6 Books on American Evangelicalism

In my Spring 2023 semester as a student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, I took what came to be one of my favorite classes: American Evangelicalism. It was taught by Dr. Albert Mohler—so, a wonderful opportunity. I want to share with you the books that were assigned for class and my reflections that resulted from this class reading.

Men and Women in the Church: A Short, Biblical, Practical Introduction, by Kevin DeYoung

DeYoung does a thorough and convincing job on the main points of his book: women are not to teach/ preach for men in the local church, and there are differences between men and women that cannot be overlooked. We can celebrate the differences between men and women as God’s design and creation. I appreciated the insight that women are to grow up into full beauty, while men are to grow up into full strength. Further, in broad strokes, I appreciated his insight that men are the cultivators of the soil, while woman are cultivators of the womb. I felt affirmed in my womanhood and femininity through reading this book because pure stereotypes were avoided.

It felt, at times and especially in the section on teaching/ leading in the church being reserved for men, that men have a level of importance that is not shared by woman. Men seemed to have an air of significance not garnered by women in their roles. Women are to sit aside while men figure out the important tasks of governing and leading. However, I see that Jesus places great importance upon the words of woman in that, for example, a woman was the first to see Christ resurrected. Women may have just as important of thoughts and ideas as men, even while men take on the important mantel of leadership in church and home (Acts 6:2). Men do best to want and desire women’s buy-in prior to decisions, and that pertains to the most important tasks of leadership and direction.

The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, by Carl F. H. Henry

Here’s my personal takeaway: We can look to Jesus’ example of bringing order, healing, and peace in society wherever He went—through His healing and miracles. Jesus was continually speaking of His kingship—that place where He is honored as King. And, that kingdom has bearing upon society, wherever Christians are engaging.

Christianity and Liberalism, by J. Gresham Machen

This was my second time through Christianity and Liberalism. Perhaps not my last! Machen’s main argument is that liberalism is a completely different religion than Christianity. This is true despite the fact that liberalism uses much the same language as Christianity. Liberalism is ultimately a failed attempt at “rescuing” Christianity from naturalism and the scientific age.

Dr. Mohler expressed in class that evangelicalism is an argument. While personal conversation experience is necessary to the faith, defending that evangelicalism is based upon true historical facts and events is essential. Personal Christian experience is based upon that history and those events (most prominently, the truth of the cross). Doctrine and history run together because evangelical doctrine is based upon historical fact. That’s a main argument of American evangelicalism.

We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, & the Very Meaning of Right & Wrong, by Albert Mohler

I’m glad I read this book. It’s packed with insight.

In the eyes of society, Christians have moved—due to the sexual revolution—from being seen as the caretakers of social ethics to being “immoral” for their views of homosexuals, transgender people, and more. This cultural shift did not start with cultural acceptance of homosexuality, but with evangelical response to contraceptives, divorce, reproductive treatments, and cohabitation. What this will ultimately mean for the religious liberties of believers remains to be seen in full—God knows. But, Mohler charts the course of liberties being removed. Regardless, God has shown us what sin is, what we need to be saved from—indeed what He died to save us from. We, thus, cannot allow the gospel to become empty by remaining silent on today’s sexual revolution.

“Fundamentalism” And the Word of God: Some Evangelical Principles, by J. I. Packer

This book was extremely helpful in defining for me exactly what liberalism holds to and why.

I learned about the basic tenets of liberalism: 1.) God’s love does not have measurable standards for people or beings; 2.) There is a bit of the divine in all of us as people; 3.) Jesus Christ is the perfect example for us—and only in this way is He Savior; 4.) Christianity is merely the highest religion of all the religions of mankind; and 5.) the Bible is a human record relating man’s experience of religion (not being God’s authoritative Word).

Fundamentalism differs from liberalism in the basic doctrines that it upheld: 1.) God does have measurable standards; people must personally respond to His offer of salvation with repentant faith; 2.) Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, meaning we are inherently sinful and needy; 3.) Jesus is God, being born of the virgin Mary; 4.) Only through personal faith in Christ does one get to God (not through other religions); 5.) the Scriptures are inerrant and infallible—the very Word of God.

Furthermore, evangelicals are not obscurantists in terms of abandoning progress, reason, the scientific method—rather, the evangelicals uses these (progress, reason, and science) under a consistent framework of thinking. Evangelicals believe in what Christ and the Scriptures teach about the Word of God (that it is our authority) and we subject ourselves to it as such; this is wholly reasonable.

Confronting Injustice Without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice, by Thaddeus J. Williams

Here are my main personal takeaways: There is good evidence that flies contrary to many of the claims about racial and economic inequality—i.e. inequality is not necessarily due to discrimination. There is much seemingly compassionate activity that contradicts the actual goal of helping people—i.e. sending shoes to poor countries takes money from cobblers. There is much in terms of definitions that are not what they seem—i.e. the very meaning of racism has changed to include a necessary power on the side of the racist. Instead of helping young people, many are transformed into fearful and continually “victimized” people because of the culture of social justice that is taught at universities. Marxist-based theories promote a false gospel of social constructs to help people that steal hearts and minds away from the true gospel.