Washington Post Awakenings: I’m an Evangelical. My Faith Isn’t ‘a Cancer.’, by Bonnie Kristian (Christianity Today; Author, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers (Sept. 1, 2026)):

I’m an evangelical woman and a frequent critic of President Donald Trump. I don’t believe evangelicals are above reproach. But legitimate criticism of their political choices has shaded into something darker: contempt for an entire group of Americans. … Earlier this year, a viral clip passed through my social media feed. It came once, twice and finally, the third time, I watched progressive podcaster Jennifer Welch talk straight to camera, her voice filled with disdain as she declared the faith of millions of American evangelicals “a cancer.” …

A cottage industry has arisen to castigate tens of millions of evangelicals in sweeping, inaccurate terms. One book after another treats them as dangers to democracy. This narrative is reinforced by “exvangelical” memoirs written by people who were once evangelical but now denounce the faith as rigid, confining or worse. …

People looking to find fault with the personal behavior or political choices of evangelicals will never lack for material. Depending on how you measure, evangelicals make up 15 to 25 percent of the U.S. population and can certainly claim their share of sinners. I’m not interested in whitewashing any evangelical wrongs.

But the broad-brushed dismissal of evangelicals … overlooks the reality of evangelicalism in churches across America. Research shows that practicing evangelicals are markedly more likely than those who leave the church to “avoid discrimination based on race,” to provide “financially and/or practically for the poor and oppressed” and to avoid lying, stealing and greed. Evangelicals donate twelve times as much to disaster relief and missions as they spend on politics.

According to a study conducted by the American Bible Society in conjunction with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, of the religious demographics surveyed, evangelicals lead both in the average amount donated and in the percentage of people donating money — not just to churches, but to religious and nonreligious charities.

Bonnie Kristian, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers (Sept. 1, 2026):

Evangelicalism is a favorite scapegoat of American public life. Christianity Today deputy editor Bonnie Kristian argues that the most common attacks fall apart under scrutiny, issuing a bold call for evangelicals not to be ashamed of their tradition and, instead, to preserve and deepen it.

Evangelicals are subjected to a steady stream of criticism about what they believe and how they live out their faith in public. This isn’t new: Evangelicals have felt slighted and misrepresented for a century. But in the current political era, a cottage industry consisting of podcasts, essays, and dozens of books has arisen―all dedicated to criticizing evangelicalism. The question is not whether evangelicalism has faults but whether the accusations are fair, coherent, and a path to destruction or reform.

Drawing on research, original reporting, and a lifetime in the evangelical movement, author and deputy editor at Christianity Today Bonnie Kristian addresses five serious criticisms of evangelicalism, offering a deeply informed and theologically sound defense. Kristian engages with the work of influential critics of evangelicalism―including Kristin Kobes DuMez, Beth Allison Barr, and Tim Alberta―as well as interviews with theologians, pastors, and thought leaders, to deftly dismantle bad-faith critiques while acknowledging where reform is necessary and desirable.

In Defense of Evangelicalism demystifies and humanizes evangelicals, demonstrating irrefutably that evangelicals are not the menace they’ve been made out to be. In fact, Kristian maintains, the evangelical movement is a force for good that every American should want to preserve.

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