Andy Rowell

Author: andy.rowell

  • Why Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is such a hit

    After finishing the helpful, and highly acclaimed, "Jesus and John Wayne" by @kkdumez, I'm thinking about the style of the book from a publishing perspective—what has made this book so successful?

    – It is brief and dense so it is efficient. That is, readers get a feeling that they are learning quickly. It has been diligently edited to be concise. It keeps the attention of the reader used to reading Twitter or watching YouTube or The Crown or listening to podcasts.

    – There is less analysis in the sense of "on the one hand, on the other hand." Instead of telling, there is showing—with example after example, and quote after quote. The effect is the takeaway that this Christian masculinity was not just one person but an ideological movement.

    – The reader learns the gist of each story. Details are in the endnotes. If adjectives are used, they evoke the point being made.
    – The scope is mostly limited to 100 years: 1925 Scopes Trial to 2020.
    – It is, as Du Mez says, dependent on the work of journalists.

    – It is particularly credible because of Du Mez's training in history and her position at an historically evangelical university.

    – It has very little prescription of what should be done. The moral lessons are obvious as they are in the books of 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings: Beware of their errors! (History is the most effective genre for shaping morally good leaders in my opinion).

    – I'm thankful for Du Mez's many tweets and posts pointing to the work of others (see https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2020/10/after-jesus-and-john-wayne/amp/) because I too thought often, "If people liked that, they should also read …" Seeking truth is a team effort.

    For any of us interested in the health of Christianity in America, it is great to see well-researched, courageous books like "Jesus and John Wayne," (and last year and earlier in this summer, The Color of Compromise by @JemarTisby), hit a nerve and reach a broad audience.

    Many professors will research specific issues in more detail, which is crucial for the pursuit of truth. (If you are intrigued by or bothered by one paragraph in Jesus and John Wayne, research that)!

    But it is also useful to have these synthetic, more accessible works, that are able to bring much information to a broader audience. One huge problem we have in the USA is people operating with totally different settled facts in their minds.

    Thank you to @kkdumez for this fantastic book. And thank you to others who write great books that don't quite sell like hers but do influence some! And thanks to journalists, those who research, those who tweet, and truth-tellers everywhere who contribute to truth being revealed.

    Originally tweeted by Andy Rowell (@AndyRowell) on December 17, 2020.

  • Evangelical leaders have not been as wise about politics as they could be

    1. Ryan Burge argues that evangelical leaders have little influence on the political beliefs of the masses of evangelicals. I disagree. But evangelical leaders have generally not spoken out about politics, which has led to a vacuum that Fox News filled.

    Thread 👇1/24

    2. I love the work of Ryan Burge but I am not convinced that evangelical leaders do not influence the rank and file.
    3. From the 2004-2020 exit polls, about 16-24% of white evangelicals voted for the Democratic presidential candidate. 74-81% voted for the Republican.

    4. Some leaders of some evangelical organizations voted for the Democrat.
    5. It does not follow that these evangelical leaders who voted for the Democrat are not influential on the politics of the white evangelicals who voted Republican.

    6. There is a correlation. (1/4 voted Democrat, 3/4 voted Republican). But that does not mean there is a causation. (The 3/4 are not affected by the 1/4).

    7. I have been thinking about the saying about how 20% do all the work in most volunteer organizations. We wouldn't say the 20% are not influential.
    8. There are always ignorant people that wise people are trying to have an influence on.

    9. The influence of evangelical leaders is how we got here with 3/4 of white evangelicals voting Republican. Since 1980, the Religious Right (Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Albert Mohler) have tried to persuade evangelicals that they should always vote for Republicans.

    10. But persuading 24% of white evangelicals to vote for the Democrat may have made the difference for Obama and Biden. Biden won by 65,009 votes.
    11. Jim Wallis, Ron Sider, Tony Campolo, John Perkins, Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne, and Rachel Held Evans have been influential.

    12. We know from history and psychology that individuals influence others. Claims that a person in a leadership position has no or little influence are usually wrong.
    13. Christians also believe that what we do matters and what we say matters.

    14. But I agree that white evangelical leaders have not been as wise with regard to partisan politics as they should be because they have generally not seen involvement in partisan politics as part of their responsibility.

    15. Leaders of predominantly white evangelical organizations (pastors, professors, presidents of non-profits) have traditionally avoided talking about partisan politics because they wanted to reach Democrats and Republicans, and as a 501(c)(3), it is illegal to act partisan.

    16. Generally white evangelicals have also stayed out of partisan politics because they prioritize "saving souls for heaven" and running their own benevolent organizations (rather than supporting government initiatives to help those who are addicted, poor, sick, or hungry).

    17. Because the leaders of predominantly white evangelical organizations have avoided addressing partisan politics from the pulpit, classroom or in public, the vacuum has been filled with politically right wing: radio, TV, Facebook, Voter Guides, and direct mail.

    18. Evangelical leaders sometimes have a deficit of knowledge because
    – they grew up not thinking politics matters, and if it does, it is just abortion; and
    – they do not have a solid liberal arts education (history, political science, global knowledge, science, math).

    19. Evangelical leaders are constantly thinking about "offending the donors" (to the church, school, or non-profit organization they lead). Getting people to like you and your organization is the business model so saying anything partisan is a big risk.

    20. Like the Republican Senators and Cabinet members who spoke out forcefully about Trump after leaving office, so retired leaders of Christian churches and organizations spoke up about him (Mark Galli, John Piper, Richard Mouw, John Perkins, Richard Foster, Ron Sider).

    21. Though I was appalled in 2016, in 2020 I am encouraged that more evangelical Christian leaders have become more knowledgeable about politics and have seen the need for courage to speak out about what is blatantly wrong. I think that will trickle down.

    22. And I think Trump's pocket fundamentalists, go-to flatterers, reliable religious spinners, and delusional religious blowhards have shown everyone who they are.

    23. The white evangelical church has much to learn from the theology and the courage of Black Christians in America with regard to speaking up about politics.

    24. I mostly feel good about the biblical preaching that most evangelicals are hearing in their churches and the great education evangelicals receive at CCCU schools. But well-educated evangelicals need to teach people on Facebook, radio, TV, YouTube, TikTok, films, and podcasts.

    Originally tweeted by Andy Rowell (@AndyRowell) on December 16, 2020.

  • Weekly religious service attenders are the only group who report more with excellent mental health this year

    Weekly religious service attenders are the only group to have more rate their mental health as excellent in mid- Nov 2020 than in 2019.
    https://news.gallup.com/poll/327311/americans-mental-health-ratings-sink-new-low.aspx
    1. Religious attenders are often happier. See https://twitter.com/AndyRowell/status/1300552809092243456?s=20
    2. Interesting because many are attending online.

    Between June 29 and September 18, about 50% of the churches that the @BarnaGroup surveyed were hosting church services in their usual building. (0% were between March 20 and May 18).

    https://pinkston.co/docs/church-leader-survey-results-week-18.pdf

    A @pewresearch study shows that 29% of those who could work at home are going back to the office.
    100% – 71% = 29%29% going back to the office
    https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/12/09/how-the-coronavirus-outbreak-has-and-hasnt-changed-the-way-americans-work/

    A study of office space occupancy shows 21% have returned to work. The high of 27% was in October.

    Based on those two statistics of about 21-29% of people have returned to their workplaces though they could work at home, I’m guessing that is also about the percentage of people who have returned to attend church in person even though they could attend online.

    Originally tweeted by Andy Rowell (@AndyRowell) on December 11, 2020.