Jesus v. Evangelicals: A Biblical Critique of a Wayward Movement

Written by Constantine R. Campbell

Narrated by John Behrens

American evangelicalism is at a crisis point.

The naked grasping at political power at the expense of moral credibility has revealed a movement in disarray. Evangelicals are now faced with a quandary: will they double-down and continue along this perilous path, or will they stop, reflect, and change course? And while support of Donald Trump has produced the tipping point of the evangelical crisis, it is not by any means its only problem.

Evangelicals claim the Bible as the supreme authority in matters of faith. But in reality, it is particular readings of the Bible that govern evangelical faith. Some evangelical readings of the Bible can be highly selective. They distort the Bible's teaching in crucial ways and often lead evangelicals to misguided attempts to relate to the world around them. Many Christians who once self-professed as "evangelicals" can no longer use the term of themselves because of what it has come to represent--power-mongering, divisiveness, judgementalism, hypocrisy, pride, greed. Some leave not just evangelicalism but Christianity for good.

Jesus v. Evangelicals is an insider's critique of the evangelical movement according to its own rules. Since evangelicals regard themselves governed by the Bible, biblical scholar Constantine Campbell engages the Bible to critique evangelicals and to call out the problems within the contemporary evangelical movement. By revealing evangelical distortions of the Bible, this book seeks to restore the dignity of the Christian faith and to renew public interest in Jesus, while calling evangelicals back to his teaching. Constantine Campbell appeals to evangelicals to break free from the grid that has distorted their understanding of the Bible and to restore public respect for Christianity in spite of its misrepresentations by the evangelical church.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Jan 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9780310135760

Constantine R. Campbell

Constantine R. Campbell (PhD, Macquarie University) is a New Testament scholar, author, musician, and documentary host, and lives in Canberra, Australia. He was formerly professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the author of several books, including Paul and Union with Christ, Advances in the Study of Greek, Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek, Keep Your Greek, Outreach and the Artist, and 1, 2 & 3 John in The Story of God Bible Commentary series.

Reviews for Jesus v. Evangelicals

[Shac Cooper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I gave it a 5 because I believe this is a book that everyone should read— Christians and non Christians. For non Christians, it can help them see that all Christians are not hypocrites, such as those who say true Christians will vote for true. As noted in the book, you have to look no further than to his spiritual advisor Paula White; things he’s said such as faith is BS to no that’s not true. Also, for Christians like me who feel isolated asking God what is going on or what kind of Christianity has overtaken the American church, it brings some resolve to mental anguish, which the Bible should do for you, but it’s difficult in these times. Todays Christianity means fighting against those who call for social Justice, using racialized code words such as “woke” (which the birther movement was a “woke” group) and among a list of other political and cultural fights in order to preserve rulership.

One of the strangest things I’ve always though is, though not strange but based on scripture, that we are suppose to have the idea that this world is passing away and we are supposed to hate the entire world system. In fact, the Bible says that any one who loves it is an enemy against God, but some how many have been bewitched into believe the political and power greed of one side that uses the Bible as a tool to gain power and preserve dominance over others is somehow not a part of the this world system. I really find that strange. Our citizenship is in heaven and we are to look to the coming of Christ, but they somehow believe that they are here to protect their “rightful” and true eternal inheritance called America. America is their God. Many will stand before Christ and ask when did I do that to you Lord?

However, I feel like he allowed the personal pain he’s suffered from Christians concerning he getting divorced to contaminate his views. In fact, he does the very thing he accuses evangelicals of. He picks and chooses scripture and manipulates them in a way to fit his narrative about divorce. I found it particularly dangerous. I am divorced and one of the key interjections my Ex used in rebuttal to the permanency of marriage was that “Christians get divorced all the time.” I think is take his dangerous. And I disagree with his stance. I believe that evangelicals don’t put much weight to divorce which is why the divorce rate is so high within the church. Pastors overlook it and water it down as this author did. Instead, they focus all their energy in gays and abortions as destroying the Bible while sanctioning divorces to be just fine. It is frowned upon Im for leaders, who should be held to a high standard, but not regular church goers. I think what happened to him will cause him to weaken what the Bible says of many other topics. Reading into the text making ppl who chose to live in sin victims.