Evangelicals have changed the Gospel and not for “good”

Evangelicals Have Changed the Gospel and Not for “Good”

Evangelicals have changed the gospel of Jesus into a false gospel advanced by demagogic tropes of racial warfare, violent character attacks and a spirit of revenge. I read a month of evangelical social media posts: No Jesus. No grace, mercy, love or compassion. No forgiveness, love for enemies or reconciliation. No eternal life, salvation or being born again. For instance, Texas Lieut. Governor Dan Patrick said of James Tallarico, “Let me tell you what, I’m going to pray for that guy, because when he loses the Senate race, if he campaigns against God as he’s been doing, he’s going to Hell, for sure.”

Evangelicals have changed the gospel they preach in public. The “public” I intend is not the Sunday morning preaching – the “in-church” preaching – of evangelical pastors. I am referring to the public outside the church. With as much charity as I can muster, I believe evangelicals still believe the Sunday words, still preach them in their pulpits. Evangelical preaching, with the deadly outrage of social media, is a different kind of gospel.

Evangelicals demonstrate what Aristotle called “vehemence of character.” There has been a triumph of pathos over logos. As critical race theorist Sharon Patricia Holland argues, such vehemence is maintained by a formation of pleasure, the thrill of contempt.

Evangelicals derive pleasure in attacking liberals. Evangelical Steve Deace let the “cat out of the bag” about what passes for credibility in MAGA. He bragged about MAGA bloggers who have “as many scalps on the messaging wall as anybody else the last couple of years. How did “scalps on the wall” replace “people saved by grace?”

These evangelicals are engaged in MAGA’s “own erotic life” or what rhetorical scholar Donovan Schafer calls the “hedonicity of hate.”

The prophet Jeremiah asks, “Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit” (Jeremiah 2:11 – 12). Offered a choice between truth and power, evangelicals took power.

I don’t think St. Paul would think much of the false gospel of evangelicals. He told the church in Galatia: “I am astonished that you are …. are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.  (Galatians 1:6 – 7).

The best resource I have found for keeping track of evangelical “out-church” preaching is “The Way of Improvement Leads Home” blog produced by American historian John Fea. The blog’s statement: “reflections at the intersection of American history, religion, politics, and academic life.”

Let us, then, for God’s sake, examine this strange new public gospel of the evangelicals. Their gospel is the well of demagogic magic; crude magic, but powerful.

Here is a portion of the new evangelical gospel in their own words.

Liberals are going to hell and that is fine with evangelicals

In the MAGA gospel, hell will be full of Muslims, communists, socialists, gays, liberals, feminists, illegal immigrants and Democrats. Evangelicals have been raising hell about “Hell” for as long as they have preached sermons in America. An angry, resentful, wrathful God, eternal damnation and hell have always darkened the doors of evangelicals.

The subject of hell doesn’t get much attention in America’s “feel-good, feel free” churches, but in public, evangelical preachers have brought it back in deeply personal ways.

Asked about saying Talarico was going to hell, Patrick repeated his assertion. Perhaps only a Texan, with gall large enough to choke an elephant, could claim Talarico is going to hell, when Patrick’s pal, Ken Paxton lives a life that should have him hanging over the pit of hell by the slender thread of a spider’s web.

Ad hominem arguments (character attacks) are ok

In the MAGA evangelical mind, attacking your enemies is standing up for the gospel

The primary rhetorical trope of demagogues is argument ad hominem (Latin for “appeal to the person,” attacking the person instead of their argument). Jennier Mercieca, in Demagogue for President, says “It is used by a demagogue to misdirect the audience’s attention and attack the character of their opponents.”

For example, Sean Feucht says of Rev. Adam Hamilton, “a heretical liar cozying up to false religions of our nation.” This line of attack has become the template for the rest of evangelicals.

