Respond and Engage! Paul will be speaking at the 16th Annual Michigan Reformation Conference in Flint, Michigan on Saturday, October 26th (10am – 4pm). More information and free registration.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thomas S. Kidd<\/strong> is the Vardaman Distinguished Professor of History at Baylor University and the author of many books, including Who Is an Evangelical? A History of a Movement in Crisis<\/a><\/em> (Yale, 2019); Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father<\/em><\/a> (Yale, 2017); Baptists in America: A History<\/em><\/a> with Barry Hankins (Oxford, 2015); George Whitefield: America\u2019s Spiritual Founding Father<\/a> <\/em>(Yale, 2014); and Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots<\/a><\/em> (Basic, 2011). <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you follow politics, you\u2019ve seen plenty of headlines or social media posts in recent months along the lines of \u201cEvangelicals believe [a certain stance on an issue]\u201d or \u201cEvangelicals support [this or that candidate]\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you follow Dr. Thomas Kidd<\/a> on Twitter<\/a>, you\u2019ve seen him repeatedly call out such posts \u2014 in particular, questioning how such stories determine who counts as an evangelical before reaching their conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Kidd \u2014 a Baylor history professor since 2002 \u2014 has published his thinking in a new book: Who Is an Evangelical?: The History of a Movement in Crisis<\/a><\/em>. In it, Kidd pulls from his expertise in American religious history<\/a> to look back at the birth and growth of the evangelical movement, in the process illustrating how distorted the word \u201cevangelical\u201d has become when it comes to politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THOMAS KIDD: Will Donald Trump Ever Lose His Evangelical Firewall?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NYT: Why Evangelicals Support Donald Trump<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JULIE ROYS: Leading Evangelicals Endorse Prosperity Preacher Paula White\u2019s New Book<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JAMES K. A. SMITH: Trump\u2019s evangelical advisers are promoting Paula White, but here\u2019s the book they should really read<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n RNS: National Association of Evangelicals names new president, diverse leadership<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n R. R. Reno<\/strong> is the editor of\u00a0First Things<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>magazine, and author of the just released Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West<\/a><\/em>. He was formerly a professor of theology and ethics at Creighton University. He is the author of several books including\u00a0Fighting the Noonday Devil,\u00a0<\/em>a theological commentary on the Book of Genesis in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible series. His work ranges widely in systematic and moral theology, as well as in controverted questions of biblical interpretation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Return of the Strong Gods: Nationalism, Populism, and the Future of the West<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After the staggering slaughter of back-to-back world wars, the West embraced the ideal of the \u201copen society.\u201d The promise: By liberating ourselves from the old attachments to nation, clan, and religion that had fueled centuries of violence, we could build a prosperous world without borders, freed from dogmas and managed by experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the populism and nationalism that are upending politics in America and Europe are a sign that after three generations, the postwar consensus is breaking down. With compelling insight, R. R. Reno argues that we are witnessing the return of the \u201cstrong gods\u201d\u2014the powerful loyalties that bind men to their homeland and to one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reacting to the calamitous first half of the twentieth century, our political, cultural, and financial elites promoted open borders, open markets, and open minds. But this never-ending project of openness has hardened into a set of anti-dogmatic dogmas which destroy the social solidarity rooted in family, faith, and nation. While they worry about the return of fascism, our societies are dissolving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But man will not tolerate social dissolution indefinitely. He longs to be part of a \u201cwe\u201d\u2014the fruit of shared loves\u2014which gives his life meaning. The strong gods will return, Reno warns, in one form or another. Our task is to attend to those that, appealing to our reason as well as our hearts, inspire the best of our traditions. Otherwise, we shall invite the darker gods whose return our open society was intended to forestall.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE CATHOLIC THING: Review of Return of the Strong Gods<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n LISTEN LIVE AT 1:00 PM ET Respond and Engage!TALK TO PAUL ON-AIR: 313.272.5600 Michigan Reformation Conference Paul will be speaking at the 16th Annual Michigan Reformation Conference in Flint, Michigan on Saturday, October 26th (10am – 4pm). More information and … Continue reading
TALK TO PAUL ON-AIR: 313.272.5600<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMichigan Reformation Conference<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nGUEST: Dr. Thomas Kidd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nGUEST: R. R. Reno, Editor of First Things<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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