The Immoral Majority: Why Evangelicals Chose Political Power Over Christian Values

by Ben Howe

Overview

An analysis of why and how the Religious Right could vote for Donald Trump in 2016, and how the movement can redeem itself and get back on track.

In 2016, writer and filmmaker Ben Howe found himself disillusioned with the religious movement he’d always called home. In the pursuit of electoral victory, many American evangelicals embraced moral relativism and toxic partisanship.

In The Immoral Majority, Howe—still a believer and still deeply conservative—analyzes and debunks the intellectual dishonesty and manipulative rhetoric that evangelical leaders use to convince Christians to toe the Republican Party line. He covers the history of the Christian Right, as well as the events of the last three decades that led to the current state of the conservative movement at large.

As long as evangelicals prioritize power over persuasion, Howe argues, their pews will be empty and their national influence will dwindle. If evangelicals hope to avoid cultural irrelevance, it means valuing the eternal over the ephemeral, humility over ego, and resisting the seduction of political power, no matter the cost. The Immoral Majority demonstrates how the Religious Right is choosing the profits of this world at the cost of its soul—and why it’s not too late to change course.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062797094
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	307
Sales rank:	403,911
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Ben Howe is a writer, podcaster, and film - maker, as well as the founder of Howe Creative, a video production company. He has appeared as a commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, and has written guest columns for the Atlantic, the Washington Examiner, and the Daily Beast, among other publications. You can follow him on Twitter at @BenHowe

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 The Shift 1

Chapter 2 The New Good News 39

Chapter 3 The Old Good News 71

Chapter 4 Tired of Losing 100

Chapter 5 The Altar of Winning 129

Chapter 6 State of the Church 164

Chapter 7 True Victory 197

Afterword: Love Your Enemies 235

Acknowledgments 247

Notes 251

Index 259

Editorial Reviews

It’s one thing to have a transactional relationship with the Trump presidency. But, as Ben Howe argues in The Immoral Majority,  it’s entirely different to redefine your moral framework to accommodate someone who has no business fitting into it. Howe’s deeply personal call to his fellow evangelical Christians should not be ignored.” — Jonah Goldberg, author of Suicide of the West and Los Angeles Times columnist

“This is a book the big-name evangelical crusaders who sacrificed their morals at the altar of the Republican Party do not want you to read. Howe, the once wayward son of a pastor who personally recognizes the need for true moral leadership, takes a searing look at people such as Jerry Falwell Jr., Dr. James Dobson, Robert Jeffress, and others to ask a hard but necessary question: Who will inspire future generations of Americans to worship God when our nation’s biggest supposedly moral leaders are so busy worshipping political power?” — Amanda Carpenter, author of Gaslighting America: Why We Love it When Trump Lies to Us and CNN political commentator

“Ben Howe’s heartfelt book is a plea to evangelicals to understand the limits of earthly politics and a call for them to return to a path marked by grace, away from the punitive and cruel politics of this administration. Ben’s deep faith and political smarts shine from every page, and The Immoral Majority is essential for understanding how American evangelicals arrived at their current moment of crisis.” — Rick Wilson, author of Everything Trump Touches Dies

“The Immoral Majority by Ben Howe is such an important book for Americans to read and for evangelicals to debate. Critically important." — Joe Scarborough

“Mixing political commentary, historical facts, and personal narrative, Howe offers a critical yet compassionate call to arms for fellow evangelicals to remember their religious obligations as upholders of high moral standards….Howe’s trenchant work will appeal to anyone concerned with the evangelical embrace of the Trump presidency.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From the Publisher

It’s one thing to have a transactional relationship with the Trump presidency. But, as Ben Howe argues in The Immoral Majority,  it’s entirely different to redefine your moral framework to accommodate someone who has no business fitting into it. Howe’s deeply personal call to his fellow evangelical Christians should not be ignored.

Jonah Goldberg

Ben Howe’s heartfelt book is a plea to evangelicals to understand the limits of earthly politics and a call for them to return to a path marked by grace, away from the punitive and cruel politics of this administration. Ben’s deep faith and political smarts shine from every page, and The Immoral Majority is essential for understanding how American evangelicals arrived at their current moment of crisis.

Rick Wilson

The Immoral Majority by Ben Howe is such an important book for Americans to read and for evangelicals to debate. Critically important."

Joe Scarborough

This is a book the big-name evangelical crusaders who sacrificed their morals at the altar of the Republican Party do not want you to read. Howe, the once wayward son of a pastor who personally recognizes the need for true moral leadership, takes a searing look at people such as Jerry Falwell Jr., Dr. James Dobson, Robert Jeffress, and others to ask a hard but necessary question: Who will inspire future generations of Americans to worship God when our nation’s biggest supposedly moral leaders are so busy worshipping political power?

Amanda Carpenter