Ian Beardsell's Reviews > White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America

Perhaps I am being overly harsh with just 3 stars.

I agree with Anthea Butler's points. The United States evangelical movement has been riddled with racism for a long time. That seems apparent on the face of things. To me, it seems to have become especially evident in the Trump years in which so many "evangelical Christians" in the US wrapped themselves in the American flag and Republican/Tea Party political ideals. And how on earth do Christians turn a blind eye towards the former president's numerous marital infidelities, his dog-whistle racism and misogyny? Oh?! He conveniently says he is pro life, so everything else he does is OK then??

However, I often was unsure how Butler came to some of her conclusions. She seemed to skip a few steps or made assumptions of the reader's understanding, mostly about American politics and cultural norms, which may be missed by a wider international audience. Even as a Canadian, I felt that some of the names and events to which she referred to as common knowledge and not needing further contextual explanation were obscure, but perhaps I am not as conversant in US history and politics as I thought. This is a pity because I believe her message and warnings are important. I think that the book evolved out of an original editorial piece, and I wonder, given it is only 148 pages, if it could have used more supporting evidence and analysis.

On the whole, her conclusions make sense on the surface, but for such a highly rated book, it seemed like a slightly enlarged magazine article that skips the hard evidence and analysis I would have liked.