The new evangelical gospel says, “Character assassination of others is good and right and necessary.” Senator Cruz: “Why do Democrats keep nominating ‘preachers’ who reject the central tenets of Christianity? This heretical ‘sermon’ directly contradicts the Bible: ‘Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

MAGA evangelical attacks are episodic as if energy flags after each concerted assault. New enemies are required to feed the flames of outrage. During the month of August, evangelicals have conducted campaigns against Dr. Anthony Fauci (old Covid grudge); Democratic nominee for the Senate in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, Talarico and Hamilton, mainline ministers.

Is there a MAGA evangelical who has not attacked Dr. Fauci? Senator Paul Rand is the commanding general in the full scale attack of Dr. Fauci. For six years he has pursued Fauci.

Most of all, Fauci has selected as the single example evangelicals believe proves all liberals and Democrats are like Fauci. According to Mike Pompeo, “Anthony Fauci intentionally misled the American people about the worst public health crisis in a century. He is not a victim – he is a villain, and he deserves to be held in contempt by Congress.”

All Muslims are evil

There is a reason the word “Islamophobia” has entered our vocabulary; it is real and vicious. Robert Jeffress has been the leading anti-Muslim evangelical preacher. “It is an evil religion,” Jeffress said of Islam. “It is an oppressive religion. It is a violent religion.” And it’s leading its followers straight to hell.”

Senator Tom Cotton wants Muslims out of the USA: “Under no circumstances should sworn enemies of the United States come to our country to spread their radical, anti-American views.”

Meghan Basham is outraged and disgusted over “Muslim foot-washing stations” in Houston and Dallas airports. Tom Ascol is losing sleep over and taking credit for the phrase “the increasing Islamification of the USA.” Christian nationalist Alex McFarland says the only way to stop this “cultural jihad” is for America to “outlaw Islam.”

Senator Cruz is riding anti-Muslim fear all the way to the 2028 presidential election: “Where do you think Abdul El-Sayed wants to build power? The Senate. His family was raised on and devoted to hate. We sound the alarm on Verdict: WOW—Abdul El-Sayed Killed Kittens & Puppies and Is Speaking alongside Islamist Cleric Advocating Pedophilia, plus Police Report Shows Maine Troy Jackson Slapped his Girlfriend.”

Evangelicals have so many enemies they can’t separate them. The evangelical mind merges immigrants, Muslims, socialists, liberals. A fond evangelical dream is for ICE to arrest an illegal immigrant crossing the border who is a socialist Muslim who has raped and killed a white woman. Anthony Bradley says, “The way the marriage of socialism and Islam is winning elections and taking over the DNC is extraordinary.”

Socialists are children of Satan

Christian nationalist pastor Jack Hibbs freaks out over the wave of Democratic Socialist candidates winning elections: “Marx, Stalin, Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Zohran Mamdani, that’s exactly how they came to power; a little step at a time.”

Al Mohler argues, “the most crucial worldview issue that confronts us, I think …. is the Democratic Socialists of America, the future of the Democratic Party.”

Senator Marsha Blackburn (Republican, TN): “America is built on freedom and opportunity, not government control. The American people will never accept Democrats’ socialist agenda.” Senator Cotton mixes socialists and Marxists: “Socialists and Marxists are taking over the Democratic Party. The radical left will stop at nothing to impose socialism on our country.”

Conclusion

There has never been a gospel less like Jesus than the new evangelical gospel. The evangelical gospel is no gospel; it is a political playbook for advancing old and new grievances of the fundamentalist/evangelical community.

I confess I have “great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood, [my fellow evangelicals]. Channeling my inner Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright, I hurt in my heart enough to say, “Not “God Bless Evangelicals”; God Damn Evangelicals! That’s in the Bible, for changing the gospel. God Damn Evangelicals for accepting the gifts of Satan and the power to rule the nation. God damn evangelicals for treating others as less than human. God Damn evangelicals as long as they keep trying to act like they are speaking for God and have the right to lord it over the rest of America.” Now, I want you to say, “Forgive him for the ‘God Damn’, that’s also in the Bible

The evangelical preachers have morphed into politicians with a blatantly political agenda. And it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.