In Defense of Evangelicalism, Bonnie Kristian
In Defense of Evangelicalism, Bonnie Kristian
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In Defense of Evangelicalism
A Response to Its Cultured Despisers

Author: Bonnie Kristian, Alan Jacobs

Narrator: Bonnie Kristian

Unabridged: TBD

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/01/2026

Synopsis

Evangelicalism is a favorite scapegoat of American public life. Christianity Today deputy editor Bonnie Kristian argues that the most common attacks fall apart under scrutiny, issuing a bold call for evangelicals not to be ashamed of their tradition and, instead, to preserve and deepen it.

Evangelicals are subjected to a steady stream of criticism about what they believe and how they live out their faith in public. This isn’t new: Evangelicals have felt slighted and misrepresented for a century. But in the current political era, a cottage industry consisting of podcasts, essays, and dozens of books has arisen―all dedicated to criticizing evangelicalism. The question is not whether evangelicalism has faults but whether the accusations are fair, coherent, and a path to destruction or reform.

Drawing on research, original reporting, and a lifetime in the evangelical movement, author and deputy editor at Christianity Today Bonnie Kristian addresses five serious criticisms of evangelicalism, offering a deeply informed and theologically sound defense. Kristian engages with the work of influential critics of evangelicalism―including Kristin Kobes DuMez, Beth Allison Barr, and Tim Alberta―as well as interviews with theologians, pastors, and thought leaders, to deftly dismantle bad-faith critiques while acknowledging where reform is necessary and desirable.

In Defense of Evangelicalism demystifies and humanizes evangelicals, demonstrating irrefutably that evangelicals are not the menace they’ve been made out to be. In fact, Kristian maintains, the evangelical movement is a force for good that every American should want to preserve.

About The Author

Bonnie Kristian is deputy editor at Christianity Today. She is a fellow at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank, and widely published as a freelance journalist who writes on evangelicalism, the modern American right, foreign policy, civil liberties, electoral politics. The author of Untrustworthy and A Flexible Faith, Kristian is a graduate of Bethel Seminary with a Master of Arts in Christian Thought. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and their three children.

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Quotes

“This kind, generous work reminds readers of the good that so many evangelicals represent. And unlike many commentaries on contemporary evangelicalism, this book leaves readers grateful for the realities Bonnie Kristian describes.”—Carl R. Trueman, author of The Desecration of Man

“Kristian has provided a vital service to the public. In Defense of Evangelicalism is an important book that deserves a wide reading and should invite many conversations.”—Rev. Walter Kim, PhD, president of the National Association of Evangelicals

“We need this book. It is everything a good defense should be: witty, intelligent, piercingly discerning, honest, and—at points—downright funny.”—Chris Butler, director of Christian civic formation at the Center for Christianity and Public Life

“What I appreciate about Bonnie Kristian’s work is her honesty, her intolerance for pablum, and the sharpness of her arguments—and all those qualities are on display here. You will be challenged and helped by this book.”—Jake Meador, editor in chief of Mere Orthodoxy

“Kristian exposes the fallacies, double standards, and blind spots in some of the most influential accounts of American evangelicalism today—while boldly confronting the ways in which evangelicals often fall far short of Christian ideals.”—Molly Worthen, author of Spellbound

“If you are an evangelical like me, you’ll come away challenged and encouraged. If you are not, you’ll come away with a better understanding of one of America’s largest and most misunderstood religious groups. This will be one of the most important books of the year.”—Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Kristian turns the tables on the critics—quick to acknowledge the charges when true, but relentlessly committed to exposing how unfair and inaccurate so many portraits of evangelicals are.”—Trevin Wax, author of The Thrill of Orthodoxy

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