashes between Christian and secular worldviews, Oklahoma’s top education official has ordered schools there to begin incorporating the Bible into lessons. The BBC reports there has been significant push back to these measures.

Josh Moody

I was recently browsing through (again) Oliver and Joan O’Donovan’s peerless From Irenaeus to Grotius: A Sourcebook in Christian Political Thought.

For those who follow politics – whether in the USA, Britain, or indeed in France – the reason for such a perusal is probably obvious. For those who don’t, or wisely avoid political conversations of any stripe, suffice it to say that we live in interesting political times, especially as Christians wrestle with the old vexed issue of what is the right relationship between the church and the state.

Iain Taylor

Christian author and broadcaster Krish Kandiah is condemning those US Christian leaders who have compared Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate with Donald Trump’s recent criminal convictions.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Kandiah said: ‘To compare Trump to Jesus is a disgrace,’ and: ‘To make any kind of justification for Trump’s actions by comparing him to Jesus is a serious, indeed a blasphemous, suggestion’.

letter from America

Josh Moody

Several recent statistics, as well as trends, paint a sobering but also exciting picture. It’s an interesting combination. The challenge is for us to face reality, but not lack faith thereby, and also not be Chicken Littles who cannot see the encouraging developments too.

For instance, a recent Barna survey, shared with the team here at College Church by our Director of Communication, essentially says that across all generations in America (from Boomers to Gen Z), there is a still a very high positive association with all things spiritual, Jesus, and the Bible. In every cohort there is an above 70% reporting that Americans want to know more about Jesus and study the Bible. This is encouraging!

letter from America

Josh Moody

It was an unusual Sunday. A group of Ukrainian pastors had been in conversation with the missions leadership of the church to see if we might be able to partner with them.

Their ministry in Ukraine was very active. Church planting. Training pastors. Fruitful evangelism. Baptisms. As they were meeting that weekend with the church, news emerged of war breaking out in Ukraine. The Ukrainian pastors were prayed for in a new context, and they bravely made the hard decision to return to their homeland to shepherd their people.

letter from America

Josh Moody

The trouble with writing an article about scandals is that it is essentially impossible to be specific without risking being scurrilous.

I’m sure there’s a place for the freedom of the media to write exposés. But as a pastor, not a journalist, my responsibilities differ. In any case, it’s a dangerous business writing about someone else’s scandals.

letter from America

Josh Moody

Well, it’s been a long – and dramatic – few years. Last time I penned this column for en, I had fairly recently moved from pastoring a church next to Yale University to pastoring a church in Chicagoland next to Wheaton College.

There were huge ministries, if occasionally controversial but mega-famous, scattered throughout America. A significant number of them then fell foul of what you might call the ‘church-too’ (aping the ‘me-too’ movement at the time) and well-known household names in the evangelical bubble were exposed, and scandals ensued. And then there was Covid… It’s hard to make sense of the last few years. What is God up to?

Luke Randall

John Piper has questioned whether it is appropriate to drink coffee at church in a tweet which has had over 2.5 million views.

His message on Twitter/X read: ‘Can we reassess whether Sunday coffee-sipping in the sanctuary fits.’ This was accompanied by a quotation from Hebrews 12:28, which reads, ‘Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.’

Iain Taylor

An evangelical Methodist pastor in Los Angeles has spelled out the profound difficulties conservative congregations now face as they seek to quit the United Methodist Church (UMC) over its inclusion of LGBT leaders.

The Fount Church in Orange County and 21 other churches within the UMC’s California-Pacific Conference say they are being met with unfair departure terms, having been told they must pay half the value of the church’s property to leave the denomination – or risk having their land seized. Members of the Fount Church voted unanimously to disaffiliate from the denomination shortly after the UMC, which was founded in 1964, declared the region a ‘safe harbour’ for LGBTQ+ clergy.

Iain Taylor

Molly Worthen is a highly regarded historian and journalist who researches North American religious and intellectual history.

She is perhaps best known for her book Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism, which examines American evangelical intellectual life since 1945. She also writes regularly about religion, politics and higher education for the New York Times.

Milla Ling-Davies

Upon learning of Tim Keller’s death, artist Makoto Fujimura recently shared how deeply he had been impacted by the American pastor, both spiritually and artistically.

Fujimura first met Keller in the early 90s, when Redeemer Church had only 200 members. He began attending church meetings and rigorous Monday evening classes. He based his ‘Theology of Making’ partly on conversations with Keller, and his approach to culture called ‘Culture Care’ on his experiences at Redeemer. But while this shaped his practice, when trauma struck it was Keller’s pastoral heart that proved invaluable.

If the book of Esther was performed today, Haman would be played by Donald Trump.

That’s the view of well-known evangelical preacher and writer Andrew Wilson on Twitter at @AJWTheology. He cited various verses from Esther to draw the parallel, including Esther 6:6 – ‘Whom would the king wish to honour more than me?’

David Robertson

Hillsong is a global brand. Starting in the northern Sydney suburbs it has spread from Sydney to more than 125 sites in 27 countries – including 12 in the UK.

Its music is probably the most commercially successful in the world – and there will be few churches in the UK which have not sung a Hillsong song. The organisation claims that it has 150,000 attenders worldwide – including over 40,000 in Australia – where it is a key part of one of the fastest growing denominations – the Australian Christian Churches (Assemblies of God). But the brand is in trouble, after several cases of ‘inappropriate’ behaviour – including that of Carl Lentz, its high-profile New York leader. However, it is the case of Brian Houston, its founder and global leader, which has done most harm.

Martyn Whittock

The USA is deeply divided.

Even as it was learning about the recent Supreme Court decisions on abortion, gun rights, and environmental protection, citizens were also watching the ‘January 6th’ hearings explore more of how Trump had urged an inflamed crowd – which, allegedly, he knew to be armed – to march down to the Capitol to ‘stop the steal’; but also to ‘fight like hell’ for what they wanted. And, allegedly, he would have accompanied them, if his security agents had not prevented him.

Iain Taylor

According to a leaked US Supreme Court document, the Court is poised to overturn Roe v Wade – the 1973 decision that legalised abortion across the United States.

Many thousands of pro-lifers and pro-choice people have been demonstrating across the country since the leak, both sides entrenched over the issue which has polarised America for decades. But what would overturning Roe v Wade actually mean, both in the US and in this country?

Evangelical America could collapse suddenly in the way that Roman Catholicism in Ireland did, influential US Christian leader Russell Moore is warning.

In a stark message to Bible-based believers in the States which will resonate in the UK and elsewhere, Moore warns that the church’s perceived lack of ‘moral credibility’ could be disastrous.

Iain Taylor

A 77-year-old Christian florist will pay $5,000 to end a 10-year legal battle over her refusal to provide floral arrangements for a same-sex wedding ceremony. She has also announced that she will retire so that her flower shop can be run by her employees.

Barronelle Stutzman of Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington, was sued by Rob Ingersoll, a man she had done business with in the past, because she refused to provide a floral arrangement for his same-sex wedding in 2013, citing her Christian beliefs as her reason.

Deepening problems at John Piper’s former church, Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, have resulted in high-profile resignations – and the postponement of its 150th anniversary event.

There are, according to a church leaders, complex issues at play relating to, for instance, racial justice, abuse and trauma and believing what women say. There have also been allegations of abusive leadership and deception against elders.

A new law in Texas banning abortion from as early as six weeks has been welcomed by Christian and other pro-life groups, but condemned by abortion-rights activists.

The so-called Heartbeat Act was allowed to go ahead by the Supreme Court and came into force at midnight on 1 September. There were reports of abortion clinics performing abortions right up to 11.59 the night before to beat the deadline.

Nicola Laver

At least 40 former elders who previously served alongside disgraced former ‘mega church’ pastor Mark Driscoll have urged him to resign his pastoral post at The Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The group said they are troubled at his continuing ‘sinful leadership behaviours’ and criticised what they described as a ‘translocal’ advisory structure, allowing him to avoid accountability.

Well known US preacher, writer and church planter Tim Keller says his latest cancer scan is ‘extremely encouraging.

He tweeted that the only visible  cancer is the primary tumour on  the pancreas. ‘We are praying it will decrease to the point of invisibility or remain unchanged’ he said. ‘In any event we want to glorify God by running the race set before us with perseverance.’

Gerald Bray

As en was going to press, Joe Biden was due to be sworn in as President, with more trouble predicted on the streets. Gerald Bray, distinguished Professor of Historical Theology at Knox Theological Seminary, and Director of Research for the Latimer Trust at Oak Hill in London, reports exclusively for en from the United States.

When Donald Trump lost the election last November there was one thing that everybody agreed on – he would not go quietly.

(As en went to press, various lawsuits disputing the result were ongoing.)

Gerald Bray reports from Alabama

The coronavirus pandemic has unexpectedly found me in Alabama, where I have enjoyed a front-row seat in the 2020 elections circus.

Since 2015 there has been a nearly 90% reduction in the number of Christian refugees being resettled to the United States from countries where churches face the greatest persecution. This is according to a new report published by Open Doors USA (a watchdog group that monitors the persecution of Christians) and World Relief (a refugee resettlement agency).

Closed Doors, the title of the 16-page report, is critical of policies that have either drastically reduced refugee resettlement to the USA or made it increasingly difficult for persecuted individuals and families to seek asylum.

In mid-June, with a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibited discrimination in employment on the basis of sex, also includes sexual orientation and gender identity.

The decision, Bostock vs Clayton County, involved three cases. In two of them, a social worker and a skydiving instructor claimed they were fired for being gay. The third case involved the firing of a funeral home employee (of Harris Funeral Homes) who, after being hired as a man, identified and presented as a woman.