American evangelicalism often appears as a politically
monolithic, textbook red-state fundamentalism that elected George
W. Bush, opposes gay marriage, abortion, and evolution, and
promotes apathy about global warming. Prominent public figures hold
forth on these topics, speaking with great authority for millions
of followers. Authors Stephens and Giberson, with roots in the
evangelical tradition, argue that this popular impression
understates the diversity within evangelicalism an often insular
world where serious disagreements are invisible to secular and
religiously liberal media consumers. Yet, in the face of this
diversity, why do so many people follow leaders with dubious
credentials when they have other options? Why do tens of millions
of Americans prefer to get their science from Ken Ham, founder of
the creationist Answers in Genesis, who has no scientific
expertise, rather than from his fellow evangelical Francis Collins,
current Director of the National Institutes of Health?
Exploring intellectual authority within evangelicalism, the
authors reveal how America s populist ideals, anti-intellectualism,
and religious free market, along with the concept of anointing
being chosen by God to speak for him like the biblical prophets
established a conservative evangelical leadership isolated from the
world of secular arts and sciences.
Today, charismatic and media-savvy creationists, historians,
psychologists, and biblical exegetes continue to receive more
funding and airtime than their more qualified counterparts. Though
a growing minority of evangelicals engage with contemporary
scholarship, the community s authority structure still encourages
the anointed to assume positions of leadership.
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