The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory

American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

By: Tim Alberta

Narrated by: Tim Alberta

Instant New York Times Bestseller

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year

An Economist and Air Mail Best Book of the Year

""Brave and absorbing."" -- New York Times

“Alberta is not just a thorough and responsible reporter but a vibrant writer, capable of rendering a farcical scene in vivid hues.” -- Washington Post

“An astonishingly clear-eyed look at a murky movement.” -- Los Angeles Times

Evangelical Christians are perhaps the most polarizing—and least understood—people living in America today. In his seminal new book, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, journalist Tim Alberta, himself a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints an expansive and profoundly troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. Through the eyes of televangelists and small-town preachers, celebrity revivalists and everyday churchgoers, Alberta tells the story of a faith cheapened by ephemeral fear, a promise corrupted by partisan subterfuge, and a reputation stained by perpetual scandal.

For millions of conservative Christians, America is their kingdom—a land set apart, a nation uniquely blessed, a people in special covenant with God. This love of country, however, has given way to right-wing nationalist fervor, a reckless blood-and-soil idolatry that trivializes the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Alberta retraces the arc of the modern evangelical movement, placing political and cultural inflection points in the context of church teachings and traditions, explaining how Donald Trump's presidency and the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated historical trends that long pointed toward disaster. Reporting from half-empty sanctuaries and standing-room-only convention halls across the country, the author documents a growing fracture inside American Christianity and journeys with listeners through this strange new environment in which loving your enemies is ""woke"" and owning the libs is the answer to WWJD.

Accessing the highest echelons of the American evangelical movement, Alberta investigates the ways in which conservative Christians have pursued, exercised, and often abused power in the name of securing this earthly kingdom. He highlights the battles evangelicals are fighting—and the weapons of their warfare—to demonstrate the disconnect from scripture: Contra the dictates of the New Testament, today's believers are struggling mightily against flesh and blood, eyes fixed on the here and now, desperate for a power that is frivolous and fleeting. Lingering at the intersection of real cultural displacement and perceived religious persecution, Alberta portrays a rapidly secularizing America that has come to distrust the evangelical church, and weaves together present-day narratives of individual pastors and their churches as they confront the twin challenges of lost status and diminished standing.

Sifting through the wreckage—pastors broken, congregations battered, believers losing their religion because of sex scandals and political schemes—Alberta asks: If the American evangelical movement has ceased to glorify God, what is its purpose?

©2023 Tim Alberta (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent book with a solid structure of truth

So many compelling stories are contained within the larger narrative. I admire all the people in this book who had the courage to hold on to what they knew to be true. They did so at great cost but also came out stronger. I felt the author respected the nuances of character. He didn't try to give the audience easy answers or paint a good vs evil picture. I have a better understanding of how so many evangelicals came to support Trump despite the glaringly obvious contradiction with the principles of Christian faith. The book is also encouraging as the author documents an aligning of people who see the magnitude of the problems and are willing to do something about it.

Inside story on the intersection of Christianity and Politics

Fascinating look at how Politics has corrupted the actual teachings of Christianity… to love one’s enemy, to look to the kingdom of God rather than the things of this earth. Christianity used to be about your own soul and reflecting on your own heart. This book talks to how money and power has moved the focus from simple teachings to militant politics. Well researched! This book has really stirred me to not be so complacent about what I know to be true…. That this intersection of religion and politics that we are at right now is dangerous.

Truthful and honest

As a 50 year Christian believer, this book made me feel really uncomfortable on one level and comforted on another. The fact that when the book was over, I had a lump in my throat should speak volumes about how important it is. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and take my hat off to the author for the courage to write it.

Excellent - must read

Excellent coverage of the evangelical embrace of Christian Nationalism and the MAGA Trump movement. Very helpful and well written and narrated.

THE book to read to understand evangelicalism in this time

This isn't just another book about evangelicalism in America. I believe this will go down as the defining book about evangelicalism in America for this era.

Every chapter felt like an episode of "60 Minutes." Jerry Fallwell Sr. (and his children), Russell Moore, Robert Jeffress, Rev. Dr. John Dickson, Ralph Reed, David Barton & Chad Connelly, Brian Zahnd, Charlie Kirk, David French, Curtis Chang, Rachael Denhollander, Julie Roys, and so many more. Tim Alberta did incredible work chronicling a wide range of stories about Evangelical Christianity in America at this beleaguered point in time.

Part of what makes this book special is that it comes from "inside the house." Tim Alberta isn't an unbeliever standing outside our buildings wagging his finger. He's one of us, taking great pains to listen and then challenge the spirit of this age.

I'm personally grateful to Tim Alberta for taking the past 4 years to research, report, and write this. Not sure I'll read a more meaningful book in 2024.

INSIGHTFUL AND WELL DONE!!!

Tim Alberta's analysis of the present-day Evangelical church was extremely well-written and moving. It was immediately obvious that this work was written by someone who was not an outside observer of Evangelicism, but an active participant in the church with firsthand knowledge of scripture and the church's role in our everyday lives. It was so refreshing and exciting to hear some of the biblical references and verses used to emphasize his points and illustrate his concerns about the negative influence of politics on current religious practices. During many of the biblical quotations and references, one could only exclaim, "AMEN!" It almost felt like a personal revival meeting.
This work held my attention from beginning to end and was very specific in naming individuals and organizations who were a part of the problem and those who were trying to find solutions. The ending was hopeful.
I can only hope that there will be others who have not abandoned the true purpose of believers in Christ everywhere.
I highly recommend this book.

Thought Provoking Book

I found this the first of the dozens that I have read over the past seven years that helped me understand the Trump Cult. Cannot recommend highly enough

Religious Saints

I did not know Evangelicals were having a Melt Down during President Obama two terms.

Every Christian should read this.

I love this book. Great interviews with many pastors who holds different views of Christian Nationalism.

Good to Know that not all are Scared, Selfish, Stupid, and Stubborn!

Outstanding book. A huge fan of Tim Alberta’s honest writing. The laborious detail was significantly important to the book, but glad it was served up via Audible. Not certain I would have the patience to read through it all and not doing so would detract from very necessary information. The first hand conversations are fascinating, and the raw insight into the evangelical church and its leadership is scary. Excellent listening. I will buy the book. Certain sections should be highlighted and shared.