White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America

Written by Anthea Butler

Narrated by Allyson Johnson

The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals plays a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. These evangelicals raise a starkly consequential question for electoral politics: Why do they claim morality while supporting politicians who act immorally by most Christian measures? In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler answers that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power.



Butler reveals how evangelical racism, propelled by the benefits of whiteness, has since the nation's founding played a provocative role in severely fracturing the electorate. During the buildup to the Civil War, white evangelicals used scripture to defend slavery and nurture the Confederacy. During Reconstruction, they used it to deny the vote to newly emancipated blacks. In the twentieth century, they sided with segregationists in avidly opposing movements for racial equality and civil rights. Most recently, evangelicals supported the Tea Party, a Muslim ban, and border policies allowing family separation. White evangelicals today, cloaked in a vision of Christian patriarchy and nationhood, form a staunch voting bloc in support of white leadership.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Apr 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666107463

Anthea Butler

Anthea Butler is professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reviews for White Evangelical Racism

[Eve · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Concisely describes the discourse I've waded thru my whole life. This book talks in terms that are agreeable to white evangelicals, while disagreeing with them. For example, the part about Kanye West was understated, look up footage of his apology.

[Mike green Sr. · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Serious focus on racism and evangelicals. I don’t see anything changing, but a least they have been called out. The solution to racism in this country lies squarely in the lap of
today’s white evangelicals and they have no intentions of doing anything to change things.
It’s just too painful for them and as a group, their fear is overwhelming.

[jeremy_smith_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Only doing us evangelicals a favor. If you want to put us all in the same category. Jesus said be exceedingly glad when you are persecuted for righteousness for great is your reward in heaven.

[Christie Brooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very nice quick short over view of the marriage between evangelicalism and racism. A good introductory book going over the bare bones and facts and naming lots of resources for deeper research and learning to pursue if one wanted to do so.

[Dax · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Sad addiction to hate and division. The opposite of what any sane person seeks.

[wise69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliant. Explains a great deal about the current movement to politicize and weaponize Christianity.

[deusvitae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A less than celebratory exploration of white Evangelicalism, primarily covering the past seventy-five years.

The author was raised and nurtured in the Evangelical context. Some time is spent arriving at the postwar era, but the focus is on how (white) Evangelicalism stood in terms of race from the postwar era until today. The author brings out all the skeletons from the closet: Graham's waffling on race and his belief that white and black children would only associate after the return of Jesus; the condemnation of the Civil Rights Movement as godless Communism and a distraction from spiritual witness; the willingness to use those same methods to develop the "Moral Majority," and the development of that organization first on account of the threat of segregation academies losing their tax-exempt status, not abortion; the willingness to look as if they were about to become inclusive, but then the turn toward dressed up racism in white grievance politics and hegemony with Bush II, the reaction to Obama, and reaching its apotheosis with Trump.

The judgment is sharp and bracing; if the work were presented as if it were *the* history of Evangelicalism, it would surely be a warped and unbalanced distortion. Yet the author herself, in conclusion, recognizes the good that many Evangelicals have done, and recognizes this is not the only dimension to the story of Evangelicalism in America. Yet it surely represents *a* dimension of what conservative Christendom in America has been and now is. It's the story left untold, that which was passed over in silence, or attempted to be swept under the carpet. But now it's out in full force and sadly proving to be a powerful motivator for affiliation.

A very ugly and distressing truth indeed, but a necessary counterweight to the celebratory works of history often made of the Evangelicals and their influence on American politics.

**--galley received as part of early review program

[pomo58 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America by Anthea Butler is a clear and concise history of how contemporary Evangelicalism is not a sudden phenomenon but the result of the racism built into its early strands and maintained as a foundational element throughout.

There is a faux educator on Netgalley (unless maybe he works (mis)educating people for Breitbart) who can be counted on to spew nonsense whenever he stumbles across any book that supports anything other than white pseudo-Christian patriarchal society, and this is no exception. He pretends that Butler does not acknowledge that some early Evangelicals did lead the fight against slavery (she does acknowledge it). He cites an economist (though by the wrong first name, William is his middle name and not the one he publishes under) who won a Nobel prize for a theory on slavery, though that is not what Fogel is mentioned for. The book mentioned is questionable at best and, even giving some of it the benefit of the doubt, does not refute Butler's points at all. This bigoted faux-educator hopes that no one has read or is familiar with any previous scholarship or, for that matter, historical events and will not notice the stench coming from his mouth. And, since he is really just preaching to others like himself, they are probably as unfamiliar with the books and events as he is, he is clearly cribbing his racism from someone else, but he still spreads his filth on far too many good books that could help bring people together, except he has a narrow view of who qualifies as people.

Okay, I feel better now, cowards like that just irk me. This book disrupts what Evangelicals have been doing for generations not so much by uncovering new information but by bringing all of these things together so we can see the big picture. And the big picture is that racism is at the heart of white Evangelicalism in the United States and has been for many years. Once they finally left any Christianity behind and became a full-fledged cult intent on gaining power, they were no longer able, in a rational person's mind, to hide behind any form of morality.

Yes, this book fired me up because it makes very clear, in well argued and supported points, the things many of us have known and/or sensed for some time. Maybe someone who doesn't live in stupidity central (Lynchburg, VA, home of the faux university Liberty run by the cult Falwell) will be able to stand back and have their understanding improved by this book. I see this hatred and inbreeding daily and get fired up.

If I have offended anyone, too bad. Considering the people in cages, dead or dying, going hungry and/or homeless because of what these people do, I don't care if I hurt someone's little feelings. I am not worried since you're all cowards anyway.

So, highly recommended for those who want to learn. For those who don't, well, you probably wouldn't be able to read it anyway, there are polysyllabic words in the book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.