Did evangelicalism fail a generation? How do disillusioned Christians process their experiences in churches and hold on to their faith? How do families divided over Trump find common ground?
In this revealing episode, I sit down with Jon Ward, journalist, author, and chief national correspondent at Yahoo! News, to discuss his latest book, Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation.
Jon Ward describes his life as being divided in half: two decades inside the evangelical Christian bubble and two decades outside of it.
In Testimony, Ward tells the story of his upbringing in, and eventual break from, an influential evangelical church in the 1980s and 1990s (more about that particular church below). Ward sheds light on the evangelical movement's troubling political and cultural dimensions, tracing the ways in which he believes the Jesus People movement was seduced by materialism and other factors to become politically captive rather than prophetic.
Full disclosure: the church Jon grew up in and which he strongly critiques in his book is the same that I joined at age 22 and went on to pastor for ten years. For me, this is a very personal conversation. Our discussion offers listeners a front-row seat to the intersection of faith, politics, and the challenges of reckoning with one's past.
Interview Highlights:
Jon's perspective on influential figures like CJ Mahaney and Al Mohler and their roles within the evangelical movement.
The ramifications of political trends and the Trump presidency, on personal relationships and faith.
Whether it’s possible to be open to being wrong and still hold to absolute truth
Comparing the roles of church leaders and the media in accountability and the parallels Jon sees between them.
Jon's vision for the future of modern American Christianity and the steps he believes are crucial for its transformation.
Whether you're entrenched in the evangelical community, just curious, or somewhere in between, this episode promises a candid exploration of faith, growth, and the complexities of human experience.
Learn More:
Website: Jonwardwrites.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonwardwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonward11